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SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 9, 2000--Online Partners Inc.,
the parent company of Gay.com, today announced the appointment of David
Bohnett, founder of GeoCities and Baroda Ventures, as Chairman of the
Board.
The company also appointed Jerry Colonna, co-founder and general
partner of Flatiron Partners; Ellen Taus, chief financial officer of Times
Company Digital; and Darren Latoski, co-founder and managing partner,
Macluan Digital Partners to the Board of Directors.
Bohnett has served on the board of Online Partners for the past year
prior to his recent appointment as Chairman. Bohnett's revolutionary
concept of online communities resulted in GeoCities: a successful Internet
business driven by advertising, sponsorships and electronic commerce acquired by
Yahoo for over $4 billion in 1999. Named one of Time Digital's Top 50
Cyber Elite and the 1999 Entrepreneur of the Year for Southern California,
Bohnett remains a key player in Internet business and commerce through with his
investment firm, Baroda Ventures. In addition to Online Partners Inc.,
Bohnett currently sits on the boards of directors of Stamps.com in Santa
Monica, CA, NetZero, Inc., in Westlake Village, CA, NCR Corporation, in
Dayton, OH, and X:Drive in Santa Monica, CA.
"Gay.com's diverse business model, established on the strength of
community interaction, is generating rapidly increasing revenue streams
from a variety of sources," said Bohnett. "I'm looking forward to working even
more closely with the talented team that is building Gay.com into the
dominant company in the category."
Jerry Colonna is managing partner of Flatiron Partners, a firm he
co-founded in 1996. Colonna joined his first venture firm, CMG@Ventures
L.P. ("@Ventures"), in 1995 as a founding partner. Prior to joining @Ventures,
he worked for nearly ten years for CMP Media Inc., one of the largest and
fastest growing technology publishing firms in the country. Colonna
currently serves on the boards of directors of Mainspring Communications
Inc., TheStreet.Com, Urban Box Office Inc., iXL Inc. and The Industry
Standard. He is also Chairman of Heaven Inc., a non-profit organization
providing new media job opportunities for inner-city youth.
Ellen Taus brings more than seventeen years of corporate development,
financial infrastructure and strategic acquisition experience to Online
Partners. Since 1997, Taus has served as treasurer of The New York Times
Company, and was named vice president in 1998. Prior to that, Taus was
vice president of corporate finance for Macy's. She also held similar positions
with the American Museum of the Moving Image and TW Services.
Darren Latoski is managing partner Macluan Digital, the digital media
and technology investment arm of Macluan Capital Corporation, a private
equity investment firm. Latoski also serves as vice president of Macluan
Capital Corporation. Prior to joining Macluan in 1997, Latoski served as a
strategic investment advisor for high-net-worth individuals.
"We are inspired by the expertise, commitment and business savvy of
our new Board," said Lowell Selvin, Online Partners' CEO. "As we leverage our
expansive distribution channel and growing global member base, we will be
looking to our Board to provide us with sound, experienced advice, counsel
and oversite. Our Board's knowledge of and expertise in building economic
value and executing business strategies will help drive Gay.com's global
expansion."
Bohnett succeeds former chairman, Bill Jesse, founder of
Jesse.Hansen&Co., who stepped down after serving as chair in 1999. Jesse
will remain an active member of the Online Partners Board.
Lowell Selvin, Online Partners CEO, and Mark Elderkin, Online
Partners president and COO, also serve on the Board. The Online Partners Advisory
Board includes Pat Kenealy, managing partner IDG Ventures; Jonathan G.
Morgan, managing director and co-head of the Prudential Volpe Internet
Group; Susan F. Sachs, principle and founder of Internet Holdings; and
RobinWolaner, executive vice president of CNET Online.
About Online Partners and Gay.com:
Online Partners, www.onlinepartners.com, is an affinity marketing company that leverages the distribution power and global reach of the Internet to provide products and services to over 2 million gay and lesbian consumers each month. The company's Internet portal www.gay.com, is the largest and most extensive online network targeted to the lesbian and gay community. Interactive services include free ISP, news, search, shopping, chat, message boards, email, radio, matchmaking and twelve original
content channels. Customized ecommerce and direct marketing programs target the
entertainment, finance, healthcare, pharmacy, telecommunications and
travel industries. Gay.com syndicates content and services to over 2,500
affiliates and has established distribution and advertising partnerships with New
York Times (NYSE:NYT) and Times Company Digital, Yahoo! (Nasdaq:YHOO),
LookSmart (Nasdaq:LOOK), CMGI (Nasdaq:CMGI) and AskJeeves (Nasdaq:ASKJ). Investors
include Chase Capital Partners, Flatiron Partners and IDG Ventures. Online
Partners is based in San Francisco, with offices in New York and Los
Angeles.
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