Econex Unveils Strategy to Deliver End-To-End E-Commerce Solutions for Small Business Community At Spring Internet World.

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 14, 1999--

CEO David Scantling Highlights Unparalleled Business Model of

Strategic 'Investment Partnerships'

with NOVA Corporation, FirstEnergy and KeyCorp

At a press conference at Spring Internet World `99, Econex today will debut its executive team, key strategic investment partners and customers, and its strategy to deliver a flexible portfolio of e-commerce product and service offerings for small- to medium-size businesses. Started in December 1998 with its corporate headquarters in Independence, OH, Econex tackles the complexities of delivering fully integrated, end-to-end e-commerce solutions and tailoring them for the small- to medium-size business community - leveling the playing field for companies of all sizes.

Additionally, Econex is announcing that it has established industry-unique, strategic investment partnerships with NOVA Corporation (NYSE:NIS), FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE) and KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY), to expedite the delivery and implementation of the Econex Solution Stack products and services. As a result of these investment partnerships, Econex will have immediate access to over 5,000 sales representatives and their base of over two million customers.

NOVA Corporation is the fourth largest bankcard clearing company in the U.S. and a premiere provider of credit card enablement to the small- and medium-size business market. NOVA is offering their secure payment processing capabilities over the Internet to the entire Econex base of customer opportunities.

Pending regulatory approval, KeyCorp, the 12th largest bank-based financial services company in the nation, will invest in Econex to e-commerce-enable its customer base of over 400,000 small- to medium-size business customers through KeyCorp's "Key Centers" - a branch network of 1,000 centers in 14 states.

FirstEnergy, the nation's 12th largest investor-owned electric company, will offer customers the Econex Solution Stack, making available a wide range of energy and Internet services that improve productivity and reduce costs for its customers.

"Value-added customer service will be the key to further enhancing our competitive positioning in a changing marketplace," said Douglas S. Elliott, vice president of Sales, Marketing & Energy Services for FirstEnergy. "Partnering with Econex enables us to open up a world of Internet service to our business customers - such as software and hardware services, transaction security, order management and payment processing. E-commerce will allow small- and medium-sized businesses to reduce costs, improve services and increase customer interactions by enabling business-to-business and customer-to-business transactions to be fully implemented over the Internet."

"Econex was founded to clear a path for small business to participate in the hottest trend hitting business today - e-commerce," said David Scantling, president and CEO of Econex. "We are dedicated to making the phrase `Powered by Econex' the ubiquitous dial tone of the e-commerce space by making it easy and profitable for small- and medium-size businesses to compete online."

The Econex Solution Stack: E-Commerce for the Small Business Community

The Econex Solution Stack is an end-to-end e-commerce solution, tailored to the small business community. By focusing on three key elements of e-commerce - the buyer, the small business seller and the financial transaction - Econex has developed a solution for small- to medium-size businesses that provides powerful e-commerce capabilities with all key elements of an end-to-end, transaction-oriented solution built in and tailored to their business.

The Econex Solution Stack consists of five major components:

--E-Commerce Enablement - through strategic alliances with industry leaders such as Hewlett-Packard Company and IBM Corporation, Econex helps customers combine key elements of an e-commerce solution -- hardware and software - to ensure different platforms operate seamlessly for both buyers and sellers.

--Secure Transactions - providing authorization and site certificate capabilities, as well as a host of security features, Econex ensures customer data is collected securely and privately.

--Order Processing - Econex establishes systems for shipping, warehousing and returns, completing the transaction management loop.

--Billing - Econex provides reliable and affordable bill processing options, including bill payment and presentment.

--Payment Processing - Econex, with help from NOVA Corporation, makes payment collection for goods and services easy by clearing customers' credit over the Internet in real-time, without the need for a slow, manual dial-up line or an expensive leased line.

The Econex Solution Stack will be available in Q2, 1999. Pricing will be announced at that time.

About Econex

Since its start in December 1998, Econex has provided valuable end-to-end e-commerce solutions for small- to medium-size businesses looking to become viable players in the digital marketplace. Through its network of strategic investment partnerships, Econex has access to over 5,000 sales representatives and their base of over 2 million customers. Econex is headquartered in Independence, OH, with data center operations in Akron, OH and sales offices in Atlanta, GA. For more information on Econex, please visit us on the Internet at www.econex.com.