LEVEL 3 NAMES THOMAS STORTZ AS GENERAL COUNSEL; TERRENCE FERGUSON TO SERVE AS SPECIAL COUNSEL
OMAHA, NE - August 11, 1998 – Level 3 Communications, Inc. today announced that Thomas C. Stortz will be joining Level 3 as Senior Vice President and General Counsel effective September 1, 1998. He succeeds Terrence J. Ferguson, who will continue with Level 3 as Special Counsel to the company.
"I am particularly pleased to have Tom Stortz join us and bring his considerable expertise and experience to our effort," said James Q. Crowe, president and CEO of Level 3. "I have known and worked closely with Tom for years and have great respect for him and what he has accomplished. As the General Counsel of Peter Kiewit Sons', Inc. (PKS), he worked with me and other key executives on a number of projects, including the spin-off of MFS Communications Company and subsequently, the separation of Level 3 from Kiewit."
Stortz joined PKS as an attorney in 1981 and has served as Vice President and General Counsel for PKS and Kiewit Construction Group, Inc. since 1991. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of PKS and the Nebraska Methodist Hospital Foundation. He has served as a director of RCN Corporation, C-TEC Corporation, Kiewit Diversified Group, Inc. and CCL Industries, Inc. He earned his Juris Doctor at Creighton University School of Law, and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Iowa.
Ferguson To Assume Role As Special Counsel
"I am pleased that Terry Ferguson will continue to devote time and effort to Level 3 as Special Counsel," said Crowe. "Terry and I have worked side-by-side since the first days of MFS, more than a decade ago. I admire and respect Terry as both a professional colleague and as a friend. "After a full and distinguished career that culminated in the merger of MFS with WorldCom, Terry had decided to retire. However, to help launch the new company, I was able to coax him out of retirement to accept an interim position as General Counsel with Level 3. Having led us through the complex legal issues involved in the formation of Level 3, the separation of the company from Kiewit, and the listing of the company on The Nasdaq National Market, he has now decided to step back from the demands of being General Counsel. "Importantly, Terry has agreed to continue working with us on special projects and with the formation of the company's international operations," Crowe said.
About Level 3 Communications
Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: LVLT), an international communications company, operates one of the largest Internet backbones in the world, connecting 180 markets in 18 countries. The company serves a broad range of wholesale, enterprise and content customers with a comprehensive suite of services including: Internet Protocol (IP) services, broadband transport and infrastructure services, colocation services, voice and voice over IP services, content delivery and media distribution services. These services provide the building blocks to enable Level 3’s customers to meet their growing demands for advanced communications solutions. The company’s Web address is www.Level3.com.
"Level 3 Communications,” "Level 3," the red 3D brackets and the Level 3 Communications logo are registered service marks of Level 3 Communications, LLC in the United States and/or other countries. Level 3 services are provided by wholly owned subsidiaries of Level 3 Communications, Inc. Any other service, product or company names recited herein may be trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.
Forward-Looking Statement
Some of the statements that we make in this press release are forward looking in nature. These statements are based on management’s current expectations or beliefs. These forward looking statements are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside our control, which could cause actual events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements. The most important factors that could prevent us from achieving our stated goals include, but are not limited to our ability to: successfully integrate acquisitions; increase the volume of traffic on our network; defend our intellectual property and proprietary rights; develop new products and services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; successfully complete commercial testing of new technology and information systems to support new products and services; attract and retain qualified management and other personnel; and meet all of the terms and conditions of our debt obligations. Additional information concerning these and other important factors can be found within Level 3’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this press release should be evaluated in light of these important factors. Level 3 is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any such obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
