News Release

AIS RECOGNIZED FOR MINORITY BUSINESS EXCELLENCE BY
POWER OF MINORITY BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARD PROGRAM

AIS was one of six Power of Minority Business Excellence Award winners honored at an awards ceremony this morning in Springfield, Ill. AIS won in the Central Illinois minority-owned business category.

The award, sponsored by Illinova Corp. (NYSE: ILN) and the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, seeks to honor the top minority businesspersons and minority-owned businesses that demonstrate business excellence, community involvement and participation in minority economic development efforts in Illinois. The program recognizes a minority-owned business and a minority businessperson for each of the northern, central and southern sections of Illinois.

"AIS stands for high quality and doing things the right way. We appreciate our diverse workforce and have taken creative approaches to recruiting and training people," said Pat Ferguson, president of AIS. Ferguson noted how pleased AIS was to be nominated by one of their customers – in fact, their largest customer, Caterpillar Inc.

AIS said its workforce is about 42 percent minorities and 36 percent women, and the management team at the minority-owned firm is comprised primarily of minorities and women. AIS, which employs more than 140 software professionals, has generated steady revenue growth from 1987 through 1998; last year the company posted a 70 percent revenue increase over 1997.

Girish Seshagiri founded AIS in 1986 to create high-wage, high-technology jobs in information services in Central Illinois. The firm provides software applications development services, technology consulting/integration services and process consulting/training services.

To assist qualified high-technology job candidates in the transition from college to a career in the high-wage information services profession, AIS and Illinois State University in late 1996 jointly created an intensive 12-week training program. With help from the Central Illinois minority community and Caterpillar managers, AIS succeeded in recruiting local minorities for 40 percent of the 1999 class.

"When we looked at the Power of Minority Business Excellence Award criteria, it didn't take long to think of AIS, especially considering their program to increase minority hiring. I would challenge most companies to try to match that – it's outstanding," said Karl Stach, procurement manager at Caterpillar Inc., who nominated AIS for the award.

Each of the Power of Minority Business Award winners will have a $1,000 scholarship dedicated in their name at an Illinois institution of higher education of their choice, courtesy of Illinova. In addition, each winner will be featured in an upcoming issue of Illinois Business Magazine, the official magazine of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce.

The winners for each category are:

• Northern Illinois – Business: Star Detective & Security Agency, Inc. (Chicago)
• Northern Illinois – Businessperson: Joseph Williams, president, Target Group Inc. (Chicago)
• Central Illinois – Business: Advanced Information Services Inc. (Peoria)
• Central Illinois – Businessperson: Veronica Cook, president and owner, Ronnie II Publishing (Springfield)
• Southern Illinois – Business: Kim's Kids Inc. (East St. Louis)
• Southern Illinois – Businessperson: John and Herrett Parker, innkeepers, Parker Garden Bed & Breakfast (East St. Louis)