Spanlink Announces New Chief Executive Officer and Welcomes Three New Board Members.

Business Editors

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 22, 2000

Spanlink Communications, specialists in deployment of New World communications solutions, announced today that Mark Francis, Spanlink's Vice President of Business Development, has assumed the position of President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Spanlink also announced today that Eugene Lee of Cisco Systems, Inc., Teri Dahlbeck of GotMarketing.com, and Tom Kieffer of Agiliti Inc., have been named to its board of directors.

Francis' appointment comes as former President and CEO Brett Shockley joins Cisco Systems as Vice President and General Manager of the Cisco Customer Contact Business Unit (CCBU), part of the Cisco Internet Communications Software Group (ICSG). Shockley, who will be based in Boston, will continue to serve on Spanlink's board of directors.

Cisco Systems invested in Spanlink earlier this year when the company took itself private. The companies have since signed an agreement for Spanlink to provide products and integration services for Cisco ICSG's contact center and unified communications software platforms and solutions.

"Mark has been a very effective leader in Spanlink's aggressive efforts to build product and service capabilities that enhance Cisco ICSG's software platforms," said Shockley. "In addition, he has helped Spanlink to very quickly establish key alliances within the ecosystem of Cisco partners. I look forward to continuing to work with Mark and his team in our cooperative efforts to deliver high-quality, rapidly implementable communications solutions."

Francis' background spans nearly 25 years of sales, management and business development experience. Before joining Spanlink, Francis was VP of International Sales and Marketing with Sonera, formerly Telecom Finland. Francis spent more than seven years overseas working for both American and European companies including Lucent Technologies, where he ultimately held the position of GM of Lucent's Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) operation. Subsequent to that, Francis was President of Rosnet, a joint venture between AT&T and a Russian Internet/data communications company. Francis' career includes an entrepreneurial venture as President of Flagstaff Engineering, a pioneer in document storage and retrieval systems, as well as several years of IT experience with IBM and DEC.

New Board Members

Spanlink also today announced three new board members: Eugene Lee of Cisco Systems, Inc., Teri Dahlbeck of GotMarketing.com, and Tom Kieffer of Agiliti Inc.

Eugene Lee, Vice President of Marketing for the Cisco Internet Communications Software Group, is chartered with driving the group's marketing strategies, messages, and programs targeted to the customer contact and unified communications markets. He is also responsible for business development activities and relationships with systems integrators and technology partners. Prior to ICSG, Lee was Vice President of Marketing for Cisco's Small/Medium line of business. Lee joined Cisco in 1997 from Banyan Systems where he was Vice President and General Manager of the messaging business unit. Cisco Systems (www.cisco.com) is the world leader in networking for the Internet.

"Eugene's position within Cisco and his commitment to helping ecosystem partners be successful is important to Spanlink," said Francis. "He will be a great asset to us in ensuring that the two companies continue to work together and develop and deliver best-in-class software platforms and solutions to the marketplace."

Teri Dahlbeck is the co-founder of GotMarketing.com (www.gotmarketing.com), a highly innovative Web-based company offering small and mid-size companies a menu of online marketing services or a complete Virtual Marketing Department(TM). GotMarketing.com is the first enterprise of its kind. Dahlbeck's career includes a stint as President and CEO of Component Integration Laboratories, a leading-edge software company that developed and licensed the first validation software for Internet component technologies. She went on to found Dahlbeck Partners, a global management, marketing and IT consulting firm that focused on the high-tech industry, before starting GotMarketing.com.

"Teri's reputation in the tech marketing arena precedes her," said Francis. "GotMarketing exemplifies Teri's highly innovative approach to marketing, and Spanlink will benefit greatly by tapping into those perspectives."

Tom Kieffer, CEO of Agiliti Inc. (www.agiliti.com), founded the company in 1999 to participate in the emerging application service provider (ASP) market for chartered, Web-based applications and services. Before founding Agiliti, Kieffer founded Connect, an IT consulting and service company that was sold to Norstan in 1996. Kieffer also served from 1995-97 as chairman of the Minnesota High Tech Association, then known as the Minnesota Software Association. Agiliti is an ASP enabler and eServices provider, working on creating a market for best-of-class, rentable, Web-based applications and services nationwide through independent solution partners.

"Spanlink and Agility have a lot in common," said Kieffer, "in that we are both making New World technologies more accessible through real-world applications. I look forward to working with Mark and the other members of the Spanlink management team."

"I'm delighted to have these distinguished business leaders aboard," said Francis. "Their marketing experience and business acumen will be a tremendous asset to Spanlink as we bring New World solutions for contact centers and service providers."

About Spanlink Communications, Inc.

Spanlink Communications is a leading provider of CTI and Unified Communication products and services for contact centers, enterprise businesses and Internet communications service providers. Spanlink specializes in rapid deployment of complex solutions and provides several award-winning products that facilitate the integration of multi-media communications solutions. News and information can be found at www.spanlink.com.