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MINNEAPOLIS, MN, October 24, 2002 - Open-c Solutions, a premier provider of customer-centric billing and customer care solutions to the utility and energy industry, today announced it has appointed Douglas S. Thompson as chairman and CEO.

Thompson replaced interim president, Lanse Leach, who has returned to Open-c Solution's parent company, NWP Services Corporation, in his prior position as senior vice president and chief information officer.

"The utility customer information system market will be a multi-billion dollar opportunity in the next several years," said Randy Lintecum, chairman and CEO of NWP Services Corporation. "Doug's experience, leadership and strategic expertise will be invaluable as Open-c continues to aggressively target this growth market."

Prior to joining Open-c, Thompson served as CEO and president of Avolent Inc., a leading provider of enterprise software solutions for electronic bill presentment and payment, electronic invoice presentment and payment, and interactive customer care.

During his 23-year technology focused career, Thompson has held a variety of executive management positions in sales, customer operations, service delivery and general management with major industry leaders. He served in 5 vice president level jobs with Xerox, as senior vice president of International Billing Services, and division president at DST Output Technology Solutions. Over the last 4 years, Thompson has also raised more than $90 million in private capital.

"Amidst incredible cost pressures, declining revenues, deregulation and increased merger and acquisition activity, utility companies are struggling to remain competitive and stay close to their customers," Thompson said. "It's an exciting time to be leading Open-c. Our Open-cIS offering provides utility companies with a billing and customer service capability which is designed from the ground up to enable the very kinds of changes the industry is going through.

About Open-c Solutions and NWP Services Corp.
Headquartered in Santa Ana, Calif., NWP Services Corporation is the privately held parent company of Open-c Solutions and National Water & Power. Open-c Solutions delivers billing and customer care services that enable utility companies to outsource their billing and customer care requirements to increase profitability and build enhanced customer relationships. National Water & Power is the fastest-growing national provider of billing and customer care services for the multi-family real estate market. As a combined company, NWP Services Corporation provides the regulatory expertise, technology infrastructure and high quality services that property owners and utility companies need to preserve resources and thrive in a complex deregulated environment.

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