The Reynolds and Reynolds Co. earned its fifth consecutive Software Technical Assistance Recognition (STAR) award at the Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA) Conference held Sept. 29-Oct. 1 in Savannah, Ga. The achievement is a distinction achieved by only a handful of companies around the world.

As the recipient of five STAR Awards, Reynolds was presented with a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award and welcomed into the STAR Awards Hall of Fame. Only seven companies, including Reynolds, have achieved this honor since the award was created 14 years ago.

"The SSPA STAR Award winners are exceptional companies that deliver world-class support - they are truly best-in-class," said Bill Rose, SSPA Founder/Executive Director. "Reaching an industry pinnacle, we are happy to welcome Reynolds and Reynolds into the STAR Awards Hall of Fame for their outstanding achievement. Reynolds has and continues to consistently deliver excellence in customer service and support and serves as a company to emulate."

The annual STAR award recognizes companies that deliver outstanding technical support and service for customers; winners are chosen by peers in the SSPA. It is the highest form of recognition available in the industry.

"Winning the Lifetime achievement award demonstrates Reynolds' resolute commitment to providing first rate service to our customers and establishes us as one of the finest customer service teams in the service and support industry," said Hector Ramos, Reynolds' vice president of customer services. "To thrive in automotive retailing, our customers require complete and immediate resolution of any IT issues they may experience. And that's what we deliver. This exclusive award recognizes the hard work that our knowledgeable and highly dedicated support associates provide every day to help improve our customers' productivity and profitability."

As in the previous four years, Reynolds competed against some of the largest IT firms in the world and earned the 2003 STAR Award in the business to business High Call Volume category. Reynolds' more than 440 front- and back-line professionals in the Technical Assistance Centers (TAC) respond to two million customer calls annually; supporting 11,000 in-house servers, 531,000 peripherals and 227,000 software applications. Reynolds' support centers are located in Dayton, Ohio; Irvine, Calif.; Mississauga, Ontario; and Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

"In my 27 years with Reynolds, I've never been more proud of the team that I work with each and every day in Dayton, Irvine, Mississauga and Montreal," said Randy Selleck, director of Reynolds customer support. "This kind of industry recognition five years in a row is a true testament to the excellence in customer service provided by this outstanding group of professionals."

About SSPA

Founded in 1989, the Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA) was formed to focus on the specific needs of service executives who are responsible for support centers and overall customer relations. Today, the SSPA represents more than 22,300 service professionals at 2,200 support centers worldwide.

These executives look to SSPA to provide insight into the future of support services, a road map of best practices within our industry and access to the best service and support vendors. SSPA has become the center of support providing a reliable and comprehensive resource for news, research, benchmarking, standards and collaboration.

SSPA was created for professionals, managers and executives that make their living in the IT support services community. It is not a generic, one- size-fits all Web site where nobody ever feels like they belong. SSPA is a dynamic, interactive, living resource specifically designed for the unique needs of support professionals. This exciting virtual community creates a forum for constant interaction with peers, industry experts, technology vendors and much more.

For more information regarding the SSPA and other related divisions, visit www.thesspa.com or send an email to info@thesspa.com.

About Reynolds and Reynolds

Reynolds and Reynolds (www.reyrey.com) is a provider of integrated solutions designed top help automotive retailers manage change and improve their profitability.

Serving the automotive retailing industry since 1927, Reynolds says it enables OEMs and retailers to work together to build the lifetime value of their customers. The company's product, service and training solutions include retail and enterprise management systems, Web and customer relationship management solutions, learning and consulting services, documents, data management and integration, networking and support and leasing services.

Reynolds serves more than 20,000 customers comprising nearly 90 percent of the automotive retailers and virtually all OEMs doing business in North America. The Reynolds International Division serves automotive retailers and OEMs through Incadea AG and its partner network as well as a worldwide consulting practice.