[May 27, 2004] HickoryTech Corporation Announces Appointment of James Bracke to Board of Directors MANKATO, Minn., May 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- HickoryTech Corporation announced the appointment of James W. Bracke, age 57, to an open position of director on HickoryTech's 10-member board to complete the remainder of the term, which expires in 2005. HickoryTech Corporation is a diversified communications company headquartered in Mankato with operations in Minnesota and Iowa. Bracke brings with him more than 23 years of broad-based business experience in the fields of science and technology. He most recently held the position of president and CEO of Lifecore Biomedical, Inc., located in Chaska. Bracke fills the independent board position left vacant on Dec. 31, 2003 by the retirement of Robert K. Else, who served from 1990 through 2003. Announcement of the election results was made by Chairman of the Board, Myrita Craig, who said, "HickoryTech's board of directors conducted a comprehensive review of candidates and is confident to have selected an individual with a keen understanding of the challenges and opportunities in today's telecommunications industry. I am delighted to welcome Jim Bracke to his new directorship role on behalf of HickoryTech Corporation." Craig continued, "Jim's long and distinguished career, as well as his expertise, energy and enthusiasm make him an ideal addition to the board. The entire board looks forward to his guidance and to working with him to achieve the highest potential for HickoryTech Corporation." Bracke developed a publicly traded, global, medical device company, Lifecore Biomedical Inc., in the early 1980s. "I am very pleased to be a part of such a progressive corporation. The potential of this company and the possible expansion of new technology paths within the communications market represents a great opportunity for HickoryTech," Bracke stated. He previously served on the boards of Sage Health Management Systems, the Minnesota Academy of Science, and Minnesota State University, Mankato. Bracke's achievements include building a global manufacturing, marketing and sales organization with three foreign subsidiaries and distributorships in 38 countries with 200 direct employees. He also held positions as a senior research microbiologist at 3M Company in St. Paul, and as an instructor at the University of Minnesota, School of Dentistry. Bracke's educational background includes a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; a doctorate in microbiology from the University of Iowa, Iowa City; and both a bachelor's and a master's in biology from Minnesota State University, Mankato. As part of his military service, he conducted biological science research at Fort Knox, Ky. and had a top-secret security clearance. About HickoryTech Corporation: HickoryTech Corporation is a diversified communications company headquartered in Mankato, Minn., with more than 400 employees and operations in Minnesota and Iowa. HickoryTech is in its 107th year of operation with a full array of telecommunications products and services for business and residential customers, including competitive local, long distance, Internet and broadband services. From this base, it has expanded into information solutions (IT support and telecom billing software) and enterprise solutions for businesses (communications installation and service; networking equipment and data management solutions). To learn more about HickoryTech Corporation, visit the company's Web site at http://www.hickorytech.com/ . HickoryTech Corporation CONTACT: Sandra Gibbs, Public Relations for HickoryTech,+1-507-386-3765, or Elin Raymond, President of The Sage Group,+1-612-321-9897 Web site: http://www.hickorytech.com/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]