Cardwell's 2006 User Roundtable

— The Cardwell Group’s 2006 Users Roundtable attendance increased by 167 percent from last year’s event, illustrating the growing popularity of its Connections Online solution. —

Westlake, OHIO — August 7, 2006 —Cardwell; a strategy execution consultancy and developer of the web-based management automation tool, Connections Online; announces that the attendance at its 2006 Users Roundtable, held at the Monte Carlo Resort & Spa in Las Vegas, Nev., June 20-22, increased by approximately 167 percent (26 organizations, 53 attendees). This year’s annual users conference had a dozen presentations from users of Cardwell Group’s web-based management automation tool, Connections Online — which has its 4.0 version launching later this year. This year’s attendance numbers are a result of Connections Online’s increased usage at more credit union clients and other large-scale organizations.

“Our conference’s growth this year was nothing short of phenomenal,” states Jim Cardwell, chairman and CEO of the Cardwell. “Everybody participated in an informative forum illustrating how users have utilized Connections Online this past year. It was very educational for our clients – especially with the increased interactivity. I firmly believe attendees will all be able to return to their organizations and maximize the potential of Connections Online through our many discussions over the last few days.”

Conference attendees represented a variety of roles within their organizations, including CEOs, COOs, Operations, Information Technology, Human Resources, Training, Marketing, and designated Connections Online Coordinators. The Roundtable allowed for a variety of perspectives, which resulted in numerous lively discussions and a constant exchange of ideas.

Some of the presentation topics included:

• Running a Virtual Team with Connections Online; Jay Murray, COO, Mid-Atlantic Corporate Federal Credit Union
• Population of Connections Online with the 2006 Strategic Work Plan; Alan Williford, Sr. Power Supply Engineer, Alabama Municipal Electric Authority
• Creating & Developing an Organizational Culture and Resistance to Change; Amir Kahn, Manager of Organizational Development, San Francisco Fire Credit Union
• Processes that Ensure Success in Project Management and Connections Online; Jo Dee Martinez, Sr. Manager of Strategic Projects, Sandia Laboratory Federal Credit Union
• Connections Online 4.0 Functionality and Demonstration; Bryan Siders, Sypher Technology

In addition, show attendees were able to preview Connections Online 4.0, the new .NET version of Cardwell’s executive management tool that has greatly increased its features and functionality. Some of those features include custom reporting services, single sign-on, enhanced project management, data integration for improved dashboard functionality, notification services (email, PDAs), enhanced security measures, data transformation services, and native web services. Connections Online 4.0’s beta version is due out September 2006.

“We are doing something that is unprecedented in the software industry,” adds Cardwell. “We are giving the new release to all of our existing clients for free because we truly value our user community.”

As a result of Cardwell’s success through Connections Online in the last couple of years, the company has been able to gain a few impressive, large out-of-industry clients such as Shell Oil, Alabama Municipal Electric Authority, and Key Bank.

“We look forward to our conference every year because it’s extremely educational talking face-to-face with our clients and discovering all the innovative things they’re doing with Connections Online,” says Norwood. “It’s also enlightening to participate in the discussions that are sparked from the presentations. Issues and innovations really come to the forefront because of this interactivity. I’m already looking forward to 2007’s conference.”

About The Cardwell Group and Connections Online

Based in Westlake, Ohio, Cardwell is a software development and management-consulting firm that helps clients succeed by improving organization-wide alignment and cross-functional collaboration. Jim Cardwell and Karla Norwood, the firm's current CEO and President, founded Cardwell in 1983 as a leadership development and management process consulting firm.

In response to strong client demand, Cardwell set out in the mid 1990s to transfer its extensive knowledge in these fields into a stand-alone software product. In 1998, the company launched Connections Online™, one of the first organization-wide software solutions designed to address executives' challenges to leading companies towards their strategic goals.

Currently installed in more than 70 organizations across various industries, Connections Online consistently improves profitability and leadership effectiveness. Connections Online users report projects being completed 30 percent faster with a 31 percent improvement in the quality of project results, according to a recent Cardwell survey.

For more information about Connections Online, call (800) 395-1410 or visit www.connectionsonline.net.