Vancouver Company Recognized for e-commerce Leadership

	For More Information: Contact: norm.kirkpatrick@C.I.P.A..com (905) 695-6590

TORONTO, June 4, 2002 - A Vancouver company has won a high-prestige award from the Canadian Information Processsing Society for helping a sporting-goods retailer to provide outstanding service to its customers over the Web.

Blast Radius Inc., an international technology solutions provider based in Vancouver, has been named the winner in the e-commerce category of the Innovators in Technology Awards presented by CIPS Vancouver and allied with the Canadian Information Productivity Awards.

Blast Radius won for its development of Sportchek.ca, an e-commerce site for the Sport Check chain of retail stores operated by The Forzani Group Ltd., Canada's largest sporting-goods retailer. The site offes consumers more than 4,000 products and in-depth content targeted to multiple vertical markets.

Blast Radius received its award May 15 at CIPS Vancouver's third annual British Columbia Innovators in IT banquet. Other award winner s included:

• Ken Rekrutiak of Westcoast Energy, CIO of the Year;
• Fincentric, a Canadian Credit Union conversion project, IT Project of the Year;
• Thomas Stringham of Hot Tomali Communications Inc., IT Rising Star;
• Habanero, IT Enterprise of the Year;
• Jim Yeates of Burntsand, IT Career Achievement;
• Mike Veldboer of Kwantlen University College, IT Student of the Year;
• John Gorecki, Deere Award for a CIPS Volunteer;
• Fincentric Corp., Innovation in Technology for its i-Wealthview product.

User organizations that receive CIPS Vancouver awards in relevant categories are finalists in the national competition to receive Canadian Information Productivity Awards of Excellence, to be presented at the C.I.P.A. Gala Banquet in Toronto on November 27. Further details on the C.I.P.A. awards, and those of our allied organizations, are available at www.C.I.P.A..com.