uBid
Appoints Norman Hullinger, Senior Vice President, Operations
Former
Yahoo! Executive to Oversee Warehouse and
‘Back-End’
Transactional Services for Internet Auction Site
CHICAGO,
IL – April 23, 2002 – uBid, a leading retail auction and e-commerce
marketplace and majority-owned operating company of CMGI, Inc. (NASDAQ: CMGI),
has named Norman Hullinger to the newly created position of senior vice
president of operations. In this role,
Hullinger assumes management responsibility for all of the company’s operations functions, including
warehousing, distribution infrastructure and ‘back-end’ transactional
activities, as well as oversight of uBid’s call center and customer care
teams. The appointment is
effective immediately.
“We are extremely pleased to
welcome Norman to uBid’s management team.
Norman’s background, and particularly his online retail operations and
technology experience, is a perfect fit for uBid as it looks forward to continued
growth and margin improvement,” said George McMillan, chief executive officer,
CMGI. “I’m confident that in
partnership with uBid’s expanding management team, Norman’s impressive track
record of improved customer service and financial metrics will generate
significant value for uBid’s customers and partners, and ultimately, for CMGI.”
Hullinger joins uBid from Yahoo!
Auctions where he served as vice president and general manager. At Yahoo!, Hullinger had complete P&L
responsibility for the company’s highly profitable Yahoo! Auctions and Yahoo!
Warehouse units. In addition, he
managed professionals in all aspects of the business, including marketing and
engineering, and oversaw the implementation of a number of successful customer
care technology solutions, which resulted in significant cost reductions as
well as improved service ratings.
Prior to Yahoo!, Hullinger was
senior vice president of sales and operations for Egghead.com, helping to
architect and implement Egghead’s transition from a “brick and mortar” retail
chain to an Internet-only business. He
was responsible for the operational design and implementation of Egghead.com’s
web operations, including its auction site, as well as customer service,
distribution and logistics, and sales initiatives.
Earlier career experience includes
three years at Aaron Brothers Art Marts, Inc., where Norman served as vice
president for retail operations, real estate and distribution. He is credited with being part of the
executive management team that successfully reengineered the formerly
unprofitable retail chain and subsequently sold it to Michaels Stores,
Inc. Hullinger holds a B.S. in business
administration from the University of Florida.
“I’m excited to be on board at
uBid,” said Hullinger. “uBid’s
operational and infrastructure assets give it a unique position relative to its
auction competitors, and as a result, the company has a tremendous opportunity
to significantly expand the scale and scope of its services. I look forward to putting my experience to
work and am confident I can have a strong, positive impact on uBid’s growing
customer and vendor base.”
uBid, a
majority-owned operating company of CMGI, Inc., is a leading retail auction and
e-commerce marketplace that offers consumers and businesses three ways to buy
and sell. The company’s Internet auctions feature a rotating selection of more
than 12,000 products daily in 16 different product categories, providing
consumers and small to mid-sized businesses with the opportunity to purchase a
wide range of brand name merchandise, often at greatly reduced prices, through
live-action bidding. Product categories include computers; computer peripherals; computer components;
home office; housewares; sports and hobbies; jewelry and gifts; accessories;
off-lease computers; consumer electronics; digital cameras and video; apparel
and linens; home improvement; travel and events; collectibles; and everything
else. In addition to uBid’s own auction listings or uBid
Direct, uBid features uBid Preferred Partner auctions in which consumers will
find products listed by uBid-approved businesses and backed by uBid or brand
warranties. Users can also buy or sell
products through uBid’s Consumer Exchange, in which consumers list their items
for auction with no listing fee.
With more
than 3 million registered users, uBid is committed to providing its customers
with the highest quality auction experience on the Internet and offers supplier
warranties on most consumer products. uBid also meets Better Business Bureau
Online standards, which gives customers the confidence and security to bid
safely online. For more information, visit the company’s Web site at www.ubid.com.
uBid and
uBid.com are trademarks of uBid, Inc.
All other products and services mentioned may be trademarks or service
marks of their respective owners.
CONTACT:
Denise Mancini
Manager, Public Relations
773-272-4562