BALTIMORE (May 8, 2006) – Vertis announces today the addition of Franklin Rios as vice president of multicultural sales. Rios brings to Vertis more than 15 years of sales, marketing, and asset management experience in the media and advertising industries. In his new role, Rios will leverage his expertise to assist clients to develop highly targeted marketing programs, enhancing the effectiveness of traditional media, and exploring nontraditional advertising campaigns. “Franklin's professional expertise paired with his knowledge of the Hispanic market are assets to Vertis' clients seeking to better communicate with important and growing segments of our population,” said Dean Durbin, president and chief executive officer for Vertis. “This is an important demographic for today's marketers and we are confident that Franklin's experience will be instrumental in advancing our multicultural initiatives.” Before joining Vertis, Rios served as head of the Rios Group, a full-service advertising agency specializing in Hispanic marketing. There he established database marketing and processes, while creating and implementing marketing and sales plans across several industries. His clients included the Colorado Rockies, Pulte Homes, Commercial Federal Bank (now Bank of the West), and American Prepaid Cards. Prior, Rios served in sales leadership roles at CSG Systems, which provides CRM and billing software for telecommunication companies. He also worked at Columbine JDS Systems, which merged with Enterprise Software in 2000, and delivered advertising sales and asset management software for the broadcast industry. “Vertis has powerful resources, including comprehensive consumer research, E-Tech multicultural software, and Vertis' ¡Alcance! Hispanic marketing vehicles that allow marketers to develop the most relevant communications,” said Rios. “I look forward to demonstrating to clients how they can use highly targeted advertising inserts and direct mail in a media synergistic approach to deliver outstanding results.” Rios will be based out of Denver, Colorado.