DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–June 4, 2003–Axtive Corporation (OTC:AXTV) announced the first meeting of its new Board of Directors. The Board, formed concurrently with Axtive’s recent capital raise andacquisition of ThinkSpark, Inc., has been expanded to include seven members. In addition to two vacant positions, four new directors have been appointed: Ron Beneke, Paul L. Morris, Brad A. Thompsonand Alan W. Tompkins. Returning board member Graham C. Beachum was appointed Chairman.
Graham C. Beachum, 55, is the President and CEO of Axtive Corporation and has extensive experience in the technology industry with various management positions at IBM Corporation, Tandy Corporation, Dell Computer Corporation, Wang Microsystems, Northgate Computers and Digital Equipment Corporation. During the early to mid nineties, Mr. Beachum participated in numerous other successful computer and software businesses such as Interlink Electronics (Nasdaq:LINK) (past board member) and Insight Technology (Nasdaq:NSIT). Mr. Beachum is a past Chairman and current member of the Software and Information Industry Association’s (SIIA) Board of Directors. Mr. Beachum is also an active member of YPO/WPO.
Ron Beneke, 59, is currently President of Beneke Companies, Inc., of Dallas, which is the general partner of Beneke/Krieg Company, a national real estate partnership whose primary business is the acquisition of apartment projects financed with tax-exempt housing bonds. Mr. Beneke’s 27 years of experience in the real estate industry include ten years in legal practice. He spent six years as managing partner of a forty-lawyer firm of which he was a founding member. Mr. Beneke is a member of the Management Committee of Demand Aggregation Solutions, LLC and a member of the Board of Directors of NetLink Transaction Services, LLC.
Paul L. Morris, 61, is President and CEO of Wagner & Brown, Ltd., a large, closely-held independent oil and gas company headquartered in Midland, Texas. Prior to joining Wagner & Brown, Mr. Morris served as President of Banner Energy and in management positions with Columbia Gas System. Mr. Morris currently holds Board positions with the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University, Memorial Hospital and Medical Center (Midland) and the Petroleum Museum of Midland, where he is President. He is a Past President of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association and has served on the Boards of the Midland Chamber of Commerce and United Way.
Brad A. Thompson, 38, of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, is the Chief Investment Officer and Chief Financial Analyst of Global Capital Advisors, LLC, a fund management firm that is the exclusive advisor to a Bermuda exempt investment fund and a licensed SBIC. Mr. Thompson is the former President of Time Plus of Athens, Georgia, a payroll and accounting firm, and he was also previously the Chief Financial Officer of AAPG, Inc., a specialty retail sporting goods firm. Mr. Thompson began his career with SunTrust, and has also held financial consulting and financial analyst positions with Merrill Lynch and SAFECO Insurance Company of America.
Alan W. Tompkins, 42, is Vice President and General Counsel of Unity Hunt, Inc. in Dallas. He has extensive experience in the merchant banking business, where he worked primarily with companies in the manufacturing, distribution, financial and broadcast industries. Mr. Tompkins practiced law in Dallas for more than six years at firms including Weil Gotshal & Manges, with a focus on corporate merger and acquisition transactions, venture capital and private equity investments. Mr. Tompkins is a Certified Public Accountant and a former adjunct professor of business law at the Edwin L. Cox School of Business at SMU. He presently serves on the board of directors of the USA Film Festival and on the Judicial Nominating Commission for the City of Dallas.
About Axtive Corporation
Axtive acquires and operates technology products and service companies including IT professional services, business application software and managed hosting/application service providers targeting middle market companies. Axtive’s products and services are focused on enhancing the capabilities of customers’ business operating systems. Axtive’s acquisitions have included ThinkSpark, a professional services firm specializing in the installation and integration of technology solutions from Oracle Corporation; VirtuallyThere, a web services firm; UDT Consulting, a professional services firm specializing in the installation, integration and application of software solutions from IBM, Informix and Microsoft; The Visionary Group, a professional services firm specializing in the installation and integration of application software solutions from Oracle Corporation and Media Resolutions, an application and managed hosting services provider. More information about these Axtive businesses is available at www.axtive.com.
