Nine Companies Win Bell Atlantic Supplier Excellence Awards

Nine Companies Win Bell Atlantic Supplier Excellence Awards

Winners Cited for Helping Bell Atlantic Provide
Outstanding Service to its Customers

May 26, 1999

NEW YORK -- Nine companies, including four minority and
women-owned businesses, are winners of Bell Atlantic Supplier
Excellence Awards for their outstanding performance during the past year.

Bell Atlantic selected the winners from more than 6,500 of its suppliers.
The companies were judged on key performance attributes, including
quality, responsiveness, delivery and customer satisfaction, for the
products and services they provided to Bell Atlantic.

"Our suppliers play a vital role in Bell Atlantic's mission to care for
our customers, anticipate their needs and provide them with outstanding
service," said Jeannie Diefenderfer, vice president of Corporate
Sourcing. "The Supplier Excellence Awards program enables us to
recognize the winners for their hard work and dedication to excellence,
which help Bell Atlantic maintain its competitive edge in the
marketplace."

Diefenderfer also said it is significant that minority and women-owned
businesses are among the winners in view of the company's goal to spend
$1.8 billion over the next two years to purchase goods and services from
businesses in this category.

Last December, Bell Atlantic announced a partnership agreement with the
U.S. Small Business Administration to support and assist the success of
minority and women-owned businesses in competing for contracts with
Bell Atlantic.

Bell Atlantic presented the supplier excellence awards in four categories --
manufacturing, service, small business and minority and women-owned
business. The winners are:

Manufacturing

-- Fraser Papers, Inc., a paper manufacturer, which supplies Bell
Atlantic with paper for its telephone directories. The company, which is
based in Stamford, Conn., has 3,500 employees in its North American
operations.

-- Moore North America, Inc., a business solutions provider, which
supplies Bell Atlantic with paper handling equipment known as Roll feed
systems for the corporation's billing centers. Moore North America
provides the equipment to Bell Atlantic from Moore's Dover, N.H.
facility. The company is based in Lake Forest, Ill. and has more than
12,000 employees.

-- Siecor, Corp., which provides Bell Atlantic with fiber-optic cable for its
telecommunications network. This is the second consecutive year that
Siecor has won a Bell Atlantic Supplier Excellence Award. The company
is based in Hickory, N.C. and has 5,500 employees worldwide.

Service

-- Transportation Displays Inc. (TDI), which fabricates, installs
and maintains the advertising displays on Bell Atlantic's outdoor pay
phone kiosks in the five boroughs of New York City. In addition, TDI
solicits advertising and bills and collects all advertising fees. The company
is based in New York City and has 1,000 employees worldwide. This is
the second consecutive year that TDI has won the award.

Small Business

-- Frequency Marketing Inc., a marketing services company, which
manages Bell Atlantic's Business Link Rewards Program. Business Link
operates like the airlines' frequent flier programs and provides customers
with bonus credits based on their use of Bell Atlantic products and
services. Frequency Marketing is based in Milford, Ohio and has 125
employees

Minority and Women-Owned Business

-- Ameriphone Inc. a manufacturer of specialized telecommunications
equipment for people with disabilities. The company, which is based in
Garden Grove, Calif., has 51 employees and provides telecommunications
equipment to Bell Atlantic in Massachusetts and New York.

-- Avanti/Case-Hoyt Corp., a marketing communications and commercial
printing company, works with Bell Atlantic's advertising agencies, design
firms and consultants to develop and distribute consumer and business-to-
business direct mail pieces as well as internal communications materials.
Avanti/Case-Hoyt is based in Miami and has 1,200 employees.

-- Central Pennsylvania Transportation Inc., which transports Bell Atlantic
telephone directories from the printer to various distribution points. The
company is based in Lancaster, Pa. and has 130 employees.

-- Hartling Communications Inc., which distributes specialized
telecommunications equipment to Bell Atlantic customers with disabilities
in Massachusetts under a statewide program. The company is based in
Burlington, Mass. and has six employees.
Bell Atlantic will present the awards at individual ceremonies at the main
locations of the winning companies.

Bell Atlantic is at the forefront of the new communications and
information industry. With 43 million telephone access lines and 9
million wireless customers worldwide, Bell Atlantic companies are
premier providers of advanced wireline voice and data services, market
leaders in wireless services and the world's largest publishers of directory
information. Bell Atlantic companies are also among the world's largest
investors in high-growth global communications markets, with operations
and investments in 23 countries.