BOSTON (April 7, 1999) — MacTemps, Inc., today unveiled the company’s new name - Aquent (pronounced ay-kwent) - and expanded its commitment to serve as agent and advocate for the growing independent workforce. As Aquent, the company has organized its core staffing divisions - MacTemps, WebStaff and Portfolio - under a flagship division called Aquent Partners.

“‘Independent Professionals’ represent 20 percent of today’s workforce or 25 million people, more than the number of union members in the U.S.,” said John Chuang, chief executive officer and co-founder of Aquent. “The free agent lifestyle provides flexibility, freedom and creativity often unavailable in a full-time position. As pioneers in the Independent Professional movement, Aquent is expanding our infrastructure to ensure the success and viability of this growing segment of the workforce.”

In addition to the new corporate name and staffing division, Aquent is introducing The Partner Program, an exclusive Aquent Partners’ service developed to provide select Independent Professionals with career and other support services not available through traditional staffing agencies. Aquent also launched two new Web sites - www.aquentmagazine.com, an online magazine, and www.AquentPartners.com/index.html - to serve Independent Professionals and the businesses that hire them.

“People who want flexibility and control over their work lives are building careers outside of corporations. This trend is sure to continue in today’s high velocity economy with business’ need for just-in-time skills,” said Jeffrey Bradach, an associate professor at Harvard Business School and a member of Aquent’s board of advisors. “Aquent is exactly the kind of new organization that must arise to meet the needs of Independent Professionals and enable them to develop and build successful careers.”

Under its new name, Aquent is continuing the pioneering tradition of its founding company, MacTemps, Inc. Established in 1986, MacTemps specialized in providing temporary staffing for Macintosh. Expanding the scope of the business, a division called Portfolio was added to provide creative talent to the communications and marketing community. MacTemps was also the first global company to provide comprehensive benefits packages to its talent and to dedicate a division - WebStaff - to placing Web professionals. Today, Aquent Partners continues within Aquent as a specialized talent agency providing both contract and permanent experts in the areas of Print Design and Creative, Print Production, Web and Technology.

Earlier this year, Aquent Partners became the primary source of Adobe InDesign contract professionals. The company will be among the first to train its professionals on Adobe InDesign software, a new state-of-the-art page layout and design product from Adobe Systems, Inc. The company also partners with the Association of Internet Professionals (AIP) for the first semi-annual Compensation and Benefits Report, a comprehensive survey of Internet employment in the United States.

Throughout 1999, Aquent will introduce customized programs for Independent Professionals and continue expansion into new industries and markets worldwide. As a result, the company projects that 1999 revenues will grow more than 30 percent.

The Partner Program for Exclusive Talent

Aquent Partners invites select professionals to join The Partner Program, who in turn work with Aquent exclusively to find assignments. For its Partners, Aquent provides:
• Dedicated agents to market their skills and support their careers. • A successive series of increasingly challenging opportunities. .• Immediate benefits, including fully paid health, dental, vision and disability insurance. .• Matching funds for training and 401(k), and holiday and vacation pay. .• A community of peers.

Through these dedicated offerings, Aquent Partners can attract and retain highly skilled professionals, thus providing client businesses with unparalleled expertise and available talent.
“The Partner Program ensures that our clients have access to an exclusive pool of exceptional talent,” said Nikki Granner, general manager of Aquent Partners and vice president of Aquent. “At the same time, Independent Professionals enjoy steady, challenging assignments in an entrepreneurial environment.”

The Aquent Name

Aquent worked with NameLab Inc., a San Francisco-based naming consultant, to devise a new name that reflects the company’s expanded mission.

“If ‘Aquent’ were a Greek or Latin word, it would suggest ‘not a follower’,” said Ira Bachrach, president of NameLab, Inc. “The word was coined to describe the rapidly emerging career path of Independent Professionals and a new employment relationship between corporations and highly-skilled individuals.”
Aquent Partners launched its business in 1986 under the name MacTemps, adding two divisions - Portfolio in 1995 and WebStaff in 1998 - to address the changing needs of creative, Web and technical professionals. Today, Aquent Partners continues as a specialized talent agency providing both contract and permanent experts in the areas of Print Design and Creative, Print Production, Web and Technology. Aquent Partners has placed more than 35,000 professionals in more than 30,000 client companies worldwide. With sales of more than $130 million (1998) and operations in 10 countries around the world, Aquent Partners has twice has been named to Inc.’s “500 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America” list. For more information, access www.AquentPartners.com.

Headquartered in Boston, Aquent is the world’s premier agent and advocate for the growing number of people who have chosen to become Independent Professionals. Aquent is built on the principle that it takes “4Cs” for Independent Professionals to prosper - Contacts, Capital, Capabilities and Community. To view Aquent’s online magazine dedicated to the Independent Professional and the companies that help them succeed, access www.aquent.com