DirectorConnector: Free Online Service Connects Organizations and Board Member Candidates

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Madison, WI (October 24, 2005) – DirectorConnector (www.directorconnector.com), a free online service, connects businesses and non-profit organizations with people interested in serving on boards of directors. Launched earlier this year by the law firm of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP and the accounting firm of Candela Solutions, LLC, DirectorConnector now has over 500 registered users. Many of DirectorConnector’s users are based in the greater Madison, Wisconsin area, but there is growing interest in the service from Milwaukee-area businesses.

Recent surveys indicate that directors are becoming hard to recruit. DirectorConnector’s web site (www.directorconnector.com) connects organizations in need of board members with specialized skill sets with qualified board member candidates. Organizations and individuals can search DirectorConnector’s online databases to find compatible matches based on interests, core competencies, credentials and prior experience, and choose to connect by exchanging contact information. Organizations and individuals who use DirectorConnector are unable to view each other’s names and contact information until they mutually agree to make this connection.

Investors, owners, and other stakeholders typically benefit from independent and well-qualified directors. According to PricewaterhouseCooper’s recent publication entitled Current Developments for Audit Committees 2005, “Directors join accountants and lawyers as the key gatekeepers investors are looking to.” This sentiment is echoed by Scott Haumersen, Managing Partner of Wegner LLP, CPAs & Consultants, who says, “DirectorConnector is a sorely needed service that I frequently advise clients to access, including my Not for Profit clients. In this day of heightened awareness of accountability, it is essential that boards make sure that they have people with the right skills to ask the right questions. DirectorConnector is more than just a matching service, it serves to help both individuals and Boards do the right thing.”

Organizations have been pleasantly surprised to discover that DirectorConnector is a free service with a growing pool of board member candidates that have a wide range of skills. According to John Fons, a senior corporate attorney in Milwaukee, “DirectorConnector is a valuable tool for companies to efficiently and effectively identify candidates for both statutory and advisory boards. As a free service, it provides a wonderful opportunity to identify independent directors to help strengthen an organization’s internal control environment.”

About DirectorConnector (www.directorconnector.com)
DirectorConnector.com is an Internet database service that links organizations of all types with director candidates. The quality of directors and strong corporate governance are critical to the success of an organization. DirectorConnector.com provides a convenient medium for businesses and nonprofit organizations to search for director candidates and brings a new level of efficiency to the board recruitment process.

About Michael Best & Friedrich LLP (www.michaelbest.com)
Founded in 1848, Michael Best has earned its reputation as a leading Midwestern law firm. The firm has more than 250 attorneys in six office locations, including Milwaukee, Madison, Waukesha and Manitowoc, Wisconsin; Chicago, Illinois; and Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. The firm provides a full range of legal services to clients on a local, regional, national and global basis. The firm’s main areas of practice are intellectual property and intellectual property litigation, corporate, health care, labor and employment, land and resources (environmental and real estate), litigation, tax, and wealth planning. Michael Best is the exclusive Wisconsin member of Lex Mundi, the world’s leading association of independent law firms. The firm is also a member of the China Alliance. The China Alliance is a unique arrangement established by four leading independent law firms in response to the increasing importance of China to the global marketplace and to North American businesses. Visit www.china-alliance.com for more information.

About Candela Solutions, LLC (www.candelasolutions.com)
Candela Solutions is a public accounting firm that works with boards of directors and management teams to reach objectives through governance best practices, internal auditing, and information technology. The firm provides education, internal control design, board assessments, and enterprise risk management services to address challenges posed by Sarbanes-Oxley, SEC periodic reporting, and technology risks and opportunities. The trust of Stakeholders depends upon transparency, accountability, performance, and ethics built upon sound controls. Candela Solutions is a new breed of CPA firm that helps its clients maintain that trust and maximize shareholder value through strong governance practices.