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Exhibit 99
[SONUS LOGO]
NEWS RELEASE
COMPANY CONTACT: INVESTORS/MEDIA:
John Friedman, President Tom Jackson/Juan Dominguez/Dian Griesel,
Sonus Communication Holdings, Inc. Ph.D.
212.904.1020 ext. 110 The Investor Relations Group; N.Y., N.Y.
212.736.2650
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SONUS EXECUTES PHASE ONE OF A CORPORATE RESTRUCTURING
New Management Team in Place
NEW YORK CITY...JUNE 23, 2000 - - Sonus Communication Holdings, Inc.,
("Sonus") (OTC BB: SNHD), announced today that it has begun a significant
multi-phase corporate restructuring. The first phase of the restructuring
implemented changes in the overall governance and management teams. Daniel
Gomez, formerly chief executive of several Bell Atlantic companies and presently
Chief Operating Officer of Penvision Information Systems, was elected to Chair
the Board of Directors assuming the position vacated due to Chuck Albo's
resignation. John Friedman, who has served Sonus as its Chief Operating Officer
and President of Empire One Telecom ("Empire One"), the Company's retail
subsidiary, retains his existing titles and has been named overall President of
Sonus and its subsidiaries, as well as a member of the Board of Directors; W.
Todd Coffin has resigned as President and CEO. At this time, the position of CEO
shall remain vacant. Todd Sunko who has served as Director of Finance for Empire
One has been promoted to Vice President of Operations for Sonus. Nana Maranell
has also stepped down from her position as Vice Chairman and Secretary of the
Board. The Company's counsel, Cecil E. Martin of McGuire Woods Batle & Boothe
has been named Secretary. At the present time, all other key management
positions remain the same.
"These personnel changes are but the first steps in the complete
transformation of Sonus from a wholesale carrier into a fully integrated,
facilities-based provider of bundled telecommunications services" according to
Friedman. "Building on the four-plus years' of EOT's brand-building in our
target markets, we now have an officer corp and Board of Directors comprised of
seasoned telecom professionals with the experience and ability to lead the
Company to the next level," he added.
Additional corporate plans that are being implemented to solidify the
Company's position as a full-service, vertically integrated communications
provider will be announced in the near future.
Background Bios:
Mr. Daniel Gomez: Mr. Gomez served as Chief Executive Officer of Howard W. Sams,
a Bell Atlantic company from 1998 to 1999. Mr. Gomez assisted in transitioning
Sams from a traditional paper catalog publisher into a business-to-business
e-commerce marketplace, introducing Internet, database, CD and information
products and services to be sold to e-commerce firms and distributors. From 1992
to 1998, Mr. Gomez was President of Bell Atlantic Directory Graphics, which
initially produced yellow page ads and maintained the billion-dollar database
only for Bell Atlantic, but expanded into CD-ROM archival storage and
production. From 1990 to 1991 Mr. Gomez was the Executive Director of Business
Development for Bell Atlantic, where he led business development for the
corporation, developed the strategy, analysis, and business case leading to the
$2.5 billion acquisition of Metro Mobile, a large wireless service provider. Mr.
Gomez received his MBA, with a concentration in marketing, from Virginia
Polytechnic Institute & State University in 1984. He received a BS from Wharton
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School, University of Pennsylvania, in 1978.
John K. Friedman, Esq.: A co-founder of Empire One Telecom, Mr. Friedman began
working in the telecommunications industry in 1982 as a cable television plant
installer. In 1986 Mr. Friedman joined the Office of the Majority Leader in the
New York State Assembly where he worked on numerous data communication and
networking projects. In 1988 he joined the Assembly Office of Management and
Budget as data communications analyst for the Assembly's statewide voice and
data network. In 1989, he joined Century Communications, a large multiple
systems cable television operator where he became one of two people responsible
for that company's office automation and automated billing systems. During his
three-year tenure at Century, Mr. Friedman became interested in the
telecommunications industry's growth potential, which led him to pursue a law
degree with a concentration in telecommunications. He received a JD degree from
Yeshiva University/Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 1994. While in law
school, Mr. Friedman conducted extensive research into the FCC's licensing
practices for emerging telecommunications technologies and published a law
journal article on that subject and personal communications services. At that
time, along with Paul Butler, who presently serves as Executive Vice President
of Carrier Services for Empire One, Mr. Friedman founded EOT. He is a Senior
Affiliated Research Fellow with the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information at
the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University and serves on the
Telecommunications Law Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of
New York and is a frequent speaker on telecommunications marketing and policy.
Mr. Friedman also serves as the secretary and treasurer of the board of
directors of the Targeted Accessibility Fund of New York, which oversees that
state's implementation of the universal telephone service program and
administers an annual budget of $48 million. Mr. Friedman also holds a BA in
political science from the State University of New York at Albany (1986). He is
a member of the New York State bar and the Federal Communications Bar
Association.
Todd T. Sunko: Mr. Sunko has served Empire One since 1997 in a variety of
increasingly responsible positions, primarily in the finance sector. As
VP-Operations, Mr. Sunko's primary responsibilities include management of the
Customer Service department, the finance department and administrative
personnel. Additionally, he is involved in the Company's creative development
and production processes that leverage his knowledge and expertise in video and
audio production. Mr. Sunko has over 10 years' experience at increasingly
responsible positions at several other companies, primarily in the artistic
production industry, prior to joining Sonus. Mr. Sunko received a BS/BA in
business administration and a BFA in photography from the Washington University
in St. Louis, MO. (1989).
ABOUT SONUS
Sonus Communications Holdings, Inc. ("Sonus/EOT") (OTCBB: SNHD) through its
subsidiary, Empire One Telecommunications, Inc., is a facilities based
Competitive Local Exchange Carrier ("CLEC"), long distance carrier and Internet
provider serving ethnic businesses and consumers throughout the United States.
Aimed at ethnic markets, Sonus/EOT currently offers a diverse and increasing
range of integrated communication services, including Internet access, e-mail
and customer service in the clients' native languages. The Company currently
provides customized local, long-distance and Internet services on more than
40,000 lines to over 22,000 business and residential customers. Sonus/EOT's goal
is to deliver compelling value to customers by broadening its facilities-based
footprint, providing Quality of Service guarantees and single-source aggregation
of an increasing number of services.
All statements in this press release other than statements of historical fact
are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can
be no assurance that the Company's plans will be realized, that revenues will
increase or that the Company's operations will improve. Reference is made to
Sonus' Form 10-SB and to the Company's other reports filed with Securities and
Exchange Commission for a discussion of such risks and uncertainties and other
factors that may have a material effect on the Company's business.
