Founder and Former CEO of Staples Brings Entrepreneurial Experience to
Highland and its Portfolio Companies

LEXINGTON, Mass. The
first CHRO Boot Camp is scheduled for November 7-8, 2005 in New York and the
first CFO Boot Camp is planned for November 14-15, 2005, also in New York.

About The Wharton Club
The Wharton Club of New York is the networking , career guidance,
educational and social forum for the 18,000 plus MBA and undergraduate Wharton
alumni in the New York City metropolitan area.

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The position with Highland will give
me the opportunity to return to my entrepreneurial roots and spend time
working more closely with the next generation of great entrepreneurs.com

P keynote addresses and networking opportunities. "
These events are facilitated by Boot Camps Unlimited, an entity created by
Beck and George Bradt, CEO and managing director of the on-boarding and
executive transition firm PrimeGenesis.

About PrimeGenesis
PrimeGenesis is an executive on-boarding and transition acceleration group
that helps leaders in challenging and new positions develop high-performing
teams in their first 100 days to deliver sustainably better results faster and
reduce the risk of failure.

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He is an outstanding addition to the
Highland team.8 billion of committed capital, Highland has invested in and worked to
create such firms as Ask Jeeves, Avid Technology, Be Free, CheckFree, Conor
Medsystems, EXACT Sciences, Lycos, MapQuest, Ocular Networks, Odyssey
Healthcare, Sybase, Telica and WebLine Communications . There is nothing else
like this available to them," noted Kenneth Beck, president of The Wharton
Club of New York.

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(Nasdaq: PETM), Polycom, Inc. Based in Los Angeles, the firm partners with clients
worldwide to deliver unparalleled senior-level search, management assessment,
coaching and development , and recruitment outsourcing services through its
Futurestep subsidiary.

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Retail Pioneer Tom Stemberg Joins Highland Capital Partners

"The Boot Camp program allows new CEOs from diverse backgrounds to engage
in forums, which better equip them for the challenges of the current business
environment ," said Joe Griesedieck, vice chairman and managing director of the
CEO practice at Korn/Ferry International .futurestep.

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The first CEO Boot
Camp, held in May 2005, engaged recently appointed CEOs in discussions
including: aligning and developing talent, and linking team actions to plans
and rewards.

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, Highland Capital Partners, a
leading venture capital firm, today announced that Thomas Stemberg, founder
and former Chief Executive Officer of Staples (Nasdaq: SPLS), has joined the
firm as a Venture Partner . "In addition to learning from the speakers, these
executives can and will learn from each other .bootcampsunlimited.

Instead executive coaching is only for sites whose primary aim is to support executives accomplish business focused goals.

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"This is an exciting opportunity for me to put my experience and skills to
work in a whole new way," said Tom Stemberg.

This category is not for consultants or trainers who have programs, training, books, or seminars to offer.

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"Given the increasing pressure that
new CEO's are under today, in combination with a growing sense of isolation at
the top, this intimate setting presents a unique opportunity for these
executives to further hone their leadership skills in the company of a select
number of their peers, better equipping them to achieve their own
organization 's objectives.

About Korn/Ferry International
Korn/Ferry International, with more than 70 offices in 35 countries, is
the premier provider of executive search, outsourced recruiting and leadership
development solutions.com.

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His
innovative approach and savvy business acumen helped initiate a new venture in
the world of retail.
He founded Staples and was Chief Executive Officer of Staples from January
1986 to February 2002, driving his company through all the stages of its
growth, from infancy to more than 1,600 stores and revenues of more than $13
billion. Baker Scholar.

For more information, contact:
Horn Group, Inc. For more information, visit the Korn/Ferry
International Web site at http://www. Kenneth is a lifelong entrepreneur who has started
and run several successful ventures.

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"I have enjoyed strong
relationships with the firm's partners since the 1980s and I have always
admired the way Highland invests much more than just capital into its
entrepreneurs and portfolio companies. He also serves on the Board of Directors of CarMax,
Inc ., PETsMART, Inc. For more information,
visit Highland's web site at http://www.com.whartonny.

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Stemberg took what he learned in the world of
supermarkets and knew those same principles could be applied to other markets,
pioneering the office superstore industry with the creation of Staples.com.

