Hall-Mark Computer Products and IBM form distribution partnership for RISC System/6000 workstations.

CULVER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 6, 1995--Hall-Mark Computer Products Thursday announced that it has signed an agreement with IBM to distribute IBM's RISC System/6000 technical workstations to resellers throughout the United States. The agreement is effective immediately.

IBM's family of RS/6000 workstations -- entry-desktop systems, deskside and rack-mounted offerings, and symmetric multiprocessor servers -- provide commercial and technical customers with outstanding value and performance.

``IBM is a recognized leader in the industry and the RS/6000 technical workstation closely fits Hall-Mark Computer Products' technical distributor model,'' said George Smith, executive vice president of Hall-Mark Computer Products.

``We are mutually targeting specific markets such as ECAD, MCAD, GIS and G&P, as well as key competitive platforms like Sun Microsystems and Silicon Graphics. As a result, we will provide additional marketing, technical support, sales and recruitment resources to target incremental business in these markets.''

``Hall-Mark Computer Products is a proven distributor with significant core competencies, technical expertise and developed resources,'' said Thomas Jarosh, IBM vice president of channel strategy and management.

``IBM's decision is largely based on the complementary industry solution and VAR relationships this new partnership brings to the market. In a marketplace where solutions are provided through the reseller community, we feel our new relationship represents the best model for technical workstation distribution.''

Hall-Mark Computer Products is a leading value-added distributor of computer systems and peripherals to value-added resellers (VARs), offering VARs high-quality products from industry-leading manufacturers, as well as extensive technical, financial and maintenance services.

Hall-Mark Computer Products is a division of Avnet Inc., a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange with sales exceeding $4 billion. -0-

Note to Editors: RISC System/6000 is a trademark of the International Business Machines Corp.

CONTACT: Avnet EMG

Mark Wood, 310/558-2708