Lee Sage Joins Autolink.com as Chairman After Leaving Ernst & Young As the Global Leader of Automotive Industry Services

14 March 2000
Lee Sage Joins Autolink.com as Chairman After Leaving Ernst & Young As the Global Leader of Automotive Industry Services

    WHEAT RIDGE, Colo., March 14 Autolink.com, an independent,
business-to-business Web site established exclusively for automotive
retailers, announced today the appointment of Lee Sage as the company's
Chairman.  Sage joins the newly launched automotive business-to-business dot-
com company after a 15-year career and partnership with Ernst & Young LLP
where he most recently served as the Global Leader of Automotive Industry
Services.
    According to Steve Nickelsen, Autolink.com CEO, "Now that we have Lee on
board, our management team, in terms of experience and commitment, is second
to none, and will be able serve our auto retail subscribers with the best
business-to-business (B2B) services on the Internet.  As chairman, Lee will
drive the company's strategic direction and will concentrate his initial
efforts on the OEM and supply chain areas of the business.  Lee's appointment
frees me to concentrate all my efforts on building strong retail programs for
our subscribers.
    Don Warriner, Autolink.com president and COO also enthusiastically
endorsed Sage's appointed as he reflected on the future of Autolink.com and
the business-to-business Internet industry in general.  "Business-to-business
e-commerce is expected to grow to $1.3 trillion in the next few years, of
which Autolink.com programs and services will target $250 billion of that
total.  Even with that level of growth, not all companies will prosper.  Those
who succeed will be those who offer consistent value and content.  We made a
decision, early on, to populate Autolink.com with significant automotive
expertise and not just the glitter and glitz possible on the Internet.  The
appointment of Lee Sage supports that decision, adds credibility with our
subscribers and will helps us to continue to provide real value and
significant savings to auto retailers."
    Sage has extensive experience working with automotive OEMs on growth,
quality improvement and operations improvement to increase shareholder value.
He has developed strong working relationships at DaimlerChrysler, GM, Honda,
Renault, Fiat and Nissan, as well as at Tier 1 suppliers including Eaton,
Federal Mogul, TRW and Magnetti Marelli.
    For more information on Lee Sage or to arrange an interview, contact
Dennis J. McDermott at Hedge & Company 248-350-2190.  For more information on
Autolink.com , visit the Autolink.com Web site at http://www.autolink.com .
    Autolink.com is an independent business-to-business Web site designed to
help auto dealers and aftermarket service retailers improve their competitive
performance, business operations and profitability.  The site offers
comprehensive training courses, customer relationship marketing, news and
information, and the power of group supply management, plus an array of
additional programs to help dealers to succeed in a dramatically changing
industry -- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.