Cerius Consulting and Hobbs Group Reach Collaborative Agreement to Mutually Promote Services and to Offer Hard-to-Find CEO-Caliber Talent to the Consulting Market.

Business Editors

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 8, 2003

Hobbs Group Signs On as Corporate Sponsor

Cerius Consulting (www.ceriusconsulting.com), an executive level-only consultancy group, today announced the addition of Hobbs Group, a national insurance brokerage and consulting company that specializes in the mid to large employer market for property and casualty, employee benefits and executive benefits, as a corporate sponsor. This collaborative agreement will leverage the broad experience and name recognition of Hobbs Group and match it to the skill sets and experience of Cerius' C-level consultants (CEOs, COOs, CFOs, CTOs, etc....). During the 12-month contract period, both firms will be engaged in mutually beneficial cross-promotional activities that will further broaden their penetration into the highly competitive and quick-moving consulting arena.

"We are very excited to have Hobbs Group join the ranks of corporate sponsors within the Cerius family," said W Bruce Steever, vice-president and co-founder of Cerius Consulting. "The addition of Hobbs Group, a top insurance brokerage and consulting firm, marks a growth point for Cerius Consulting and validation for our model as we continue to market our talent pool and leverage our experience with other industry leaders."

As part of the one-year contract, and in exchange for a financial commitment to Cerius Consulting, Hobbs Group will become a premier corporate sponsor. This sponsorship will include participation and cross links on the Cerius Web site and coverage in the quarterly Cerius newsletter which currently goes out to over one thousand executive-level managers and business owners. In addition, Hobbs Group will have access to the Cerius roster -- a valuable pool of hard-to-find CEO-caliber talent. Hobbs Group will also be represented at Cerius principals' meetings and will be allowed to disseminate marketing materials at the many Cerius networking conferences, seminars and mixers. This agreement also affords Hobbs Group event sponsorship priority. In exchange, Cerius will also receive limited exclusivity and member referrals (and referral fees) for the growing Cerius talent pool.

"With the growth of insurance related expenses and the resulting draw on corporate profits, executives at all levels are grasping at creative ways to control insurance related expenses. The combination of Hobbs Group's knowledge of the corporate insurance market and Cerius' multi-disciplined executive experience will provide a collaborative environment to address the issue," said Paul Leblanc, managing consultant of Hobbs Group.

About Hobbs Group

Hobbs Group is a national insurance brokerage and consulting firm with high visibility in the national, regional and local corporate insurance marketplace. Hobbs Group provides highly specialized insurance brokerage and consulting services to more than 6,000 customers for property and casualty, employee benefits and executive benefits. In addition to its Orange County, Calif. office, the Hobbs Group network and its parent company, Hilb, Rogal and Hamilton Company (HRH) have over 200 offices in 80 countries.

About Cerius Consulting

Cerius Consulting is a group of seasoned executives who have successfully served as CEOs, COOs, CFOs, CTOs, CIOs and VPs in a broad range of disciplines. Their proven business acumen and track record of success allows Cerius consultants to seamlessly step-in and work with management to offer timely diagnoses of business problems as well as solutions to enhance revenues. Cerius Consulting has the people, the tools, and the insight to solve companies' most pressing business issues combined with the know-how to take a company to the next level. Cerius Consulting is based in Orange County, Calif. with additional locations in San Diego and Los Angeles. For more information, please call 949/250-0500 or visit www.ceriusconsulting.com.