[July 20, 2004] JRC Announces STEPS ERP Solution Roll-Out to Distribution/Logistics Sector; Company Finalizes Key Agreements, Moves Toward Domestic Market Introduction SAN DIEGO --(Business Wire)-- July 20, 2004 -- The Jackson Rivers Company (JRC) (OTCBB:JRVR) today announced that its technology subsidiary, Jackson Rivers Technologies (JRT), has completed a number of key events to introduce its STEPS(TM) ERP software solution to domestic and Canadian markets. The company has identified a highly focused market niche for its initial STEPS roll-out, secured a strong intellectual property position, and retained an international marketing firm to define the STEPS solution and create industry awareness. 1) Defined market sector. JRT announced that it will initially market its open-architecture STEPS ERP solution to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Logistics, Distribution and Supply-Chain Management sector in the United States and Canada. JRT is now moving to finalize the functional specification for this application and recruit additional domain expertise. As reported in previous releases, a STEPS ERP solution has already successfully penetrated the distribution/logistics sector in the Latin American market (see JRC news release dated July 13, 2004, at http://www.jacksonrivers.net/eng/news/071304.htm). 2) Secured patent position. Pursuant to initiating the STEPS roll-out, JRC announced that a patent has been secured for the proprietary database-populating mechanism that underpins the technology. This mechanism, an information warehouse, is a method and apparatus for gathering, storing and organizing information relating to all aspects of any organization. In addition, it facilitates data transfer to and from legacy databases. Using this method enables creation of flexible and open-structured applications that are operable across customer-facing and back-office activities. 3) Technology platform advocacy. To provide strategic product positioning and market awareness, the company has retained McQUERTER, INC., a San Diego-based international marketing firm that specializes in introducing innovative technology platforms to business-to-consumer and business-to-business enterprises. Company mobilizing to address automation in SME space Executives said JRT's strategy of providing open-architected ERP solutions to SMEs was being enthusiastically received by the market. "SMEs know that rapid growth hinges on their ability to tightly control work-flow processes, human resources, and supply-chain management. Our solution scales to manage the growing complexity, yet at a price point far less than traditional ERP deployments," noted CEO Joseph Khan. "Especially for distribution firms, which must manage diverse inventories -- literally tens of thousands of SKUs -- on hair-thin margins, automated controls means the difference between profit and loss." Khan said JRT would concentrate initially on consumer electronics distribution firms with annual revenues of $10 million to $200 million. Warehousing patent announced The company also announced that the technology underpinning STEPS, for which the company has obtained exclusive distribution rights, has been awarded patent protection by the United States Patent Office. Patent number 6735591 was issued for an "Information Warehouse System and Method" to JRT CEO Joseph Khan, who owns the intellectual property holding entity that has granted JRT exclusive licensing rights. The patent describes a proprietary mechanism by which non-technical operators can efficiently populate open-architected relational databases. "This means that STEPS can be used by any office worker to manage work-flow and data translation, regardless of the original data structure. No longer do SME owners and managers have to be reliant on IT specialists to manipulate their own data. They need only to have expertise in their own businesses," noted Khan. International marketing firm retained To supports its national rollout, JRT has retained the services of an international marketing development firm, McQUERTER, INC., based in San Diego, CA. For over two decades, the marketing firm has specialized in the introduction of innovative technology platforms for BtoC and BtoB applications. In the 1990s, the firm introduced code-division multiple access (CDMA) technology for wireless communications on behalf of client QUALCOMM, Inc. The CDMA wireless standard now claims over 59 million users worldwide. Prior to that, McQUERTER assisted Fujitsu North America with the rollout of hand-held computer devices for vendor inventory, automated teller machines for banking, and point-of-sale information systems for large retail operations. More recently, McQUERTER introduced a real-time communications exchange platform for Voice, Video and Data-over-IP. "Like VoIP and nanotechnology, open architecture software is an innovation whose time has come. We're delighted to work with a client that is delivering this high-leverage software that allows SMEs to control their own data," noted agency CEO Gregory McQuerter. The market and IP-protection initiatives follow an extended research and definitions phase for JRT. "We have been quite methodical in our examination of market opportunities we could leverage to our benefit, which we know has required great patience from all our stakeholders -- investors and strategic partners alike," noted JRC chairman Dennis Lauzon. "As we continue to gather market momentum, we look to them for their continued support." About The Jackson Rivers Company Founded in 2001, The Jackson Rivers Company is a business development company based in Mount Kisco, New York and San Diego, California. Its principal subsidiaries are JRC Global Products, a product distribution company, and Jackson Rivers Technologies, a provider of integrated information technology solutions. Forward-Looking Statements When used in this News Release, the words or phrases "will likely result," "are expected to," "will continue," "is anticipated," "estimate," "projected," "intends to" or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the Company's history of losses and cash flow deficit; lack of liquidity; volatility of market price of common stock and warrants; possible adverse effect of penny stock rules and liquidity of the Company's securities; dividend policy; and control by directors and executive officers, that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from historical earnings and those presently anticipated or projected. As a result, potential investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]