Eric Mower and Associates Acquires PriceMcNabb of Charlotte, N.C

Business Wire, June 28, 2004

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Combination Creates East Coast Major Regional Full-Service Agency Move Gives Clients Access to Greater Depth of Resources

Eric Mower and Associates (EMA) and PriceMcNabb, a nationally recognized integrated marketing communications agency based in Charlotte, N.C., combined operations today.

The acquisition by EMA creates a $155 million full-service East Coast agency with over 200 full-time employees and six offices in New York State, Charlotte and Atlanta.

"PriceMcNabb has an excellent reputation in branding, retail and TV advertising, business-to-business communications and public relations," said Eric Mower, chairman and chief executive officer, EMA. "This is a wonderful 'merger of talent'. Their talent and skills combined with our agency's existing strengths in business-to-business, brand promotion and public relations and public affairs creates a powerful new resource for clients."

"In fact, a number of their practice areas are highly complementary to ours and vice-versa. That means, from Day One, the service offerings of both firms will be considerably enhanced." Mower continued. "This gives our merger some real momentum early on. In our view, it's a real bonus to have a 'head start' like this."

Tom Eppes, president and chief executive officer of PriceMcNabb, will join EMA as a senior partner and member of the board of directors. The Charlotte office of Eric Mower and Associates / PriceMcNabb will continue under existing management.

"I'm really looking forward to introducing PriceMcNabb clients to all the additional marketing communications resources and specialized expertise we'll have now," said Eppes.

"Joining forces with EMA puts us in a very strong position to compete directly with the top agencies in the East," added Eppes. "It's like a Starbucks double espresso latte for me. I'm buzzing - totally energized! This is really going to be fun."

"I certainly share Tom's enthusiasm," continued Mower. "This is another step in our larger plan to assemble a network of key distribution points for our services up and down the East Coast, giving us critical mass in both the Northeast and the Southeast."

With this combination, EMA - already ranked among the top 50 full-service East Coast agencies - will climb to number 27 (a projection based on the firms' combined 2003 revenues.) EMA will also place within the top five independent agencies in the East.

Founded in 1969, PriceMcNabb provides full-service marketing communications to a variety of consumer and business-to-business clients including Schneider Electric (Square D), Starbucks, Nucor, Bojangles' Restaurants, and Charlotte Pipe and Foundry. Internationally recognized for its results-producing work, the firm has earned two Lions from the Cannes International Festival and several Mobies, Effies and Clios. In addition, its public relations group has won both the prestigious Silver Anvil and Creativity in Public Relations Awards.

Eric Mower and Associates currently provides advertising, public relations, public affairs, sales promotion, media, direct marketing, interactive services and market research to clients across the United States and Canada from its offices in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, N.Y. and Atlanta, Ga.

Since 1968, EMA has grown to service a roster of regional and national clients, including Bristol-Myers Squibb, Constellation Energy, Corning Inc., Dresser-Rand, Eastman Kodak, ExxonMobil Chemical Films, FedEx, Fidelis Care New York, Fisher-Price, Georgia-Pacific, I LOVE NEW YORK, LENOX Division of Newell Rubbermaid, Sorrento Cheese, Welch's and WISE Foods, Inc.

EMA is a member of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA); IN, a worldwide network of 62 leading independent advertising agencies; and IPREX, a worldwide partnership of independent public relations firms.

Eppes brings 30 years of experience and a national reputation as an authority in integrated marketing communications to EMA. Considered a pioneer in the practice of Relationship Management, he is the chief architect of PriceMcNabb's emergence as one of the leading agencies in the country for strategic planning, advertising, branding and public relations. Under Eppes' leadership, PriceMcNabb has been featured in Adweek, The Advertiser, Sales and Marketing Management and Reputation Management, and in a variety of books on branding and marketing.

Eppes is regularly invited to lecture marketing and communications associations on Relationship Management and once served on the board of advisors for Integrated Marketing & Promotion magazine. He is also 2003-4 president of the ICOM agency network.

Mower is active in industry affairs and serves in a number of professional, public and community service capacities. Currently president of IN, the International Network of Independent Advertising Agencies and chair of the Governmental Relations Committee of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA), he is also a Trustee of Syracuse University and serves on the Communications Advisory Council of the University's renowned Newhouse School of Public Communications.