Chek.com Passes Two Million Mark in Registered E-Mail Users

Major E-mail Service Company Doubles User Base in Less Than Four Months; Also Doubles in Employees, Adds Additional Client Services

BUFFALO, N.Y., March 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Ranked as one of the top five e-mail companies in the world, Buffalo-based Chek.com ( www.chek.com ) today announced it had passed the two million mark in registered e-mail users less than 4 months after it had passed the one million user milestone.

Chek.com has also grown from 30 employees to over 70 in the same period, and expects to employ 120 people by the end of 2000. It is recognized as one of the fastest-growing e-mail companies in the industry, a fact the company claims is due to its revolutionary approach to e-mail.

"Chek.com has always seen e-mail as a strategic asset to companies, not simply a tool," said George Chamoun, Chief Executive Officer of Chek.com. "Since our founding in January 1998, we've re-defined the e-mail category by offering valuable affinity e-mail programs, reliable and cost-efficient proprietary e-mail service to small business, and superior technology."

In 1999, the industry trade publication Business 2.0 featured Chek prominently in a feature article involving e-mail, and ranked the company as one of the top five branded e-mail companies in the field. That same year, Mr. Chamoun, along with Chek Chairman Sean Hus Var and Chief Operating Officer Darren Ascone, were also honored as winners of the prestigious Upstate New York Ernst & Young - Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.

"In a short time, Chek has proven that we can emerge in the fastest and most competitive industry in the world," Mr. Chamoun said.

Chek.com employs the latest advancements to keep user e-mail service smooth and efficient for its customers. The company contributed to the development and improvement of a new scripting language called PHP3; by using PHP3 in its system, Chek.com produces an e-mail network response five times faster than competitors who use the industry-standard Perl/CGI language. Chek.com also hosts its e-mail accounts on a state-of-the-art communications center containing high-end mail, database, and Web servers all connected to the Internet on redundant OC-3 and T-3 lines.

Chek.com has created one of the largest affinity e-mail programs in the high-tech field. It currently has more than 230 prominent brand and media partners, including Anheuser-Busch's Budweiser Beer; the Professional Golfer's Association; Major League Baseball's Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals; the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres; Weider Publication's Muscle and Fitness Magazine; Peterson Publishing's Motor Trend Magazine; Regal Cinemas; Rodale Press; and Granite Broadcasting.

Under Chek's affinity program, users can sign up for a personalized e-mail address which also uses the affinity partner's promotional name. The user then visits the partner's Web site and enters his or her identification and password before being allowed to send and receive e-mail.