Industry Veterans Riley and Creasman Join viaLink; Scott Promoted to Chief Information Officer

Business Wire, Sept 26, 2000

Business Editors

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 26, 2000

The viaLink Company (NasdaqNM:VLNK) today announced that it has named Christopher R. Riley president of international operations and William P. Creasman vice president.

Riley's, 39, career reflects his progressive responsibility in managing overseas operations for large multi-national companies in the consumer packaged goods and food industry, including Seagram Company Ltd., Pepsico, Tetra Pak, S.A., Phillip Morris and Mars. He was most recently vice president, strategic development for Seagram Company Ltd.'s Asia Pacific operations.

Prior to Seagram, Riley was managing director and chief executive officer for Frito-Lay Australia, a division of Frito-Lay which he led to significant market share growth. At Frito-Lay, Riley actively pursued information technology enhancements, including the implementation of supply chain management software. Riley's experience prior to Frito-Lay encompassed sales and marketing positions where he successfully developed and implemented aggressive marketing and customer support strategies to increase sales.

Creasman, 47, was formerly the senior vice president, general counsel and secretary of TCBY Enterprises, a NYSE-listed frozen dairy dessert manufacturer and franchiser with more than 3,000 stores worldwide. Over his 13-year tenure at TCBY, Creasman advised the company on all legal matters, and most recently helped lead the transition team following TCBY's acquisition.

Prior to joining TCBY, Creasman was general counsel for Church's Fried Chicken, Inc., and headed the legal division for Wrangler Europe. Creasman holds a bachelor of arts degree from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland and a juris doctorate degree from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

The company also announced the promotion of Jack Scott to chief information officer from vice president, information technology. In his new role, Scott will be responsible for all technology assets and information flows of the company.

"We are pleased to add both Chris and Will to viaLink's management team," said Lewis B. "Bucky" Kilbourne, chairman and chief executive officer for viaLink. "We believe Chris' success in penetrating the Asia/Pacific markets with consumer packaged goods companies, as well as his experience in all facets of running an international operation, should enable him to immediately add value to our international efforts. Will's experience in the foodservice industry, as well as his extensive international experience, will be valuable to us as we penetrate new geographic and industry segments. Finally, Jack's promotion reflects his contributions to the business and his in-depth technology knowledge and industry expertise."

About The viaLink Company

The viaLink Company (NasdaqNM:VLNK) is a leading provider of subscription-based, business-to-business electronic commerce services that enable food industry participants to efficiently manage their highly complex supply chain information. viaLink's core service, syncLink(SM), allows manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, sales agencies (food brokers), retailers and foodservice operators to communicate and synchronize item, price and promotion information in a more cost-effective and accessible way than has been possible using traditional electronic and paper-based methods.

viaLink's additional services, which are all built on the syncLink foundation, include clearLink(SM) for item movement data, distribuLink(SM) for chain pricing data and sbtLink(SM) for scan-based trading. For more information, visit viaLink's website: www.vialink.com.

This release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. The viaLink Company now resembles a development stage company, which has commenced its planned operations but has not yet generated significant revenues. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are viaLink's ability to develop sales in the Asia/Pacific region; the extent of viaLink's anticipated operating losses and negative cash flow; viaLink's ability to attract additional financing; viaLink's dependence on its strategic alliance partners; intense marketplace competition; rapid technological change and the possible obsolescence of viaLink's service; dependence on certain key personnel and need to hire additional personnel; viaLink's inability to protect its proprietary technology; as well as other factors detailed in viaLink's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its recent filings on Forms 10-KSB and 10-QSB.