Howard W. Sams & Company Named Preferred Supplier for I.D. ONE Catalog Marketing Programs

Howard W. Sams & Company Named Preferred Supplier for I.D. ONE Catalog Marketing Programs

Cooperative's Members to Take Advantage of Electronic Catalogs

May 8, 1997

INDIANAPOLIS -- Howard W. Sams & Co., a Bell Atlantic company, has
been named the preferred supplier for I.D. ONE Inc. catalog marketing
programs. I.D. ONE is the premier marketing, management and buying
cooperative in the industrial distribution market.

The agreement will give I.D. ONE's 65 member distributors the ability
to produce catalogs and other marketing materials using Howard W.
Sams' database management system.

"I.D. ONE places the highest priority on giving our members the leading
edge tools they need to solve their customer's problems," said Dan
Judge, president, I.D. ONE. "We chose Howard W. Sams because they have
the latest in electronic catalog and relational database technology.
Even more important, however, is the quality and quantity of content
that Howard W. Sams has, content our members need as they prepare for
the future."

Howard W. Sams' Datahost
is a relational database management system
composed of millions of formatted and standardized product items.
Datahost brings cost savings and efficiency to the production of
customized print, CD-ROM and on-line catalogs because all the product
information is generated from a single database. I.D. ONE's members
can take advantage of the cost savings this efficiency will provide,
as well as the ability to provide product information in a variety of
formats to better meet the needs of individual customers.

So far, 14 I.D. ONE members have signed contracts with Howard W. Sams
to produce catalogs. "Another 30 members are in the process of
completing agreements," said Damon Davis, chief operating officer,
Howard W. Sams. One of the first to sign up was Century
Sales and Service, Ltd., headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta.

"Our goal over the next five years is to become one of the most
customer-specific distributors in North America," said Ron Pearson,
president, Century. "To do that, we are investing today in the
technology that makes customized marketing possible."

I.D. ONE members serve the industrial supply and the bearing and power
transmission markets. "Howard W. Sams is a very attractive supplier
because of its flexibility and its ability to service our variety of
members, as well as both of our markets," said Judge.
For Howard W. Sams, this agreement marks a milestone in the company's
development. "To be selected as the preferred supplier for an
industry leader such as I.D. ONE is a major accomplishment for us,"
said Davis. "It's proof that we have succeeded in providing the best
possible content for the industrial supply industry."

I.D. ONE is the nation's first industrial distribution cooperative.
Founded in 1987, the non-profit corporation today has 65 members with
more than $2 billion in sales. I.D. ONE is committed to being much
more than a buying group, and offers members a variety of value-added
strategic services, including marketing and management tools, plus an
expanding base of national MRO supply contract customers.

Howard W. Sams & Co., acquired by Bell Atlantic in 1995, publishes
nearly 125 catalogs annually for its customers in the bearing and
power transmission, electronic, electrical, HVAC/R, industrial,
janitorial, paper and plumbing supplies markets. Howard W. Sams,
located on the World Wide Web at http://www.hwsams.com, is the
nation's largest provider of after-market service data for the
television/VCR repair industry in the form of the PHOTOFACT and
VCRfact subscription services. In addition, the company owns Masters
Press, which publishes sport fitness and reference books.