Gelco Alliance Program Targets Travel Industry

Press Release
May 1, 2001
MINNEAPOLIS -- Gelco Information Network, the largest and most experienced provider of e-business expense management and reimbursement programs, today announces an alliance program designed to help travel management companies offer their clients competitive expense reporting.

Under the alliance, Gelco can deliver a complete co-branded travel expense reporting and reimbursement solution using Gelco's ExpenseLink/Direct®, a user-friendly web-based application with automatic reimbursement designed for enterprises migrating toward using the Internet to manage their business. Users create expense reports online submitting them securely via the Internet.

ExpenseAlliance is a program designed to create a unique service offering for the travel management industry and their corporate travel clients. Formed to assist travel management companies in implementing the solutions that best fit their clients' unique e-business needs, the Gelco ExpenseAlliance will deliver an end to end program to accelerate the creation and deployment of cost effective, complete e-business T&E solutions. The program provides the travel industry with an enterprise-class value added hosted solution at a fraction of the cost of closed, proprietary alternatives. In addition, travel firms gain the competitive advantage of Gelco's support to help win new customers, as well as, retain and extend customer relationships.

Gelco's ExpenseAlliance program is the premier service for travel management companies to offer competitive expense reporting through a hosted portal by Gelco, the largest and most trusted name in travel and expense management services. It is the first cost effective strategic alliance solution that may be implemented by any size travel firm focused on corporate travel services. Gelco offers a suite of support packages for the travel management company end users. Gelco's team approach and co-branded customization will allow each travel management company to tailor a unique service appropriate for their marketplace. Each support package provides Gelco's proven expertise, assurance and reliability that businesses require for outsourced solutions.

Gelco is addressing the growing demand for affordable alternatives in outsourced solutions.

The uncertain economic outlook makes Gelco's union relevant as companies are looking for cost-effective means of selecting and deploying e-commerce solutions. Alliances like this make sense when companies want to enhance their services but don't have the budget required for programming, deployment, and other expenses. Enlisting the advice of technology experts helps travel firms cope with the challenges of the e-business era, which is influenced as much by political, educational and training concerns as it is by technical and financial issues.

``In designing ExpenseAlliance, we listened to feedback from the travel industry and their clients to deliver an end to end solution that provides travel professionals with the necessary tools to solidify their client relationships,'' said Jon Fredrickson, vice president business development at Gelco. ``We believe that our alliance program not only delivers what customers have requested, its features herald a new generation of technical sophistication that sets an industry standard in the travel expense management game. We are committed to providing superior levels of service and support that will enable more businesses of any size and complexity to reap the benefits of Gelco's e-business technology expertise.''

More information on ExpenseAlliance may be found at www.gelco.com.

About Gelco

Minneapolis based Gelco Information Network is a wholly owned subsidiary of HG Holdings, a multinational interest specializing in e-business products and services for mobile employees. Gelco has been providing travel expense management software and services for more than 35 years. As a whole, the company processed over $11 billion in reimbursements in 2000. The Expense Management Group serves over 1.9 million users in over 1,200 corporations and federal agencies, including Ericsson, Boeing, The Toro Company, American Home Products, EMC, Gartner Group, Reebok International, Ltd., and the United States Government (including Department of Defense, State Department and NASA).

Leveraging an e-business infrastructure through technology from Sun Microsystems, Cisco, Oracle, EMC and Microsoft, Gelco is the only company that provides its customers with complete expense and trade fund management solutions. Additionally, through its partnerships and private-label relationships, Gelco provides this e-business technology and infrastructure to application service providers and other providers of travel management services. Visit the Gelco web site at www.gelco.com or call 1-800-444-6588.

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Contact: 
     Gelco Information Network
     Linda Orwoll, 952/947-8375
     linda_orwoll@gelco.com
        or
     AB/usa
     Katherine Roepke, 952/930-0347
     ksroepke@abagency.com