Contact:

Jennifer Schwegman, KC Associates

651.247.6640

jennifer@kc-associates.com

Minneapolis, Minn., Jan 19, 2005—KC Associates (KCA)—the only marketing consulting and communications firm in Minnesota focused exclusively on business-to-business information technology (IT) products and services—announced today that Becky (Gehrts) Gauerke has joined the group as a marketing vice president. She will be responsible for helping clients drive revenues with integrated public relations and marketing programs, and for helping shape the group’s business development efforts.

Gauerke has nearly 15 years’ experience in the technology industry. For the past nine years, she was marketing director for BORN, a national IT consulting firm headquartered in Minneapolis, where she was responsible for overseeing a staff of 10 that handled marketing, public relations, and advertising as well as corporate and internal communications programs. During her tenure at BORN, the company grew from under 200 to more than 1,200 consultants. As a member of the firm’s senior management team, Gauerke played a key role in developing the company’s brand. Previously, she was a senior account executive at the Minneapolis-based PR agency Tunheim Partners (formerly Tunheim Santrizos), where she developed and executed marketing communications, media relations, and internal communications programs for clients to help the firm become the third largest in the region.

“I hired KCA several years ago to help with lead generation and media relations programs for BORN,” said Gauerke. “I was very impressed with their results and amazed at the value; we were used to paying so much more with other agencies. When it came time to leave BORN, I looked at several technology companies as well as traditional agencies, but ultimately joined KCA because of unique attributes—its focus on IT and its consultative approach. These allow me to stay in the industry I love and to leverage both my client-management experience and my expertise in marketing and PR.”

KCA Principal Kirsten Chapman commented, “Becky is an incredible asset for our clients. She knows first-hand the business, marketing, and public-relations issues related to building an IT products and services company. And she genuinely understands how to integrate PR and marketing programs to get results. That’s exactly what our clients need.”

About KC Associates

For more than 15 years, KC Associates has provided marketing consulting and communications services for information technology companies. Unlike traditional firms and agencies, KC Associates is a virtual organization comprised of seasoned information technology-specific marketing professionals, each with 10 or more years’ experience in the IT industry. KC Associates’ services span the entire market development spectrum–from least-cost go-to-market planning and product marketing consulting to reasonably priced marketing communications, PR and event management.

Clients have ranged from two-person service organizations, to mid-sized software firms such as International Decision Systems and ShowCase Corporation, to multibillion-dollar companies, including Deluxe Corporation and Lucent Technologies. For more information about KC Associates, visit www.kc-associates.com.