Press Releases June 17, 2002

SAS selects Qualex Consulting Services for new Jump Start program

MARTINSVILLE, VA, June 17, 2002 — Qualex Consulting Services, Inc. announced today its selection by SAS Institute Inc. as one of only eighteen members of the Institute’s newly launched Jump Start Program.

The Jump Start program offers SAS customers one half day of free consulting services provided by SAS Alliance Members. As one of the few Gold Alliance members, Qualex is well positioned to provide the quality and experience for the Jump Start program that SAS customers expect.

“We have always worked very closely with SAS to provide customers the very best in SAS software development,” says Clive Pearson, President of Qualex. “The new Jump Start Program takes that relationship to a more effective level. Everyone will benefit.”

Michael Gilman, Chief Technology Officer, concurs. “I am excited about the Jump Start Program,” says Gilman. “In essence this is the SAS stamp of approval. Their message to their customers is that they can count on companies like Qualex to provide the highest level of expertise and service.”

About SAS
SAS is the market leader in providing a new generation of business intelligence software and services that create true enterprise intelligence. SAS solutions are used at more than 38,000 sites — including 99 of the top 100 businesses on the Fortune 500 — to develop more profitable relationships with customers and suppliers; to enable better, more accurate and informed decisions; and to drive organizations forward. SAS is the only vendor that completely integrates leading data warehousing, analytics and traditional BI applications to create intelligence from massive amounts of data. For more than 25 years, SAS has been giving customers around the world The Power to Know®.

About Qualex Consulting Services, Inc.
As a SAS Quality Partner for seven years and currently a Gold Alliance Member, Qualex continues to be a premier SAS consulting organization. Qualex’s close relationship with SAS gives Qualex priority training on the latest SAS technologies and strategic access to SAS resources. This in turn helps Qualex provide its customers with cutting-edge solutions tomeet their needs.

Qualex has provided SAS expertise in several major industry sectors, including automotive, publishing, telecommunications, energy, health care, pharmaceutical, and government. Current and past clients include, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Bristol Myers-Squibb, EMI Music Distribution, Ernst & Young, Levi Strauss, Lucent Technologies, Sprint, Washington Post Interactive, and Williams Energy.