News Release Archive

NEWS RELEASE (CNS897) -->> ECONOMIC RENEWAL--ONTARIO
COMPUTER COMPANY MOVES TO NOVA SCOTIA




ECONOMIC RENEWAL--ONTARIO COMPUTER COMPANY MOVES TO NOVA SCOTIA
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Nova Scotians will soon be teaching the corporate world with
interactive CD-ROM training products.

Mentor Networks Inc. of Ontario, is moving to Nova Scotia and
will employ 138 people in the design and production of multimedia
training products.

Economic Renewal Minister Richie Mann, along with company
executives, today announced that Mentor Networks Inc. and its
wholly owned subsidiary, High Performance Group (Canada) Inc.,
are ready to begin the commercialization phase of their business
in Halifax.

Mentor develops CD-ROM based courseware products for the
corporate training market. These training programs focus on two
areas: computer skills development for desktop applications such
as Windows, Word and Lotus, and effective customer service
techniques for the call centre market.

Mentor is combining its interactive computer training products
with HPG's traditional training presentations for the call
centre, travel and hospitality markets.

Mr. Mann said, "Mentor's move proves that Nova Scotia has what
successful, high-tech companies are looking for. We have a
well-educated and skilled workforce, a positive business climate,
and a quality lifestyle. With every new information technology
business that opens its doors in Nova Scotia, our reputation as a
good place to do business grows."

"These are excellent jobs at the high end of the wage scale,
paying an average of $55,000," Mr. Mann said. Employees will have
backgrounds in a variety of educational, technical and
professional disciplines.

"We are very proud to have the opportunity to establish our
company in Nova Scotia, a province which has shown itself to be a
leader in the field of information technology," said Brian
Greenleaf, chief executive officer, Mentor Networks Inc. "A major
factor in our decision was the availability of a highly skilled
workforce which we believed would meet our needs. The results to
date have exceeded our expectations."

Premier John Savage said; "Mentor has attracted some key movers
and shakers from international business circles to their board of
directors. It's great for such influential people to know about
our province and our potential." While traditional training
methods usually rely on user manuals or costly group seminars,
Mentor's interactive courseware products can duplicate on-the-job
experiences.

Mentor will export 99 percent of its products outside of Atlantic
Canada, mostly to Fortune 1000 companies. Its products have been
test-marketed with companies such as Ernst & Young, CBC, MBNA
Information Services of Texas, and Quality Service Programs Inc.,
(a subsidiary of Readers Digest Inc).

Mentor has already hired several specialists and will have more
than 35 people working at their Purdy's Wharf facility within a
couple of months. They will add another 100 people within 18
months. Mentor has sales offices in Canada and the U.S.

Mentor/HPG is an $11 million project. Since the beginning of the
year, the company has raised more than $6.5 million of new
shareholder investment. The Nova Scotia Business Development
Corporation is providing a $2.5 million loan and investing
$500,000 in Mentor, plus a $1.5 million loan to HPG, for
courseware development and training.

The principal shareholder of Mentor is Don Jeffrey, of New
Brunswick, and Mr. Greenleaf, is formerly of Dartmouth. The
founder of HPG is Dr. Ed Turner, of Maryland. Dr. Turner is a
professional consultant to financial institutions and Fortune 500
clients, and is a former professor of communications at Andrews
University.

-30-

Contact: Linda Laffin          902-424-6810
         E-mail: econ.llaffin@gov.ns.ca

         Marie-France LeBlanc  902-466-0900

trp                     Dec. 04, 1996 - 11:05 a.m.