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Korn /Ferry and The Wharton Club of New York Announce Dates and Program Details

NEW YORK, Korn /Ferry International
(NYSE: KFY), along with The Wharton Club of New York and Boot Camps Unlimited ,
today announced their next "CEO Boot Camp," following a successful inaugural
event earlier this year. The next CEO Boot Camp, to be held
September 19-20, 2005 in New York, will feature keynote speaker John E.primegenesis.

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"
Stemberg was a venture investor and director at PETsMART since the opening
of its second store, coaching and mentoring its executive team as the company
grew from start-up mode to what is now a company with a $4 billion market cap. and The NASDAQ Stock
Market , Inc.

'CEO Boot Camp' Program Continues and Evolves to Address Challenges of New CFOs and CHROs

Each Boot Camp is an intensive, two-day program, which includes
interactive sessions covering a variety of leadership and governance issues,
V.

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Stemberg also founded ZOOTS, one of the country 's leading dry cleaning
companies, as well as Olly Shoes, a leading children's shoe retailer. Highland Capital Partners
Samantha Smith Michael Gaiss, Senior Vice President
(781) 356-7139 (781) 861-5517
mgaiss@hcp. Estee Lauder Chairman Leonard Lauder, the keynote speaker,
offered his perspective and advice regarding the challenges and opportunities
of growing a multi-national business.

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Senior executives of companies with over
$500 million in sales want to engage with one another. The club conducts a variety of
events each year through the coordinated hard work of alumni, who are
dedicated to the furtherance of the Wharton network and to giving back to the
Wharton School and community at large.

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"The program is designed specifically for new executives and gives these
top-level managers the opportunity to build mutually beneficial relationships
with peers and functional experts. There's more
about them at http://www.

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"
After graduating from Harvard Business School, Stemberg spent 12 years
climbing the corporate ladder, first at Jewel's Star Market, then at First
National Supermarkets .

About Boot Camps Unlimited
Boot Camps Unlimited was the brainchild of Kenneth Beck , President of The
Wharton Club of New York.

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Stemberg propelled Staples' business growth through a store
expansion program, a delivered office products business, an award-winning e-
commerce operation and a growing international presence, including the
operation of a joint venture with OA 365, a multi-channel office products
supplier based in Shanghai, China. Watching the way he applied those instincts to
create one of today's most successful companies definitely served as an
inspiration for me as I joined PETsMART."
Stemberg graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Business School as a
George F. In addition, due to the merit and success of the
program, Korn/Ferry announced plans to expand the Boot Camp series to new CFOs
and new Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs).

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In his new role with Highland, Stemberg will help
identify new entrepreneurial investment opportunities and lend his expertise
to assist Highland portfolio companies. He took the company public in 1989 and
passed down the CEO role in 2002 to assume a position as Chairman of the
Board. Our firm and future
entrepreneurs are extremely fortunate to have someone of Tom's caliber and
talent join our team.
Phil Francis, Chairman and CEO of PETsMART, said, "Tom has innate
entrepreneurial instincts that anyone trying to build a business would be
privileged to learn from.

About Highland Capital Partners
Highland Capital Partners was founded with the mission of helping great
people build great companies. Since its inception in 1988, the firm has taken
a sector-focused and stage-diversified approach to investing in exceptional
information technology, communications , and healthcare companies.hcp. For additional information, visit http://www. He was most recently CEO of Beck Office
Furniture until he sold it in May 2004. He and George Bradt created Boot
Camps Unlimited to help new CXO level executives build and maintain long term
relationships with each other while providing an extensive network of CXO
level private resources unavailable anywhere else in the world.

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With over
$1. For additional information, visit
http://www.

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"I knew
then that Tom possessed the rare ability to identify emerging business models
and entrepreneurial persistence to make them a reality.
Pepper, the retired chief executive of Procter + Gamble, who spent 38 years
with the consumer products giant."
Similar programs are currently being designed for new CHROs and CFOs.kornferry.

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"I can remember more than 20 years ago when I was walking warehouse floors
with Tom on the weekends as he conceived his vision for Staples," said Bob
Higgins, Managing General Partner with Highland Capital Partners.I.com or the Futurestep Web site at
http://www.com.

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Its expert specialists have senior line
management and organizational consulting experience with leading companies
throughout the world and are based in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and
London.com .

Executive coaching focuses on helping business executives improve their performance.

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