Portland’s Academic Network Gains National Recognition as one of the Top 10 Small Businesses in Oregon

Portland, OR (January 30, 2008) — In recognition of the economic power of small, woman-owned and multicultural businesses, DiversityBusiness.com, the nation’s leading multicultural internet site, has named Academic Network LLC, a unique health education and communications agency, as one of the “top 10 small businesses in Oregon” (Div100). Academic Network also ranked 5th on the list of Top 100 woman-owned businesses, and 8th among top 100 diversity-owned businesses in Oregon.

The Div100 is the 8th annual listing of Oregon’s top 100 diversity-owned businesses. The companies listed on the Div100 represent Oregon’s top multicultural earners and challenge the long-held notion that a diversity-owned business is small or insignificant. Div100 members are sought after by major corporations wishing to increase spending with diversity owned companies.

“Diversity businesses and consumers are a growing force in the U.S. economy, and a force to be reckoned with,” said Kenton Clarke, CEO of Computer Consulting Associates International, the company that built DiversityBusiness.com. “This is a whole business segment that can carry its own, that provides jobs, products and services, and generates wealth for their communities. These are the new leaders in American business.”

Affected by recent economic and demographic trends and changes, Fortune 1000 corporations throughout the country have recognized that buying products and services from diversity owned companies positively impacts their business. Diversity-owned businesses contribute over $1.4 trillion in sales to the U.S. economy.

Woman-owned and founded and directed entirely by doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, Academic Network speaks with authority on health and medical issues. At the helm of Academic Network, husband and wife team Kathleen McCarron and David McCarron, M.D., FACP take their medical knowledge and customer care operation experience to clients who have a health, medical or nutrition-related message. They apply their medical research experience to effectively convey the messaging for their clients.

“We have been honored by these awards for the past several years and we are delighted to have made it into the top 10 lists here in Oregon. We believe that our experience with swiftly ramping up the contact center including calls, online, message boards and other communications elements with healthcare professionals for new over the counter products like GSK’s alli™, the only FDA approved, over-the-counter weight loss product, and our knowledge of how the Internet has driven new trends in communications strategies for our clients has enabled us to continue to grow our business,” says the company’s co-founder, Kathleen A. McCarron, a 22-year veteran of customer care operations with a background in healthcare management and telecommunications.

Expanding partnerships with GlaxoSmithKline, Ethicon Endo-surgery, a Johnson & Johnson company, the National Toy Association, Fleishman-Hillard, Boston Scientific, ConAgra, Campbell Soup Company, and Shaping America’s Youth have accelerated the growth of Academic Network. Business growth recently prompted a 300% increase in call center capacity. “Portland’s diverse healthcare workforce has made our accelerated growth possible”, McCarron stated.

Academic Network provides what some clients are calling an outsourced consumer affairs department addressing element like consumer queries and fulfillment, patient recruitment, program development, management of governmental and health professional relations. In addition, healthcare communication solutions via the Academic Network call center and web-based solutions for pharmaceutical companies, food and beverage companies, and medical centers are key outsourced client services. The firm’s health education consulting team mans a live, toll-free call center for consumer queries, helps with patient recruitment, program development and the management of governmental and health professional relations. Academic Network is also in the business of developing non-branded educational websites for their clients seeking to provide online resource centers on specific health and medical issues.

“The Fleishman-Hillard Clinical Trials Division and Academic Network enjoy a long-standing partnership that focuses on the development and implementation of strategic clinical trial recruitment programs. Academic Network provides compliant patient confidentiality processes, database management, trained healthcare operators, senior-level project management and strategic counsel from start to finish. Academic Network’s team is consistently responsive, results-oriented, and resourceful,” said Mindy Warner, Senior Vice President and Partner.

Academic Network and its founders the McCarrons have been instrumental in such projects as the “Milk Mustache” campaign, and most recently, GlaxoSmithKline’s launch of alli™, the only FDA approved, over-the-counter weight loss product, and nationally recognized Shaping America’s Youth, a public / private initiative focused on addressing the public health crisis of childhood obesity.

