Tropika International Ltd TPIL
Shares issued 83,877,406 Feb 14 close $0.70
Tue 15 Feb 2000 News Release
Mr. John Ashlee reports
Tropika has appointed Stan Krupinski as president of its subsidiary, Zorro
Systems Ltd. Zorro's technology is the real-time search engine behind
Intellashop.com, a dedicated personal shopping assistant geared to the
consumer market.
Mr. Krupinski, a seasoned executive, has IT experience spanning 30 years,
and a track record that demonstrates his entrepreneurial approach,
strategic expertise, operational excellence, and team-building ability. He
has worked for a range of companies from technology startups to such giants
as IBM, Xerox, and Sun Microsystems. Most recently, as head of his own
firm, Huntingdon York Consultants, Mr. Krupinski has worked with clients on
cutting-edge Internet and telecommunication technology applications.
"We are very excited to have someone of Stan's calibre to add value to our
team," said John Ashbee, chairman and chief executive officer, Tropika
International. "He has the strategic know-how, the talent, and the energy
necessary to make Zorro's revolutionary search engine technology an
industry standard in targeted vertical applications. We're already seeing
the impact of his vision."
"The extraordinary potential of Zorro Systems and Intellashop.com drew me
to Tropika," said Mr. Krupinski. "Intellashop.com, with its focus on
comparative shopping for popular on-line consumer items, is just the
beginning. Zorro's elastic architecture and powerful search engine will
enable further adaptations and applications, and we are already exploring
licensing agreements within other vertical markets."
With consumer use of the Internet during the year 2000 in the U.S. alone
expected to reach a value of over $38-billion from about $20-billion in
1999 (Forrester Research), Tropika sees Intellashop.com as well-positioned
in a very dynamic market. Public response has tended to confirm that
perception, as the Intellashop.com site has recently concluded a very
successful beta test. Initially the beta site was to be closed on Dec. 27,
1999, after a four-week beta test, but the site's popularity led Tropika to
extend the test period. The strategic importance of Intellashop's consumer
focus was confirmed by users, who expressed their enthusiasm through return
visits and word-of-mouth recommendations -- site usage expanded
significantly with negligible marketing or promotion from Tropika or Zorro.
The beta site, at intellashop.com will be closed until the
site's full release as the teams at Zorro and Intellashop.com focus their
energies on polishing the final product.
"The Zorro technology, which drives Intellashop.com, successfully passed
all functional and usage rate tests," said Casey Shea, vice-president,
marketing for Zorro Systems and president of Intellashop.com. "With the
much-appreciated help of all the beta testers, Zorro and Intellashop.com
have made great progress and are moving quickly toward launch goals. We
look forward to announcing the official release date in the near future."
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