Bell Atlantic Presents JBA Consulting, Inc. With Supplier Excellence Award

Bell Atlantic Presents JBA Consulting, Inc. With Supplier Excellence Award

Greensboro Firm Receives High Marks for Customer Service and Satisfaction

June 5, 2000

NEW YORK - JBA Consulting, Inc., of Greensboro, N.C., has won the Bell Atlantic Supplier Excellence Award for outstanding customer service.

The management-consulting firm that specializes in business processes from procurement to payables is among five winners selected out of some 6,500 Bell Atlantic suppliers. The company provides Bell Atlantic with disbursement auditing, consulting and financial software.

JBA Consulting Chief Executive Officer James Arnold and Senior Vice President Dan Solomon will accept the award at the company's headquarters at noon on Thurs., June 8. Bell Atlantic Vice President Finance Operations Dennis Jacobs will present the award.

(EDITORS NOTE: Members of the media interested in attending the award celebration should call Sharon Beadle at 212-395-1802.)

"Our suppliers play a vital role in Bell Atlantic's mission to care for our customers, anticipate their needs and provide them with outstanding service," said Jacobs. "JBA has helped us improve our internal payment processes significantly, so we can focus on serving our customers. The Supplier Excellence Award program enables us to recognize such companies for their dedication to excellence."

In the past five years, JBA's disbursement audit services have resulted in significant cost savings for Bell Atlantic. JBA also has expanded the scope of its original contract and performed an extensive and effective analysis of Bell Atlantic's accounts payable operation.

In addition, JBA installed its proprietary business intelligence software A/PEX® at Bell Atlantic's Shared Services Center to improve payment controls and analytical reporting.

"JBA Consulting is proud to be associated with Bell Atlantic. Our company mission is to deliver superior value to our clients through unsurpassed personalized service and innovative technology," said Arnold. "Receiving this award from a company of Bell Atlantic's stature is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of our people.

The suppliers are judged on key performance attributes-including quality, responsiveness, delivery and customer satisfaction-for the products and services they provide to Bell Atlantic.

The annual Supplier Excellence Award program enables Bell Atlantic to thank the winners publicly for their hard work and dedication to excellence, which help Bell Atlantic maintain its position as a market leader. In addition, the award encourages other suppliers to raise their level of performance.

The other winners of this year's Bell Atlantic Supplier Excellence Award are:

• Office Depot, Delray Beach, Fla.

• Premium Electric, Inc., Clifton, N.J.

• The Resource Connection, Middleton, Mass.

• Telamon Corp., Indianapolis, Ind.

JBA Consulting is a management-consulting firm that specializes in the procurement through payables process. Founded in 1988, JBA serves over 50 Fortune 300 clients in the telecommunications, manufacturing, banking, entertainment and high technology sectors. Their diverse client base includes such notable companies as Bell Atlantic, Bell South, BP Amoco, Eaton, Eli Lilly, General Electric, Home Box Office, Lucent Technologies, Microsoft, Northwest Airlines, Pfizer, Siemens, SunTrust Bank, US Airways, Walt Disney World, The World Bank, Whirlpool, Xerox and many others. In addition to disbursement audits, JBA delivers value through the implementation of Strategic Sourcing initiatives, proactive fraud detection and Data Warehouse software (A/PEX®).

Bell Atlantic is at the forefront of the new communications and information industry. With more than 44 million telephone access lines and more than 20 million wireless customers worldwide, Bell Atlantic companies are premier providers of advanced wireline voice and data services, market leaders in wireless services and the world's largest publishers of directory information. Bell Atlantic companies are also among the world's largest investors in high-growth global communications markets, with operations and investments in 23 countries.