©Bottom Line   Communications 2002

NEWS RELEASES

    Here is where we highlight some of our recently issued client news releases: 

CONTACTS:  Dennis Kasselman,

FirstGuard Health Plan (816) 922-7263;

John Landsberg, Bottom Line Communications,

                        (913) 338-5760; Mobile: (913) 302-1222

FIRSTGUARD HEALTH PLAN

MOVES INTO NEW HEADQUARTERS

For Immediate Release

      KANSAS CITY, MO. (March 12, 2002) --- Fast-growing FirstGuard Health Plan has combined its administrative offices into a newly constructed facility at 4001 Blue Parkway along the Brush Creek corridor, according to an announcement by Joy Wheeler, FirstGuard president. 

           More than 100 employees occupy 27,500 square feet on the third and second floors of the three-floor facility. An open house is scheduled for April.

“We are a rapidly growing company and this is a huge step in our

evolution,” says Wheeler about FirstGuard, which has been named a “Top Ten Small Business of the Year” the past two years.  “This facility will offer us flexibility and an ability to respond to our customers and the marketplace better than ever before in our history.”

          The move brings together employees located in two different Kansas City facilities and the new facility also helps better tie in the firm’s Topeka and Wichita offices through an enhanced communications system.  The new facility will offer a number of advantages:

·        The floor plan was custom-designed to provide a progressive, open atmosphere to foster communications, increased productivity and team building.

·        Voice and data communications represent a huge leap forward in technology with FirstGuard now featuring one of the most sophisticated high-capacity systems available today.  A self-healing fiber optics system means a fiber cut in one city can be quickly rerouted and make outages almost a thing of the past.

·        Security was a key aspect, not just for employees, but also for confidential medical records and claims. A state-of-the-art system provides enhanced security.

The building, owned by Community Builders of Kansas City, was

constructed by J.E. Dunn Construction with architectural work performed by BNIM (Berkebile Nelson Immenschuh McDowell) Architects. Dunn and BNIM are based in Kansas City.

    “Our new building reinforces our commitment to Kansas City and reflects the culture of caring and compassion that we have fostered since our founding in 1995,” says Joy Wheeler, FirstGuard’s president.  “I am firmly convinced that the work atmosphere we have created will be reflected in our dealings with the people we serve.”

    Founded in 1995, FirstGuard Health Plan is a locally owned, prevention-oriented health plan providing a wide range of products, including government-sponsored programs and comprehensive commercial HMO and Point-of-Service plans designed to meet the needs of private and public sector employers.

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WILLIAMS FOODS TO PROVIDE

PRODUCTS FOR OLYMPIC SKI TEAM

For Immediate Release

            KANSAS CITY (January 25, 2002) --- These are exciting times at Williams Foods, Inc. in Lenexa as the local company for the first time in its 65-year history has been named a food supplier of products for the U.S. Olympic Ski Team for the upcoming Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.  The Games officially start February 8.

            Williams Foods, famous nationwide for its Williams Chili Seasoning, will provide a variety of products to the team, including seasonings, gravy products and gourmet sauces.   In addition, the company will be supplying its famous Wolferman’s English Muffins.

            The first shipment of assorted products went out earlier this week and included more than 140 cases.  Additional truckloads will follow.

            “Our employees are really excited about the opportunity to be involved with the Olympic Games,” says George Young, Williams president.  “The opportunity arose just a few weeks ago and we immediately jumped on it.  It will give us great exposure to the world.”

            The company officially told employees of the honor this morning and hung a largebanner on its highly visible building near I-35 South and 99^th St. in Lenexa.  The banner will be up through the duration of the Olympics.

            Williams Foods, Inc. is a diverse food manufacturer whose brands include Williams Sauces and Gravy Mixes and more than 100 products sold nationally.  In 1999, the company acquired Wolferman’s Inc., makers of the famous Wolferman’s English Muffins, which have been a Kansas City tradition for more than 100 years.

