ChemChain Sites Now Serve More Than 150,000 Purchasers Worldwide; Ends Y2K With Profit; Internet-based Software Provider Thrives, Growing.

Business/Technology Editors

SUDBURY, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 24, 2001

ChemChain, Inc. eclipses dozens of large service providers as its customer/members now allow more than 150,000 purchasers worldwide to place orders online using ChemChain transaction Web sites. And the number is growing with demand.

It is clearly ChemChain's conservative nuts-and-bolts approach coupled with an economical and fair partnering strategy that have made this subsidiary of Oco, Inc. an effective survivor of the Y2K e-mania. They build, deliver and host the best Internet-based software on the planet.

ChemChain has emerged profitable from the whirlwind that sunk dozens of big, heavily-funded and marketed entities that tried to serve the chemical distribution field.

"And we did it with some style," said George O'Conor, chairman of ChemChain and its parent company Oco, Inc. (www.oco-inc.com). "Our sales were more than 50% outside the US. This geographic balance helped, but a key is that we provide immediate value to our partners."

O'Conor continued, "even those companies who use auction sites (which we don't provide) ultimately will need direct connections with their customers for e-commerce. We can provide that with great efficiency of speed and price."

More than 150,000 purchasers now are able to buy chemical products from distributors throughout the world using sites built by ChemChain.

Oco created the market maker site ChemChain.com in 1999. ChemChain has proven itself repeatedly as an experienced and trustworthy partner.

ChemChain helps companies succeed with B2B e-Commerce on the Web in part by helping their member customers retain control of three key assets: their brand, their customer relationship and their profit margins.

ChemChain's rapid development program enables chemical distribution companies to begin taking orders on using the Internet in four-to-six weeks. Client-partners retain complete control of their brand identity and their customer relationships. ChemChain provides a low-cost, rapid-development, rock-solid solution for online B2B transactions that works with an established business system.

It also offers a suite of established software products. These applications augment existing business systems in a number of exciting ways. They improve internal information and distribute it as needed throughout the supply chain.

For more information about ChemChain see www.chemchain.com or telephone Paul O'Conor at [phone].