Verizon Business Provides the Nuts and Bolts of IP Networking to McCoy's Building Supply

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. -- McCoy's Building Supply -- a retail supplier of materials and services to customers ranging from do-it-yourselfers to professional builders and contractors and remodelers -- has entered into a new three-year agreement with Verizon Business for advanced communications and business continuity services.

Verizon Business will help the San Marcos, Texas-based company maintain business operations round-the-clock during severe weather conditions to serve the needs of its customers and more than 2,000 employees at its corporate offices and 84 retail centers located across five Southern states.

"Our customers depend on us to quickly and efficiently process their orders and deliver their building supplies," said Dennis Strong, McCoy's chief information officer.  "Deploying Verizon Business' IP services will help ensure our customers have access to their accounts to place and track orders.  Also, we can monitor our inventory and point-of-sale system in real time, with the peace of mind that we also have a backup network in place."

Under terms of the agreement, Verizon Business is providing Private IP with Enhanced Traffic Management (ETM) capabilities that will allow McCoy's to prioritize network traffic over multiple classes of service to quickly respond to customer inquiries and process sales data in real time.  McCoy's has also purchased a secondary Private IP network to replace its existing integrated services digital network (ISDN) backup network.  This backup Private IP network incorporates Verizon Business' Private IP Satellite Services into McCoy's disaster recovery plan.

McCoy's will also use the Satellite Services to support an enhanced in-store training program for associates.   In addition, Verizon Business is providing local and long-distance phone service, Internet access and customer premises equipment (CPE), including the satellites that are being used to connect into the secondary Private IP network.

Verizon Business Private IP customers benefit from having their critical data safely delivered over a carrier-class global network backed by stringent service level agreements.  In addition, Verizon Business' Enhanced Traffic Management option offers five classes of service -- to enable service prioritization from the highest to lowest forwarding priority - so customers can prioritize network traffic and support both real-time and non real-time applications.

"When it comes to business continuity, Verizon Business is committed to delivering innovative and redundant voice and data communications solutions to meet the unique demands of our customers," said Steve Young, senior vice president of corporate and government sales for Verizon Business.  "Like McCoy's, we understand that reliable communications with our customers - whether in clear skies or during a natural disaster - are an absolute necessity for success in today's global marketplace."

Private IP, available in 116 countries, is Verizon Business' global MPLS-based virtual private network (VPN) offering and its fastest-growing service. Verizon Business is a recognized leader delivering advanced communications and information technology (IT) services for large-business customers worldwide.  The company received the 2006 Highest Customer Satisfaction With Large Enterprise Business Data Service Providers Award from J.D. Power and Associates in its annual study of small, mid-size and large-business customers.

About McCoy's
Founded in 1927, McCoy's is a retail building supply company providing a wide variety of products and services to its customer base of do-it-yourselfers, professional builders and contractors and remodelers. The San Marcos, Texas-based McCoy's employs over 2,000 people and operates 84 stores in five states, including Arkansas, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.  The company can be found online at www.mccoys.com.

About Verizon Business
Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), is a leading provider of advanced communications and information technology (IT) solutions to large business and government customers worldwide.  Combining unsurpassed global network reach with advanced technology and professional service capabilities, Verizon Business delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world.  For more information, visit www.verizonbusiness.com.

J.D. Power and Associates Disclaimer: Verizon Business received the highest numerical score among data service providers in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Major Provider Business Telecommunications Data Services StudySM. Study is based on 3.138 total responses measuring 6 providers and measures opinions of consumers utilizing telecom services at small/midsize and large enterprise U.S. businesses. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed in January 2006. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com/cc.

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