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Businessman Uses Windows-Based, SQL Server Solution to Offer Services Other Distributors Can't

YARDLEY, PA, July 20, 2005 - Dwight Weatherhead, owner of Bosworth Industrial Supply, can run circles around many of his competitors. When a customer calls with a question about whether Bosworth can perform a specific service or offer products outside of its normal line, Weatherhead can answer right away - while representatives from larger, national chains must wade through multiple levels of management before offering a response.

And now, Prophet 21 CommerceCenter offers Weatherhead even more flexibility. Prophet 21 CommerceCenter, the leading enterprise software solution for distributors, combines the power of SQL Server and the familiarity of Windows in a solution designed especially for distributors.

Case in point: A contractor recently called to ask if Weatherhead could manage tool boxes at a job site near his company's Cleveland, OH warehouse. "He needed something up and running in a week," Weatherhead said. "We were able to set it up in a few hours with CommerceCenter, even though we had never done it before."

When Weatherhead was filling the toolboxes a few days later, his big-box competitors were still putting together proposals and drawing models for performing the process. He expects to make at least $15,000 per year on the new account, and knows that the service will help him attract new business. "We can be quicker and more creative," he contends. "That's the niche we've carved for ourselves."

"Prophet 21 solutions give customers the tools they need to outmaneuver the large-scale, national competitors," said Chuck Boyle, Prophet 21 president and CEO. "We're pleased that businessmen like Dwight have leveraged these tools to increase sales and improve service."

Redirecting Resources

Balancing books doesn't add dollars to Bosworth's bottom line, Weatherhead charges. "Administration costs are all overhead," he said. "We have to focus on redirecting resources to sales and marketing."

CommerceCenter, a Windows-based, SQL Server solution, has helped him do this. Because the solution automates many of Bosworth's accounting, purchasing, and other front- and back-office tasks, employees can focus on mining for new business leads, creating marketing tools, and telemarketing.

"CommerceCenter has freed up everyone's time, and now we can focus on generating sales instead of administrative tasks," said Weatherhead. As a result, sales jumped about 12 percent within a year of go-live, without adding additional resources. "We're more efficient across the board," said Weatherhead.

Before and After

One of the key factors in Weatherhead's decision to move to CommerceCenter was because the hardware for his UNIX-based solution was completely obsolete. "We couldn't get maintenance contracts on our hardware," he said. "And when we needed more disk space, we had to go to the equivalent of a garage sale to find it."

Plus, moving to a solution that uses easily available, affordable PCs and servers just made sense, Weatherhead said. And, office-wide Internet access has improved employee productivity. "If a customer has a question about an item, we can get an answer right away," he said. "We're not flipping through catalogs anymore."

Weatherhead said that he would "absolutely" recommend CommerceCenter to another distributor. "We've seen improvements throughout our business," he said. "It's really made a positive difference in how we operate."

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