FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PerformanceWareÔ CUTS COSTS WHILE HELPING BUSINESSES MEET MISSION CRITICAL STANDARDS:

USERS RATE NEW SOFTWARE SYSTEM AS ESSENTIAL TOOL FOR IMPROVING PROFITABILITY & PRODUCTIVITY

August 14, 2001, Fort Wayne, Ind. -- A unique new software solution for managing profitability, quality compliance, mergers and acquisitions, and other high performance business needs, will be launched this month in northeast Indiana.

Aptly named, PerformanceWareÔ was designed specifically to improve business profitability and productivity for companies in any sector of industry from manufacturing to services, including software development, insurance management and healthcare.

The product will make its debut at 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, August 22, during the Grand Opening ceremonies of the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center (NIIC), the region's high tech incubator.

Immediately following the formal ribbon cutting ceremonies at the center, PerformanceWare demonstrations will be conducted and representatives from Roster Network Web Solutions LLC will be available for questions.

ABOUT PerformanceWareÔ

Using Web-Based Technologies

On the cutting edge of technology, PerformanceWare was built utilizing a three-tier architecture to provide the performance, scalability and redundancy necessary for this level of mission critical enterprise application. PerformanceWare can be completely managed and operated through a web browser, which simplifies usage and minimizes installation and training requirements.

“The philosophy behind the development of PerformanceWare is to provide a completely open solution that can seamlessly integrate with other software and systems within an organization," said Matt Nickols, CEO of Cirrus ABS. "By utilizing Internet based technologies, PerformanceWare enables organizations to provide secure, instant access to critical information to appropriate personnel throughout the world."

A Proven Tool for Information and Risk Management

"Whether we're talking about alternative risk financing, return-on-investment, or operational risks, each area can stand alone," said Bill Granahan, senior Risk Management Consultant at Milliman USA, a firm of actuaries and consultants serving the full spectrum of business, governmental and financial organizations. "What PerformanceWare does is bring them all together under one roof, because it looks at each aspect while considering all the others."

"I like the scope and breadth of PerformanceWare, commented Granahan. "It especially takes into account quality assurance pieces and allows each corporation to look at all aspects of business risk and operations and captures data to manage it all. Simply put, this system does a comprehensive job of capturing data and provides extensive risk management programs for employers. Of course, the effectiveness of the programs are only as good as the implementation, but used properly, this software covers a lot of different areas--from asset management to credit risk to human capital management."

Position Matrix An Integral Component

In addition to using advanced technologies, the new software program incorporates Roster Network's Position Matrix Communication SystemÔ. This feature allows companies to specifically define, document and communicate what their employees do and integrate this data with an enterprise-wide profitability, quality and risk management program.

"The Position Matrix feature is crucial to complete risk management, today," said Granahan. "The program can identify, track and manage all business processes including goals, work activities, tools, procedures and positions of responsibility at the corporate, business unit, work team and individual employee levels."

"We are particularly excited about PerformanceWare's approach to helping companies identify, define and manage the roles of job candidates or employees," said Eric Arnold, the Midwest Region Manager at EmployOn, one of the largest providers of recruitment solutions and career opportunities on the Internet. "Ultimately, managing human capital with the help of PerformanceWare will lead companies to increased productivity and profitability."

"The Postion Matrix feature allows all employees to understand the goals and objectives of not only their own positions, but also those of other positions," said Cirrus ABS's Matt Nickols. "PerformanceWare provides the links to standard operating procedures and other tools and processes for them to do their jobs more effectively."

System Ideal for Profitability and Quality

Adhering to quality and risk management standards can mean big profit margins for a business. According to the U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology, a study documenting continuous improvement in business performance by 600 publicly-traded firms showed that the award recipients, including those having received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Awards, have consistently out-performed the Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500, by about 4.2 to 1.

Named after former secretary of Commerce, Malcolm Baldrige, the Baldrige Index, as it is called, achieved a 685 percent return on investment, compared to a 163 percent ROI from the S&P group, during the same time frame.

PerformanceWare has been proven as an essential tool for conversion and compliance to high-profile best practices quality and risk management standards. The system utilizes technologies developed specifically for use with Six Sigma and is ideally suited to facilitate the new ISO 9000:2000 standard, among others. In addition, the system can manage the policies and procedures for laws and regulations of all kinds, including: OSHA, ADA, COBRA, FMLA, ERISA, EEOC, I-9 Verification, Wage and Hour Laws, and Workers Compensation statutes and regulations.

"Because it's activity-based, the software allows the user to define, document and communicate not only what people do, but how they do it," said John King, president of Roster Network, Inc. "PerformanceWare reduces the cost of meeting customer requirements and implements the common requirements and processes of Baldrige Award Criteria, Lean Enterprise, Activity Based Management with ISO 9000:2000. "

"The transition to the new standards goes hand-in-hand with what this software can do," said Bill Niedzwiecki, president of Maumee, Ohio-based CRS Registrars, Inc. a fully accredited registrar for quality management programs, including ISO9000, QS-9000, TE Supplement to QS-9000, TL9000, ISO 14001, AS9100, and AS9000.

"We wanted to get a solid business management system in place but most of the software we looked at didn't meet our needs, especially in terms of adjusting to a service industry," said Niedzwiecki. "This one has all the bells and whistles, including internal audits. Though we're still in the process of implementing the system, I can say that it already offers great flexibility for us. The program forces continuous improvement because it's built right into the system. We expect that in using it, we'll get repeated successes as well as the elimination of failures."

Product Availability

Two different versions of PerformanceWare are available to meet the different needs of companies in any sector of any industry. PerformanceWare UltraÔ additionally manages employment related information and reports for compliance with OSHA, ADA, COBRA, FMLA, ERISA, EEOC, I-9 Verification, Wage and Hour Laws, and Workers Compensation. The system can be easily configured to develop applications for virtually any purpose, including an insurance management application for insurers, managing general agents or reinsurers.

"We're pleased to be able to host this product launch," said Karl LaPan, president and CEO of the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center. "PerformanceWare stands head-and-shoulders above other business information management systems. Along with their extensive expertise in business processes and procedures, Roster Network has further enhanced the product with the addition of their Position Matrix feature. These combined features allow all quality system information and documentation to be managed and integrated with specific data for employees, tools and processes so human capital management can be consistently assessed--a necessity in today's profit-driven marketplace."

"Manufacturing or service based, companies today need to see the dividends of incorporating quality and risk management systems and the potential profitability they offer," stressed Milliman USA's Bill Granahan. "PerformanceWare can help them take advantage of that opportunity."

For more information about PerformanceWare, please contact: John King, Roster Network Web Solutions, LLC, 6209 Constitution Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46804; 260.436.6330 information@rosternetwork.com or click here.

The Northeast Indiana Innovation Center's Grand Opening is co-hosted by the Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce, as one of their "Meet Me At Five" events. For reservations for the event or to schedule media interviews, please call the Innovation Center at (260) 407-6442.

Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Roster Technologies, Inc. is a developer of profitability, quality and risk management systems and technologies that define, document and communicate what people do and how they do it. Clients of the company are in both manufacturing and services sectors of the economy and range from locally owned concerns to Fortune 100 companies. For additional general information, see the firm's web site at http://rosternetwork.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION,
PLEASE CONTACT:

John King

Roster Network Web Solutions, LLC

6209 Constitution Drive

Fort Wayne, IN 46804

260.436.6330

information@rosternetwork.com