Web Hosting News – Overland Park, KS - Phillip Spencer, Chief Executive Officer of Codero, a global provider of dedicated server and managed hosting solutions worldwide, has been named a 2009 Pinnacle Award winner for excellence in business and entrepreneurship. Presented by the Johnson County (Kansas) Library Foundation, the Pinnacle Awards honor outstanding individuals for their professional and/or philanthropic achievements.

Previously, Spencer served as president and CEO of Everest Connections, Inc., a Lenexa, KS-based cable, telephone and Internet access provider that thrived in a market dominated by larger competition. Under his leadership, the company grew to more than $60 million in annual revenues and was named second-fastest-growing company in the Kansas City area by Ingram’s Magazine and Ernst and Young.

Spencer joined Aplus.net as CEO in September 2008 and guided the creation of Codero as a new division of the company earlier this year. Upon the sale of Aplus.net and its shared hosting business to Hostopia in July 2009, Codero began focusing exclusively on dedicated server hosting, managed hosting and high-end business solutions. Headquartered in Overland Park, the company currently manages over 6,000 servers and operates data centers in San Diego, CA and Phoenix, AZ.

“I’m very proud to have been tapped for an honor like this,” said Spencer, “particularly within Kansas City’s business community–a place that has garnered a reputation internationally for its long and distinguished record of promoting the ideals of small business and the entrepreneurial spirit.”

Established in 2002, the Pinnacle Awards recognize excellence in the categories of The Arts, Advocacy and Public Engagement, Literacy and Education, and Entrepreneurship–all special areas of emphasis at the Johnson County Library.

About Codero
Headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, Codero delivers world-class, dedicated and managed hosting solutions on-demand for small-to-medium sized businesses on a global basis. Codero integrates innovative industry-leading IT solutions that are fully automated, with customer service delivered 24/7/365 from live U.S.-based support. This allows companies to outsource their datacenter and empowers them with complete control over their IT environment. For more information on Codero, visit www.codero.com.

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Mr. Spencer succeeds Gabriel Murphy as the company’s CEO. Mr. Murphy will remain President of Aplus.Net and will also take on a more tactical oversight role as the company’s new Chief Strategy Officer. Mr. Murphy played a pivotal role as Aplus.Net’s President and CEO during the company’s ownership transition in 2006, and during its move from California to Kansas in 2007.

Mr. Spencer comes to Aplus.Net directly from a highly successful tenure as President and CEO of Everest Connections, Inc., a Lenexa, Kansas-based cable, telephone, and Internet access provider that thrived in a market dominated by larger competition. Under Mr. Spencer’s leadership, the company grew to more than $60 million in annual revenues and was named as one of the fastest-growing companies in the Kansas City area in 2005 by Ingram’s Magazine and Ernst and Young.

Responsible for developing, overseeing, and guiding the execution of Everest’s business strategy, Mr. Spencer successfully led that company from its origins as a modest start-up into a local industry leader with an enterprise value of more than $175 million. During his time at Everest, the company boasted 20 consecutive quarters of growth in EBITDA, revenue, and customer count. Everest was acquired by California-based SureWest Communications earlier this year.

Prior to his tenure at Everest, Mr. Spencer’s experience encompassed senior sales, marketing and business development positions with AT&T, Global Crossing, GE Capital Communications Services, and Advantech, Inc. — a telecom firm that he also shepherded from a start-up into a significant industry presence.

A Marquette University graduate, Mr. Spencer has also served on several Kansas City-area boards of directors, including The Blue Valley Schools Foundation, Enterprise Center of Johnson County, Broadband Service Providers Association (BSPA), and Midwest Angel Investors.

“We are excited to have Phil join the already-strong Aplus.Net management team,” said Tyler Newton, Chairman of the Board of Aplus.net and General Partner at Catalyst Investors, the majority owner of Aplus.net. “Phil has a successful track record of profitably growing businesses. He is a high-energy, goal-focused leader that will help us grow the business by expanding our customer base and product offering.”

“Aplus.Net has a strong foundation, with a team that has done an outstanding job of building the business into one of North America’s top ten hosting companies,” commented Mr. Spencer. “I am looking forward to helping the organization continue to grow its revenue and expand its product offering. Aplus.Net will continue to be the premier provider of web hosting, online marketing, e-commerce, domain name registration, and web design.”

These changes in Aplus.Net’s management team are effective as of September 15, 2008, according to company representatives.

About Aplus.Net
One of the industry’s longest-running web hosting and Internet services provider, Aplus.Net specializes in helping small businesses build an online customer base with a comprehensive range of services that includes shared hosting, dedicated hosting, web design, online marketing, eCommerce, domain name registration, and more. Aplus.Net has received multiple awards for excellence, including the prestigious CNET Editors’ Choice Award, and has been featured in top U.S. business publications such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, Black Enterprise, and PC Magazine. For more information about Aplus.Net, please visit http://www.aplus.net.

About Catalyst Investors
Catalyst Investors is a growth private equity fund founded in 2000. Catalyst employs rigorous top-down research to identify investment opportunities in companies and industries that will exhibit strong revenue and margin growth. The firm works in true partnership with talented management teams to build long-term value. Catalyst has consistently achieved superior returns with disciplined risk management and a commitment to investor transparency. The Catalyst team has made more than 50 investments, successfully transitioning from investing in traditional media and communications to newer growth industries such as Internet media, Internet infrastructure and software services. For more information, visit http://www.catalystinvestors.com/.

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