February 4, 2005
Ken Kress, President, BDS Marketing
The following is my observation of Mr. Parker's skills in regards to managing a business:

Shaping Strategy and Driving Direction
Bill works diligently at ensuring his strategies are on task. He isn't afraid to be challenged and he isn't afraid to alter his strategy if someone can provide a sound argument for divergent strategy. In regards to execution, I have rarely interfaced with a key executive that can so quickly and easily bring high level strategy down to the most basic levels of "what needs to happen to ensure that our strategy is on-task and being successfully implemented". Bill spends as much energy ensuring that his well thought out strategies can be effectively implemented as he does creating the strategies.

Growing a Business Organically
I have witnessed the following skills/behaviors:

• Commitment
• Passion
• Focus
• Ability to eliminate the "fluff" or unnecessary steps/action
• Follow through
• Enrolling everyone in his "vision"
• Flexible
• Willing to be wrong
• Maximizing time, energy and resources
• Commitment to learning and teaching

Managing the Numbers
While, I was on the other side of the desk from Mr. Parker trying to communicate the measurable ROI I would deliver based upon what he was willing to spend. Let's just say that after a couple of weeks of intense conversation, and him imploring me to commit to a return on investment, I think he understood my financials and the resulting impact on his financials better than I did.

General Management
I believe that Bill will be successful in whatever business he chooses to become involved with. He is the rare combination of leader and manager. He is a winner. It's just not in his makeup to fail. He knows what it takes to get the job done and isn't afraid to do it!

Get him on-board before someone else grabs him.

Bill is very adept at formulating a strategy and driving the implementation details to obtain strong results. At Gateway, Bill successfully implemented a massive restructuring of the company's PC-oriented stores to a high-touch "Consumer Electronics Specialty Business". The new store design successfully "leapfrogged" the competition and was industry leading in its ability to showcase in-home convergence and the "connected home". As part of his undertaking, Bill built a retail centric organization that was quite responsive to short-term developments in the business and was able to improve sales per square foot by more than 50%. The new Retail organization was also very proficient at increasing upsell of computer-related and consumer electronics packages, as well as attaching software and peripherals and services. Bill's ability to excel at strategy execution is one of his greatest strengths.

The implementation of the new Gateway store design and operational restructuring is indicative of Bill's ability to do whatever it takes to reposition a business to grow organically. In addition to the 50+ % revenue increases mentioned above, Bill grew Retail gross margins by roughly 25% (from 15% to 19%). At the same time, he almost doubled close or conversion rates. Tight cost controls in all areas of the business were a significant part of the gross margin success. Bill also decreased inventory levels by over $20 million, which significantly improved the Retail segment cash flow. The ability to increase gross margins by leveraging upsell and attach of high margin items, and the tight cost and inventory controls, are indicative of Bill's strong financial acumen and his ability to hit financial targets and manage the numbers.

In terms of fostering teamwork and attracting and developing talent, Bill was excellent at cross-functional teamwork and working with other areas of the company to meet cross-functional objectives. Bill exhibited considerable judgment when the environment, at times, was difficult and agreement to broader cross-functional objectives might cause a short-term adverse impact on his organization. Bill also was able to develop and implement a systematic hiring plan for attracting new and improved talent to the organization development effort. He was a leader who led by example and through careful articulation of his strategies and intended direction, which he further substantiated through detailed plans.

Finally, Bill exhibited well developed general management capabilities. Bill was able to translate his functional skills and prior experience into a focused and systematic general management process. Bill was immersed in all facets of the business and was able to "roll up his sleeves" when necessary to get the organization moving in the right direction. His organization generated roughly $1.2 billion in revenue, close to $300 million in gross margin, and over $40 million in cash flow in its last full year of operation.

It is my pleasure to recommend Bill in any new venture where his knowledge, skills and wisdom would be utilized. He is a highly dedicated and knowledgeable executive that makes good things happen. I very much enjoyed working with Bill and I would enjoy doing so again.

I have known Bill personally and professionally for 15 years. In that time frame, I have worked with him, had him work for me and have also been fortunate to have a friendship with him as well over the years following his career. My comments will embrace this 15-year relationship.

His true strengths working with him and working for me were and have always been as follows:

• He is able to strategically look ahead, to see not just the short-term issues that present themselves to ant key executive, but more importantly he sees the 2, 3 and 5-year vision and goal.
• He is then very capable and actually one of the best executives at executing action plans that are detailed, articulate and financially results oriented to achieve the plan in relation to both short and long term goals
• I have found Bill excellent at creating a vision as well as accepting a vision, giving honest input and insights on issues, concerns and improvements and then executing the accepted action plan as well.
• Over the years, as only a selected few executives can do, Bill has shown a skill in being patient to recognize business needs and change addressing the need for urgency to results yet to also understanding the need to organically grow a cultural change. HOW? By taking the time to get a plan in place, articulate the details of the plan and then follow up, execute and hold people accountable for the plan and it's results to re-enforce those goals and objectives.
• I have always taken great personal pride in my skills at the financial aspect of business and merchandising. Since in the end, Results DO count. To that same point, I believe one of the reasons that we became strong friends is that we have mutual respect and understanding of how the numbers tie to the plan and managing those numbers effectively and efficiently for results. Bill is one of the best executives I have experienced in this particular component of the business over my 25-year career.
• His staff respected him and his leadership. He was able to create the team environment. When he had numerous highly diverse people and departments that he had to pull together, he did so quickly, efficiently, never lost a person in the 4 years we worked together (other than those that needed to be lost for performance) and also what I saw was a learning in the group of how to do business and grow business and execute plans.
• Team meetings, coaching, training and one on one time all play roles in his daily management style.
• In looking back at our years of work together and making a fair comparison to others and what I see and respect in Bill can be summed up as follows: