Wholey's Signs Multi-Year Contract With Choice One Communications [8th May 2003]

ROCHESTER, N.Y., May 8, 2003 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Choice One Communications (OTC Bulletin Board: CWON), an Integrated Communications Provider offering facilities-based voice and data telecommunications services, web hosting, design and development to small and medium-sized businesses, today announced the company has become the voice and data telecommunications provider to Robert Wholey & Company Inc., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Choice One's bundled service offering was the best solution for our business," commented Bill Stevens, Wholey's Chief Financial Officer. "Choice One's reputation in the Pittsburgh area for providing high-quality service to thousands of local businesses was an important factor in our decision to choose them as our telecommunications services provider."

"Our telephone service is and always has been critical to the success of our business. However, as we grow, high-speed Internet access will become more and more important to our continued success. We were looking for a partner capable of keeping pace with the changing needs of our rapidly growing business. Choice One presented us with a competitively priced solution to replace our existing voice services and our costly dial-up Internet access that meets our future telecommunications needs."

"We had different telecommunications vendors for each business location, which added to the complexity of our conversion," commented Kim Holzer, Director of Information Technology for Wholey's. "Choice One representatives have worked with us every step of the way to ensure the smoothest possible conversion. With Choice One, we now have one point of contact and one bill for multiple business locations."

"Pittsburgh is one of our oldest and most successful markets," commented Kevin Ward, Choice One's general manager in Pittsburgh. "Our track record of service and reliability, along with our ability to provide a single-source solution to Wholey's gave us a tremendous competitive advantage. Our expansive local network enabled us to present Wholey's with a solution that consolidates the services and billing for multiple locations, and to ultimately save the company money that they can re-invest in their business."

About Choice One Communications

Headquartered in Rochester, New York, Choice One Communications Inc. (CWON) is a leading integrated communications services provider offering voice and data services including Internet and DSL solutions, to businesses in 29 metropolitan areas (markets) across 12 Northeast and Midwest states. Choice One reported $290 million of revenue in 2002, has more than 100,000 clients and employs approximately 1,400 colleagues.

Choice One's markets include: Hartford and New Haven, Connecticut; Rockford, Illinois; Bloomington/Evansville, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, South Bend/Elkhart, Indiana; Springfield and Worcester, Massachusetts; Portland/Augusta, Maine; Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, Michigan; Manchester/Portsmouth, New Hampshire; Albany (including Kingston, Newburgh, Plattsburgh and Poughkeepsie), Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse (including Binghamton, Elmira and Watertown), New York; Akron (including Youngstown), Columbus and Dayton, Ohio; Allentown, Erie, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pennsylvania; Providence, Rhode Island; Green Bay (including Appleton and Oshkosh), Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The company has intra-city fiber networks in the following markets: Hartford, Connecticut; Rockford, Illinois; Bloomington/Evansville, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, South Bend/Elkhart, Indiana; Springfield, Massachusetts; Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, Michigan; Albany, Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, New York; Columbus, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Providence, Rhode Island; Green Bay, Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

For further information about Choice One, visit our web site at www.choiceonecom.com or contact us at 1-888-832-5800.

About Wholey's

Founded in 1912, Robert Wholey & Company Inc. (Wholey's) is a family owned and operated business specializing in wholesale and retail sales and distribution of fish, meat, poultry and other food products, both fresh and frozen. The Wholey's family of companies is composed of Wholey Wholesale; Balcony Cookware; New Federal Cold Storage; Wholey International; Wholey Canada and the famous fish market located in the historic Strip District in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

For further information about Wholey's family of companies, visit the company web site at www.wholey.com.

SOURCE Choice One Communications