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To: Tom Gebing who wrote (12296)	11/7/1998 3:33:00 PM
From: Tom Gebing	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 14631

INTERVIEW - Informix bets on Latin American growth 08:39 PM ET 11/05/98 infobeat.com By Alejandro Lifschitz BUENOS AIRES, Nov 5 (Reuters) - California-based Informix Corp. , the fifth largest database software company in the world, is making long-term bets on Latin America and hoping the region's quick growth will translate into profits. "Latin America is very important for us because of its strong growth, especially when it comes to Argentina," Chief Executive Officer Robert Finocchio told Reuters. "In the last 12 months, Latin America has been the fastest growing region (for Informix). We will continue to make long-term investments here because it is a great opportunity for companies like ours which are trying to grow," he said. Informix's Latin American sales grew 35 percent last year, accounting for around 10 percent of total sales of $662 million. It has 250 employees in the region. Finocchio, in Buenos Aires visiting clients, said the global financial crisis which has dragged down Latin American financial markets would not deter Informix's interest in the region. "What is going on in Asia is very different from what is going on in South America," he said in reference to what he considered solid economic fundamentals in Latin America. Finocchio said the company's strength in the region was based on its data warehousing software, which stores consumer information key to developing sales strategies. Informix plans to target its software to the telecommunications, finance, education and health sectors. The company, which competes with companies like Oracle Corp. and IBM , reported third quarter net income of $18.4 million against a $110.5 million loss last year. Once the number two company in the market, the firm has been trying to make a comeback since Finocchio took the helm in August 1997.