The Div100 is a classification that represents the top 100 diversity-owned (Women, African American, Hispanics, Asians, Native Indian and other minority groups) businesses in the state of Oregon in sectors such as technology, manufacturing, food service and professional services. Large organizational buyers throughout the country that do business with multicultural and women-owned businesses use the list. The Div100 is produced annually by DiversityBusiness.com, the nation’s leading multicultural B2B Internet portal that links large organizational buyers to multicultural product and service suppliers.

Academic Network will be honored at a special awards ceremony at DiversityBusiness.com’s “8th Annual Multicultural Business Conference”, taking place April 23 - 25, 2008 at Disney’s BoardWalk Resort in Orlando, Florida.

For more information, visit www.academicnetwork.com.

About Academic Network, LLC:
Academic Network, LLC is a leading medical and health communications company conceived by academic professionals to serve as a singular source for communicating health-related issues to consumers and health professionals. Academic Network works with leading pharmaceutical companies, healthcare organizations and food/beverage companies in developing effective communications strategies through consulting, telecommunications internet and other public media sources. The firm offers the combined technological and medical expertise necessary to meet the demands and expectations of today’s health-focused public.

About DiversityBusiness.com:
Launched in 1999, with over 35,000 members DiversityBusiness.com is the largest organization of diversity-owned businesses throughout the United States that provide goods and services to Fortune 1000 companies, government agencies and colleges and universities. Members use the sites technology to find and track new business opportunities. It also produces the country’s largest conference on diversity education and training for major corporations and small business. Its research on top businesses appears in Fortune, Forbes, Business Week and numerous magazines and media publications. The site has gained national recognition and has won numerous awards for its content and design. DiversityBusiness.com is produced by Computer Consulting Associates International Inc. (CCAii.com) of Southport, CT. CCA was founded in 1980 by CEO Kenton Clarke.

Academic Network, LLC Ranks No. 3,216 on the 2007 Inc. 5,000, No. 58 in the Portland Metro Region with Three-Year Sales Growth of 97.2%

Portland, OR, September 5, 2007 - Inc. magazine has ranked Academic Network, a medical and health communications firm, No. 3,216 on its first-ever Inc. 5,000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the country. The Inc. 5,000, an extension of Inc. magazine’s annual Inc. 500 list, catches many businesses that are too big to grow at the pace required to make the Inc. 500, as well as a host of smaller firms. Taken as a whole, these companies represent the backbone of the U.S. economy. Academic Network placed No. 58 in growth for the Portland Metro Region.

“The Inc. 5,000 provides the most comprehensive look ever at the most important part of the economy- the entrepreneurial part,” said Inc. 5,000 Project Manager Jim Melloan. “The expansion of the list has allowed us to tell the stories of larger companies, older companies, and a wealth of companies in industries like Manufacturing and Construction that are underreported in the business media.

“Academic Network is pleased with this national recognition. Now more than ever, consumerinformation on healthcare issues and products is vital,” says the company’s co-founder, Kathleen A. McCarron, a 22 year veteran of healthcare management and telecommunications.

Expanding partnerships with GlaxoSmithKline, Fleishman-Hillard, Boston Scientific, Campbell Soup Company, and Shaping America’s Youth have accelerated the growth of Academic Network. Inc. magazine editors specifically noted the recent recognition of Academic Network as one of the top 50 diversity-owned businesses in Oregon. Business growth recently prompted a 300% increase in call center capacity. “Portland’s diverse healthcare workforce has made our accelerated growth possible, ” McCarron stated.

Academic Network provides health care communication solutions via its call center and web-based services for pharmaceutical companies, food and beverage companies, and medical centers. The firm’s health education consulting team mans a live, toll-free call center for consumer queries, helps with patient recruitment, program development and the management of governmental and health professional relations. Academic Network is also in the business of developing non-branded websites for their clients seeking
to provide online resource centers on specific health and medical issues.

“The Fleishman-Hillard Clinical Trials Division and Academic Network enjoy a long-standing partnership that focuses on the development and implementation of strategic clinical trial recruitment programs. Academic Network provides compliant patient confidentiality processes, database management, trained healthcare operators, senior-level project management and strategic counsel from start to finish. Academic Network’s team is consistently responsive, results-oriented, and resourceful,” said Mindy Warner, Senior Vice President and Partner.

Founded and directed entirely by doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, Academic Network speaks with authority on health and medical issues. At the helm of Academic Network, husband and wife team Kathleen McCarron and David McCarron, M.D., FACP, apply their medical research experience to effectively convey the messaging for their clients.

