To: Maher Sid-Ahmed who wrote (8634 ) 3/21/2001 12:18:17 AM From: Don Green Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 14451 Telcontar Names Eric Carlson as President and CEO; Silicon Valley Veteran Joins Executive Team of Location-Based Software & Services Company dg> Looks like another top SGI executive decides to jump ship, JUST before SGI rockets to profitability Story Filed: Tuesday, March 20, 2001 11:24 AM EST LAS VEGAS, Mar 20, 2001 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Telcontar, a leading provider of software and services for location-based solution companies, today announced that Silicon Valley veteran Eric Carlson has joined the company's executive staff as president and CEO. Over the past 25 years Mr. Carlson has worked at enterprises such as IBM, Convergent Technologies, Unisys, the ASK Group (where he was CEO) and Silicon Graphics (SGI). His most recent assignment was as Executive Vice President/General Manager of SGI's $350M Visual Computing Business Unit. Separately, Telcontar also announced today the close of its latest round of funding for more than $23 million as well as a deal with Wingcast, a telematics joint venture between Ford and QUALCOMM Incorporated. Bill Schwegler, who had held the President and CEO titles since the company's inception in 1996, will continue to work with Telcontar full time as Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. He will also retain his role as Chairman of the Board. "Telcontar is entering a period of explosive growth and needs a CEO with top quality, hands-on management experience in large, rapidly growing organizations. Eric's experience in product development, finance and operations, combined with his long experience selling to and working with the large organizations who drive Silicon Valley, makes him a great asset for Telcontar," said Mr. Schwegler. "We are thrilled to have a leader of his caliber on the team." Mr. Carlson's executive experience covers sales, marketing, R&D, manufacturing, corporate strategy and acquisitions. He has a BA in economics, a Masters degree in City Planning and a Ph.D. in Computer Science. "I believe Telcontar's unique products and outstanding partners position the company to be the leading provider of software for location-based services. I am looking forward to growing the business through the success of our customers," he said. Telcontar provides software and services that enable solution providers to deliver maps, routes or other location-based services to users by integrating vector maps with information drawn from a variety of real-time and service-based sources. Telcontar products are being used today to provide emergency and concierge services for drivers and wireless Internet users, real-time traffic information, directions and maps to Internet users, and to support call centers doing emergency dispatch. Other customers are using Telcontar for solutions in e911, fleet management and asset tracking, as well as business applications such as viewing aerial photographs of commercial real estate over the Internet. About Telcontar Telcontar is the leading supplier of real-time, bandwidth-efficient software infrastructure solutions and integration services to providers of location-based applications. The company's products give businesses the ability to easily integrate digital maps with traditional database content drawn from multiple sources. Telcontar's clients use its Drill Down Server(TM) to provide their own customers with driving directions, real-time traffic information, and maps. These services are also used for fleet tracking and dispatch and mobile concierge services, as well as by vehicular or personal emergency response call centers. The company is privately held and headquartered in San Jose, California with field offices in Los Angeles, Dallas, and the United Kingdom. Note to Editors: Telcontar and Drill Down Server are trademarks or registered trademarks of Telcontar. All other product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. CONTACT: Telcontar Cassie Stevenson, 415/533-2720 cstevenson@telcontar.com URL: businesswire.com