Yellow Book USA Acquires CGC Directories; Leading yellow pages publisher moves west of the Mississippi and exceeds a circulation of 30-million

Business Wire, July 10, 2001

Business Editors

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 10, 2001

Yellow Book USA, the oldest and largest competitive yellow pages publisher in the United States, today announced that the company has acquired five yellow pages directories from CGC (Conselltant Group Corporation). The directories cover Florida Keys, Key West, Southwest Louisiana, Northeast Louisiana, and Lafayette, LA.

The acquisition of CGC directories will give Yellow Book a footprint in the state of Louisiana and bolster Yellow Book's position in the Florida market. CGC directories reach 100,000 businesses and households in the Florida Keys and 460,000 in Louisiana.

Joe Walsh, President and CEO of Yellow Book USA, stated, "With the addition of the CGC directories, Yellow Book USA continues its expansion westward and now has enhanced coverage in Florida. This acquisition reinforces our commitment to breaking the phone company yellow pages monopoly by producing quality directories and offering fair advertising rates to businesses. This is what sets us apart from the phone companies."

Richard Tidovski, Sales Manager for CGC and now an Area Sales Manager with Yellow Book, said, "We are thrilled to become part of Yellow Book USA, the leading independent directory publisher in the nation. Our employees will now be part of a dynamic growth organization which will give them outstanding career opportunities."

Yellow Book USA expects that all 60 professionals currently employed by CGC will remain with the Yellow Book team.

Established in 1930, Yellow Book has in recent years made a number of strategic acquisitions and entered scores of new markets, making it the fifth largest yellow pages publisher in the nation. Yellow Book USA publishes approximately 300 directories with a circulation of 30 million. The company has more than 2000 employees throughout 19 states and the District of Columbia. Approximately one in three Americans east of the Mississippi use Yellow Book directories. Yellow Book USA publishes community directories, wide-area directories, county directories, city directories, a Business-to-Business directory, and college and university directories.