COURTERCO INC. SELECTS HOWARD W. SAMS & COMPANY'S DATAHOST RELATIONAL DATABASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 26, 1996

COURTERCO INC. SELECTS HOWARD W. SAMS & COMPANY'S
DATAHOST RELATIONAL DATABASE SYSTEM

Cabinet Hardware Distributor to Use Five-Million Product Database for
Customized Catalogs and to Plan for CD-ROM and Online
Ordering

INDIANAPOLIS, IND. - CourterCo Inc., a leading
distributor of upscale
cabinet hardware and accessories, plans to launch print, CD-ROM and
online catalogs using a relational database management system
developed by Howard W. Sams & Company (Sams), a Bell Atlantic Company.

The two companies have signed an agreement that will allow
CourterCo to access Datahost^(tm), a
database system composed of five
million items formatted and standardized by Sams and 150,000 graphics.
"CourterCo will use Datahost to produce full-line and customized
niche catalogs, CD-ROMs and online catalogs for cabinet shops," said
John Courter, president, CourterCo. "In addition, Datahost will
allow
us to respond very rapidly to our customer's changing needs. We can go
wherever the marketplace takes us."

CourterCo is the first distributor in the cabinet hardware market
to utilize Datahost, which was launched in seven wholesale/distributor
markets this spring. "The ability to provide single-source, product
content in a variety of formats, along with online ordering, appeals
to the largest distributors, as well as smaller companies," said
Damon
Davis, chief operating officer, Sams. "CourterCo is a fast-growing
company that understands the competitive need to stay ahead of
customer demands and the technology curve."

CourterCo is rapidly expanding as a result of two distributor
acquisitions in the last 18 months. "Having the ability to add to
the
cataloging database system will allow us to quickly and efficiently
update our catalogs as new products and information are added," said
Courter.

Using Datahost, CourterCo will publish a 15,000 item full-line catalog
for 5,000 customers in the fourth quarter of 1996. "We are proud to
be an innovator in delivering information multi-dimensionally," said
Courter. "CourterCo will accomplish this in partnership with Sams
and
Bell Atlantic." The Datahost application will be showcased by Sams
at
the National Building Materials Distribution conference and exhibition
in October.

The Datahost database includes five million items produced by
manufacturers in seven wholesale/distributor markets: industrial,
electrical, electronic, HVAC/R, janitorial, paper and plumbing
supplies. In addition, there are 150,000 graphics that can be used to
illustrate a full range of products for each one of these markets.

Founded in 1983 in Indianapolis, CourterCo Inc. is one of the
fastest growing distributors of cabinet hardware in the United States,
with 1996 sales projected to be $15 million. CourterCo has warehouses
in Indianapolis, Louisville, Ky., and Greensboro, N.C. A stocking
distributor representing 150 manufacturers, CourterCo carries a
complete line of cabinet hardware, laminate and coatings needed by
cabinet makers.

Established in 1946 in Indianapolis, Howard W. Sams & Company is
celebrating its 50th anniversary. Sams developed and markets Datahost,
a manufacturer's product relational database, Dataview^(tm), an online
Internet-accessible ordering system, and DataROM^(tm), a CD-ROM catalog with online ordering capability.
Dataview is the only online ordering
system currently available that allows end-users to place orders
directly with a distributor.

Sams publishes nearly 125 catalogs annually for its customers in
the building materials, electrical, electronic, HVAC/R, industrial,
janitorial, paper and plumbing supplies markets. Sams is the nation's
largest provider of after-market service data for the television/VCR
repair industry in the form of the PHOTOFACT® and VCRfact®
subscription services. In addition, the company owns Masters Press,
which publishes sport fitness and reference books. Sams was acquired
by Bell Atlantic in the fall of 1995.

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Media contact:

Young & Associates:
Rob Blumenthal (301-309-9404)