Academic Network and its founders the McCarrons have been instrumental in such projects, in past, as the “Milk Mustache” campaign, and most recently, GlaxoSmithKline’s launch of the product, alli™ Weight Loss Aid, and nationally recognized Shaping America’s Youth, a public / private initiative focused on addressing the public health crisis of childhood obesity.

The 2007 Inc. 5,000, as revealed online at www.inc.com, reported median revenue of $9.4 million and median three-year growth of 140 percent. Complete information on this year’s Inc. 5,000, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. The list features a profile for each company, almost all of them written as a result of Inc. interviews with management. In addition, the list is searchable according to numerous criteria, including industry, city, state, region, and year founded.

Hottest Industries for Fastest-Growing Businesses
The largest business category is Construction, with 561 of the fastest-growing companies in this category, followed by Manufacturing with 515 companies, IT services in third with 466 companies, Business Services with 377 companies and Advertising & Marketing with 349 companies round out the top five industries ranked on the 2007 Inc. 5,000.

Industries reporting the highest total revenue in 2006 are Construction ($27.1billion), Manufacturing ($18.6 billion), Health ($13.1 billion), Computers & Electronics ($12.7 billion), and Financial Services ($11.8 billion).

Methodology
The 2007 Inc. 5000 list measures revenue growth from 2003 through 2006. To qualify, companies had to be U.S.-based and privately held, independent - not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies - as of December 31, 2006, and have had at least $200,000 in revenue in 2003, and $2 million in 2006.

Companies can apply for next year’s Inc. 500 and Inc. 5,000 by registering with IncBizNet, the new social network for private companies that will launch this fall on Inc.com.

About Inc.com:
Inc.com, the Daily Resource for Entrepreneurs, delivers advice, tools, breaking news, and rich multi-media to help business owners and CEOs start, run, and grow their businesses more successfully. Information and advice covering virtually every business and management task, including marketing, sales, finding capital, managing people can be found at http://www.inc.com.

About Academic Network, LLC:
Academic Network, LLC is a leading medical and health communications company conceived by academic professionals to serve as a singular source for communicating health-related issues to consumers and health professionals. Academic Network works with leading pharmaceutical companies, healthcare organizations and food/beverage companies in developing effective communications strategies through consulting, telecommunications internet and other public media sources. The firm offers the combined technological and medical expertise necessary to meet the demands and expectations of today’s health-focused public.

ACADEMIC NETWORK, a Unique Health Education & Communications Agency Serving the Health & Nutrition Industries, Is Staffed and Managed Completely by Medical Professionals.

PORTLAND, OR — (MARKET WIRE) — 02/28/2005
– One of the health education industry’s best-kept secrets just might be located in the newly rediscovered, historic Pearl District in Portland, Oregon. Buzzing with the energy of the streets below and the creativity of its talented staff, Academic Network has gotten the attention of industry giants like Boston Scientific, Campbell Soup Company, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis Consumer Healthcare, McNeil Nutritionals, a Johnson & Johnson company, and Nike to name a few. They’re among the major international corporations which have called on Academic Network to apply its 35 years of experience in academic medicine and research against opportunities and issues in consumer health communications.

Founded and directed entirely by doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, Academic Network speaks with authority on health and medical issues. At the helm of Academic Network, husband and wife team Kathleen McCarron and David McCarron, M.D., FACP take their medical knowledge and customer care operation experience to clients who have a health, medical or nutrition-related message. They apply their medical research experience to effectively convey the messaging for their clients.

“Now more than ever, consumer information on healthcare issues and products is vital,” says the company’s founder, Kathleen A. McCarron, a 20-year veteran of customer care operations with a background in healthcare management and telecommunications. “Academic Network works with industry leaders helping to turn complex medical, health and nutritional issues into easy-to-understand information for consumers.”

The group’s health education consulting team operates a live, toll-free call center for health professional and consumer queries as well as for patient recruitment. Clients are counseled on program development and the management of governmental and health professional relations. Academic Network also develops and manages websites for those clients seeking to provide online resource centers on specific health and medical issues.

