ATLANTA and MEMPHIS, Tenn. – April 29, 2003- ForestExpress, the transaction-processing network for the forest products industry and its allied industries, along with Nextier Solutions Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of International Paper and a provider of Internet-based print production supply chain management tools, today announced a connectivity agreement that provides customers an additional connectivity choice when integrating to Nextier Solutions applications. Under the accord, trading partners can leverage a single connection to the ForestExpress network and electronically link their systems to Nextier.   "This agreement further amplifies the role of Nextier as a supply chain applications developer and of ForestExpress as a leader in B2B integration,” said Nextier Business Manager Peter Wilson. “Even more important, it represents continued progress for the print publication and paper industry’s advance toward more cost effective e-business planning, procurement and delivery collaboration. By offering connectivity through ForestExpress, we are further opening the door for companies to extract e-business value while they exchange critical business information with their trading partners.”   ForestExpress CEO Bob Renner commended the partnership with Nextier for continuing to drive customer benefits. "Our trading partners want integrated access to relevant industry applications, and Nextier has proven it is a value-added provider in paper supply chain management,” Renner said. “Through agreements such as these, we continue to add value for our customers as they leverage their single connection to ForestExpress to reach more and more of their business partners."