Bensussen Deutsch & Associates, Inc. Co-Founder is Finalist for National Ernst and Young Award

Business Wire, July 29, 2002

Business Editors

WOODINVILLE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 29, 2002

Jay Deutsch's innovation earns recognition in Ernst & Young's 2002

Entrepreneur of the Year Awards to be Hosted by Jay Leno

Bensussen Deutsch & Associates, Inc. (BD&A), the nation's premier full-service merchandise agency, announced today that for the second consecutive year, Jay Deutsch, president and CEO, has been selected as a finalist for Ernst & Young's prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

"The Pacific Northwest is consistently recognized as a highly competitive and innovative business community," said Jay Deutsch, CEO of BD&A. "BD&A is excited and honored to once again be acknowledged as an industry leader."

The award is reserved for the most successful and innovative entrepreneurs in the nation and is widely recognized as the most prestigious in its class. Each candidate must embody the perseverance and innovation that is at the core of the spirit of entrepreneurship to even be considered for this award. Past winners represent virtually every industry -- from retail to technology to medicine.

In 1984, Seattle natives Jay and his best friend, Eric Bensussen, BD&A vice president and COO, together started BD&A from their parents' neighboring homes. For the past 18 years, Jay and Eric's vision of creating an agency of experts who work with corporations in extending their brand messages and strategies via merchandising has paid off. Today, BD&A is a multi-million dollar corporation committed to standing behind the core values of their founders' hard work, dedication, superior customer service, and passion to deliver on their promises.

"For BD&A, the entrepreneurial spirit is an integral part of our daily environment," stated Deutsch. "When you develop an agency as we have, creativity and ingenuity can only come from looking for nontraditional approaches. Our success is the result of our employees taking chances and delivering the most innovative approaches to branding and marketing."

The 2002 Entrepreneur of the Year Award is scheduled to be presented November 21-24th in Palm Springs, CA, at a reception hosted by Jay Leno.

About Ernst & Young

Ernst & Young, a global leader in professional services, employs 77,000 people in more than 130 countries. Their global methodologies, tools, and perspectives allow Ernst & Young professionals to speak and hear the same language as their clients, regardless of their location. It is this same knowledge and understanding that has generated such a global interest for the Entrepreneur of the Year award. Since its creation in 1986, the award has grown to include 43 U.S. regions as well as awards in 19 countries around the world.

About BD&A

BD&A, the country's first full-service merchandise agency, extends brands for Fortune 1000 companies around the world with custom, three-dimensional merchandise-based marketing campaigns. With 2001 revenues exceeding $110 million, the Woodinville, Washington-based Company is the leading promotional merchandise agency in the United States and employs nearly 350 people in 16 locations nationwide. BD&A's extensive client list includes some of the world's most recognized brands including adidas, Agilent Technologies, AOL, Bank of America, Dell, Delta Air Lines, DreamWorks, Eli Lilly and Company, ExxonMobil, Microsoft, Nintendo, Pepsi, Texas Instruments and Yahoo!. Additionally, as the number one in-stadium sports promotion agency in the United States, BD&A provides merchandise and promotions for the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB.

For more information about Bensussen Deutsch & Associates, Inc. Visit the BD&A web site at www.bdainc.com.