One such project is in the works for medical giant Boston Scientific, which recently called on Portland’s Academic Network to get the word out about the potentially serious health problems posed by acid reflux disease. Gastro-esophageal Reflux Disease, or GERD, affects some 60 million Americans. To help reach those who suffer from this condition, Academic Network developed a non-branded website which addresses the symptoms, risks and treatments for GERD. The goal is to lead ‘heartburn’ sufferers through an easy-to-understand explanation of their ailment while offering information on the very latest medical procedures now available to treat GERD.

Academic Network acts as an objective partner to Boston Scientific’s test marketing of endoscopic treatment options for GERD by offering not only thoughtful medical and health education counsel to the program, but by managing all of the call center inquiries at 1-866-Got-GERD, fulfilling all requests for GERD information, and managing the website. “We are not only providing an additional balanced and objective medical perspective on GERD and its treatment options, but we were able to secure Health on the Net (HON) certification for reliability and credibility on the website,” says McCarron.

“We have used Academic Network for several IVR programs. Academic Network has always been very helpful, quite responsive and has often taken the initiative in making suggestions to improve program performance,” said Ken Neher, Sr. Manager, E-Marketing GlaxoSmithKline.

Academic Network also developed and currently manages the nationally recognized Shaping America’s Youth (SAY) public / private initiative focused on standardizing and coordinating the national effort to end childhood obesity. Academic Network developed an online survey web portal and is currently planning regional meetings for SAY in conjunction with allies such as the Office of the Surgeon General, Department of Health and Human Services; The American Academy of Pediatrics; Nike; McNeil Nutritionals, a Johnson & Johnson company; and Campbell Soup.

Academic Network’s Vanguard Medical Advisory Board participated in the development of the Campbell Soup Company’s Intelligent Quisine food product line. This eight-person board, comprised of scientists whose specialties included nutrition, nephrology, physiology, biostatistics and informatics, oversaw clinical trials at 10 medical centers in the United States and Canada during its five-year tenure. The observed clinical effects of the product line were published in several major medical journals.

Academic Network’s co-founder, David McCarron, M.D., is a Visiting Professor with the Department of Nutrition at the University of California-Davis, and as the former Head of the Division of Nephrology at Oregon Health Sciences University he is an internationally recognized authority on diet, heart disease and the treatment of hypertension. Dr. McCarron has been featured in national media including The New York Times, CBS, PBS, CNN and NPR.

The term “one stop” clearly applies to Academic Network, a start to finish operation — from concept development to order processing through in-house mail fulfillment (usually in 24 hours). Academic Network excels at technical writing, offering assistance in creating effective scientific materials for publication. When it comes to clinical trial recruitment and retention, Academic Network draws on the knowledge of a staff with over three decades of experience in trial design and management. Professional medical consulting, consumer education and marketing services round out the full-service groups’ state-of-the-art, high tech approach to reaching consumers in a busy and often confusing marketplace.

Academic Network assembles medical advisory boards comprised of medical professionals from medical universities around the world for those companies’ efforts that rely on medical or nutritional accreditation. “Academic Network’s consulting services created a virtual medical affairs office that provided access to international scientific experts, the most recent scientific information, validation of health messages and the design and implementation of state of the art clinical trials,” said Jerome J. Kozak, President and CEO, National Milk Producers Federation.

Whether companies need expert guidance with national health policy issues or focused public relations campaigns, Academic Network has set and met high standards in these areas. Academic Network’s client list continues to grow and currently includes international businesses, academic institutions and government agencies. Clients’ needs are tailored to accommodate their specific needs for direct-to-consumer campaigns, 1-800 ad response and professional education. Offering effective, cost-efficient messaging for consumers and healthcare professionals alike, Academic Network handles all phases of project management from concept through to program completion making it a unique resource for the healthcare, pharmaceutical and nutrition industries.

About Academic Network, LLC: Academic Network, LLC is a leading medical and health communications company conceived by academic professionals to serve as a singular source for communicating health-related issues to consumers and health professionals. Academic Network works with leading pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and other Fortune 500 companies, as well as healthcare organizations, in developing effective communications strategies through consulting, telecommunications internet and other public media sources. The firm offers the combined technological and medical expertise necessary to meet the demands and expectations of today’s health-focused public.

Contact:

Claudia Johnson
Public Relations
Academic Network
503.266.1776