NATIVITY MEN’S GROUP

URGES ABERCROMBIE HOLIDAY BOYCOTT

            Leawood, KS  (November 28, 2001) --- In an effort to stop Abercrombie & Fitch from using graphic and highly suggestive material in its catalog marketing efforts, the Men of Nativity group at the Church of the Nativity in Leawood, Kansas,  is asking parishioners to make this an “Abercrombie-Free Holiday” and urging a boycott of their products.

            In particular, the men’s group is upset at the “soft porn” A&F catalogs offered for sale at its stores.  These catalogs graphically show nude young people painting each other, playing nude football and splashing in a fountain.  Editorial copy includes such topics as advice on how to procure an illegal ID and an interview with a porn star.

            “Our message is very simple.  We are telling Abercrombie & Fitch that ‘If that’s the way you’re selling, we’re not buying,’” says Mike Nolte, spokesman for the men’s group.  “These clothes are marketed to teens and pre-teens and younger. We see no reason to use soft porn to sell clothes.”

            In the past, the company has said it has no intention of toning down the catalogs, which have appeared at area grade schools and middle schools throughout the area.   Nolte says he hopes other churches and schools will also urge a boycott of A&F.

            There are four A&F stores in the Kansas City area and store managers have been made aware of the boycott.  The Men of Nativity group is asking the stores to pledge to permanently remove the catalogs before calling off the boycott.

            “As parents, if we don’t set standards for our children, who will?” says Nolte.  “Parents need to be informed about what extremes companies will go to market to their kids.  These catalogs are clearly over the line.”

            The Men of Nativity group is the largest men’s group in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas with more than 60 members.  The group has been meeting every Wednesday morning for more than 10 years and provides an opportunity for men to make their faith a bigger part of their lives.

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FirstGuard Health Plan

Eclipses 100,000-Member Mark

Kansas City, MO.  (September 20, 2001) --- Despite starting 1997 with just two employees, no revenues and the prospect of facing major national competition, FirstGuard Health Plan has successfully grown where the locally-based company officially eclipsed the 100,000 member mark last month for the first time in its history.  The official tally was 110,540 at the end of July.

Today, the organization has more than 90 employees and annual revenues exceeding $110 million. Revenues were at  $27.4 million in 1997.

A Top 10 Kansas City Chamber of Commerce  “Small Business of the Year” (the first HMO to ever achieve this honor) the past two years, FirstGuard provides government-sponsored, comprehensive commercial HMO and Point-of-Service medical plans in Missouri and Kansas.  Enrollment was at 21,000 members in 1998, but shot up to 63,000 with the acquisition of Horizon Healthcare of Kansas in 1999, and went to 82,000 at the conclusion of 2000.

            “I think a real key to our success has been an ability to manage our growth and maintain the corporate culture that we had early in our development,” says Joy Wheeler, FirstGuard’s only executive director.  “We are proving that it is possible to keep an entrepreneurial, customer-focused organization.  We are determined to always do the right thing for our members.”

            The company has proven to be innovative in a number of areas:

·        An employee “Ambassador” team developed a credo and promises that guide the way business is conducted and the way co-workers will be treated.  The team helps decide dress codes, policies, employee events, etc.

·        Not only do all new members receive a  “Welcome” call, but when a member calls FirstGuard, he/she is referred to by name, not by an impersonal number.  In addition, the length of talk time is not limited for incoming calls: service representatives are given the time necessary to handle inquiries. 

·        While some HMOs delay paying physicians as long as four months after services are performed, FirstGuard pays in an average of 18 days.

·        Employees are rewarded through a variety of recognition awards for customer service and receive important financial literacy and ethics training.

FirstGuard Health Plan is a locally owned, prevention-oriented health plan providing a wide range of products, including government- sponsored programs and comprehensive commercial HMO and Point of Service plans designed to meet the needs of private and public sector employers.