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FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE: November 3, 2006
Diamond
Castle Holdings to Acquire PRC from IAC/InterActiveCorp
NEW YORK -
November 3, 2006 - IAC/InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ: IACI) and Diamond
Castle Holdings, LLC, a New York-based private equity firm, announced
today that an agreement has been reached for an entity owned by
Diamond Castle and PRC management to acquire PRC, LLC, a leader
in customer relationship management services. Terms of the transaction
were not disclosed.
PRC provides
the strategic execution of sales and customer management services
to many of the world's premier brand-focused corporations through
a global network of 32 contact centers, supporting clients through
the processes of targeting, acquiring, growing, and retaining customers.
Under the new ownership structure, PRC's management team will remain
in place following the transaction, with John G. Hall continuing
in his role as Chief Executive Officer. Joseph Livingston, PRC's
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, will serve
as President and Chief Operating Officer of PRC upon completion
of the transaction. Lori Sprague will continue to report to Mr.
Hall as the Executive Vice President of PRC's Business-to-Business
division.
"With the support
of IAC, the strength of our client relationships and the dedication
of our employees, PRC has grown approximately 40% faster than our
industry over the past two years," said Mr. Hall. "Our management
team is extremely pleased with the opportunity to continue to deliver
a positive return on our clients' investment in their customers,
in partnership with Diamond Castle. Diamond Castle is very well
positioned to support our growth, with significant access to capital,
transaction expertise and experienced principals."
Mr. Livingston
added, "In the past 18 months, we've opened 6 new domestic centers
to complement our expanded operations offshore. I am confident in
PRC's ability to accelerate the momentum of our impressive growth
under our new owners as we expand and grow our client relationships."
"The sale of
PRC to Diamond Castle better positions PRC for continued success,
providing a strong foundation for future growth," said Doug Lebda,
President and Chief Operating Officer of IAC.
PRC is a market
leader in managing and building customer relationships and is well
positioned to benefit from the attractive fundamentals in the outsourced
customer care and sales and marketing sectors of the business process
outsourcing (BPO) industry.
"Having been
a major customer of outsourced services at both Bank of America
and AT&T, I believe PRC is particularly attuned to its clients'
needs," said Gene Lockhart, Partner, Diamond Castle Holdings. Mr.
Lockhart was previously CEO of MasterCard, President of the Global
Retail Bank at Bank of America, and President of Consumer Services
at AT&T. "PRC has an exceptionally strong and experienced management
team that has developed long-standing relationships with an impressive
group of blue-chip clients. We are extremely confident in management's
ability to continue to grow the business," Mr. Lockhart added.
IAC was advised
on the transaction by Lehman Brothers. The transaction, which is
subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close during
the fourth quarter of 2006.
About Diamond
Castle Holdings, LLC
Diamond Castle
Holdings, LLC is a private equity investment firm founded in 2004
by Larry Schloss, the former Global Head of CSFB Private Equity
and Chairman of DLJ Merchant Banking Partners, and four former managing
directors of DLJ Merchant Banking. Diamond Castle has 22 employees
located in New York and focuses on investments in the power, financial
services, media and telecom, healthcare, and industrial sectors.
For more information on Diamond Castle Holdings, please visit our
website at http://www.dchold.com.
About IAC/InterActiveCorp
IAC operates
leading and diversified businesses in sectors being transformed
by the internet, online and offline... our mission is to harness
the power of interactivity to make daily life easier and more productive
for people all over the world. To view a full list of the companies
of IAC please visit our website at http://iac.com.
About PRC
PRC manages
customer relationships for some of the world's most brand focused
corporations. With over 20 years of experience, PRC delivers solutions
that support communications to target, acquire, grow, retain and
develop customer relationships that deliver a positive return on
their clients' investment. The Company is organized into two groups:
the Business-to-Consumer solutions team is focused directly on consumers
and the Business-to-Business solutions team is focused directly
on enhancing sales and marketing efforts. PRC clients include British
Airways, DIRECTV, US Airways, Wells Fargo, The New York Times, and
Sprint together with Nextel. For more information please visit our
website at http://www.prcnet.com.
Contacts
IAC Investor
Relations:
James Hart / Eoin Ryan
(212) 314-7400
IAC Corporate
Communications:
Andrea Riggs / Stacy Simpson
(212) 314-7280/ 7470
Diamond Castle
Holdings:
Andrew Rush
(212) 300-1910
PRC:
Alicia Miyares
(954) 693-4461
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