Boca Research growth fuels strategic management promotions

Business Wire, March 1, 1996

BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 1, 1996--Boca Research (NASDAQ:BOCI) Friday announced it has restructured its strategic management staff.

"Our recent dynamic growth requires additional management support," said Tony Zalenski, Boca's president and chief executive officer. "To ensure our continued success and build on our momentum, strategic personnel moves were required. To ease our span of control and help manage the breadth of our business, a Chief Operating Officer was needed. We're pleased to promote a veteran of our team, Larry Steffann, to that position.

"Also, we recognize the significant contributions several members of our executive management team have made to our business' success. To acknowledge their contributions and increased responsibilities as we move Boca to the next level of performance, we are promoting them to Senior Vice Presidents.

"Additionally, we recognize the key contribution OEM sales has played in our growth. In 1995, we achieved our goal of becoming a supplier to the major PC platform manufacturers. During the fourth quarter, sales to these customers were 57.7% of our total revenue. Acknowledging the importance of this area of our business and the OEM sales team's performance, we are promoting Chris Buffum to Vice President, OEM Sales.

"I'm proud of the past performance of each of these members of our executive management team and pleased to recognize their contributions to our business. It is largely through their efforts, creativity, commitment and just plain hard work that we have succeeded thus far. I am confident of the road ahead with them as key members of our team," Zalenski concluded.

Boca's newly appointed COO, Lawrence F. Steffann, has served as Vice President-Operations of the company since Jan. 1, 1995. He has been a member of Boca's management team for six years having served previously as Vice President-Planning/Research and Development. During his tenure, he has successfully managed all key aspects of the business and his appointment to COO acknowledges his ongoing contribution to Boca's success.

Current Vice President positions being elevated to Senior Vice President are as follows: R. Michael Brewer, Sr. VP of Finance and Chief Financial Officer; Charles R. Kenmore, Sr. VP/General Manager of International; and Michael A. Reale, Sr. VP of Manufacturing.

Brewer has served as Vice President-Finance of the company since January 1994. Previously, he was employed by Mitel Inc. for 15 years and was Vice President of Finance for the U.S. operations. He is a Certified Public Accountant.

Kenmore joined Boca Research in January 1995 from Motorola where he served as Vice President and General Manager International of the Information Services Group. Under Kenmore's direction in 1995, Boca's international business doubled with profit margins exceeding those of its domestic business. In 1995, nearly a fifth of Boca's sales volume was generated from international distribution and international OEMs.

Also in January 1995, Reale joined Boca as Vice President of Manufacturing. Reale has more than 20 years of manufacturing experience including international operations with IBM, SCI Systems, and MGV Manufacturing. Most recently, he was President and Chief Operating Officer of MGV.

Chris Buffum, who was promoted to Vice President, OEM Sales, will be responsible for sales of peripheral products to PC platform manufacturers, large integrators, VARs, aggregators and distributors with OEM programs. Buffum started with Boca in August 1991 as Manager, OEM Sales. He was promoted to Director, OEM Sales in November 1994. Under his direction, OEM sales has grown to be a major portion of Boca's business profile.

CORPORATE INFORMATION

Boca Research (NASDAQ:BOCI), founded in 1985, is headquartered in Boca Raton with international operations and ventures worldwide. The company designs, manufactures, markets and supports quality, cost-effective data communications, multimedia and networking products to facilitate the transmission of information on personal computers and computer networks. The company provides hardware products augmented with software for use in the corporate, consumer and small office/home office marketplaces. Boca's current board-level enhancement and networking product categories include data communications (fax/data/voice modems); multimedia (video, telephony, sound, voice and data); networking; video graphics; and input/output (I/O), IDE and multiport products. The company sells its products worldwide through distributors, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and retailers. -0-

In the World Wide Web address noted in this news release, there is a double slash between http: and www.boca.org and there is a double slash between http: and www.netcomm.com.au/ and in the Internet/email address noted, there is an "at" symbol between galeb and boca.org. These symbols may not appear properly in some systems.

CONTACT: Boca Research Inc., Boca Raton

Gale Blackburn

Investor Relations Manager