OEConnection to Expand and Relocate Corporate Headquarters In Northeast Ohio

RICHFIELD, Ohio, April 14 -- OEConnection, LLC, a leader in online and ecommerce automotive parts locating and fulfillment, has outgrown the space in its current Richfield, Ohio location, and will relocate its headquarters to a new building just one half mile down the road.

OEConnection opened its doors in December 2000, and has been leasing 12,000 square feet from one of its owners, ProQuest, formerly Bell & Howell. OEConnection is also owned by DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor Company and General Motors. The new building is Stonegate Technology Center I at 4150 Highlander Drive in Richfield, Ohio, about 15 miles south of Cleveland. OEConnection will initially lease 18,500 square feet of the stand-alone building's 24,000 square feet, and has an option to move into additional space after two years. The Stonegate Technology Building is in close proximity to other technology companies.

OEConnection CEO Chuck Rotuno said, "We've gone from zero to over 9,500 customers in just two years. We now have over 70 associates and expect to grow to 100 within a couple years. By moving to a facility close by, we're able to keep the talent that helped grow this ecommerce business, and remain close to our technology partner, ProQuest."

The decision to remain in Richfield was also influenced by Ohio's and the Village of Richfield's Job Creation Tax Credit, a refundable credit against a business corporate franchise or income tax. In addition, an application was granted to OEConnection for the Ohio Investment in Training Program, which supports companies that make investments in facilities, equipment and training that result in the retention and creation of jobs for Ohioans.

Paul Johnson, OEConnection Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer said, "We're committed to creating more jobs over the next three years as we grow the business, which will fulfill the tax credit obligation. The credit equals a percentage of the new state income tax withheld on new full-time employees. Our business and growth plan fits right in with Governor Taft's Third Frontier Project."

Ohio's Third Frontier Project is a $1.6 billion, 10-year initiative to attract and retain premier technology organizations, make Ohio a leader in high-tech research, economic development and education, and build higher wage jobs for future generations. June 2003 is OEConnection's expected move date.

OEConnection provides web-based services to automotive dealerships and collision shops. CollisionLink(R) streamlines the parts specification and ordering between collision shops and automotive dealers. D2DLink(R) is an online, ecommerce parts locator for auto dealers. D2DLink's customers currently perform over 1 million part searches each month to locate, buy and sell needed parts from neighboring or nationwide dealerships. The online inventory that OEConnection provides to dealerships has over 700,000 unique auto part numbers and is updated daily.

For more information about OEConnection or their products and services, call 1-888-776-5792, ext 1693, visit http://www.oeconnection.com/ , or write to OEConnection, 3900 Kinross Lakes Pkwy., Richfield, Ohio 44286.

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