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Thursday April 3, 10:33 am Virtual Ed Link COO Reports on 2007 Results - Frames Corporate Objectives for 2008
First in Series-Letter to Shareholders From VELI COO Dr. Alan McCartney
FAIRFIELD, NJ--(MARKET WIRE)--Apr 3, 2008 -- Virtual Ed Link, Inc. (Other OTC:VRED.PK - News), the marketer of the most advanced and comprehensive, web-based School and College Safety Management System (SSMS and CSMS) announced today that Dr. Alan McCartney, COO and General Manager of Virtual Ed Link would issue a series of reports on 2007 progress and management objectives for 2008.
Dr. McCartney was appointed COO and General Manager of VELI in December 2007, after a successful career of over 30 years in education, the last 21 as a School District Superintendent in New York State. He received his doctorate from Columbia University and is an experienced educational leader. He has a history of leading top ranked award-winning school systems, being a past member of Columbia University's Blue Ribbon Panel on School Violence and is a certified New York State School Safety Instructor. Dr. McCartney continues to move the VELI marketing and sales initiative forward and is still sought out as a consultant and spokesperson for quality student learning in a safe, secure and collaborative culture.
My objective in this first report is to discuss the 2007 accomplishments of Virtual Ed Link, and to outline the company's vision for 2008.
As a company working in the education market, our future depends primarily on our ability to develop a unique niche and market innovative products and services. The Virginia Tech tragedy of April 2007 and the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, stimulated a rush of interest in mass emergency notification. The circumstances of these events placed a high priority on mass notification of students and campus community members. Too many leaders began to believe that a mass notification solution would solve the problem of being prepared for a large-scale incident. They have found out, however, that mass notification technology without sufficient planning, training, preparation and communication will exacerbate an already chaotic situation.
Late in 2007 VELI released its proprietary CSMS and SSMS as a virtual portfolio of resources that would provide organizations a holistic approach to the issues inherent in effective crisis management.
Since that time we have been setting the stage for 2008 as our "breakout" year. We have formed partnerships with other vendors to expand our virtual portfolio of offerings. The end result of a school or campus implementation of our solution is the creation of a "culture of preparedness" among students, parents, faculty, staff, emergency response personnel, security personnel, administration and the communities they serve through a seamless gateway of information.
Noteworthy is our strategic alliance with the Clements group who has introduced us to Community and Technical Colleges in Georgia, Kentucky, Arkansas, Alabama, Dakota, New York, Virginia, Ohio and Oregon to name a few. We are currently working with them to create a Crisis Management Assessment tool that will help these Colleges use our product to meet new State and Federal Requirements.
Three key events occurred at the end of 2007: 1. the purchase of our system by South Colonie Schools; 2. Mechanicville Schools; and 3. VELI's attainment of an agreement to market our services through the Northeast Regional Information Center in Albany, New York.
We are attending the American Association of Community College's 88th Convention -- "Make It Happen" April 5-8, 2008 in Philadelphia, PA to formally announce our alliance with The Clements Group and to showcase our CSMS solution. The association represents almost 1,200 two-year, associate degree-granting institutions and more than 11 million students, as well as a growing number of international members in Puerto Rico, Japan, Great Britain, Korea, and the United Arab Emirates.
I am also in the process of scheduling speaking engagements, presentations and demonstrations with interested schools and campuses, and working on additional partnerships and alliances that will expand our offerings and enhance our brand recognition.
I am very pleased to report that since Virtual Ed Link (VELI) released its School and Campus Safety Management System in November 2007 we have been steadily accomplishing our goal of creating a unique niche in this market place. As we have seen, emergency notification alone cannot create a safe and secure environment. The expectations of doing the right things and communicating well about them go far beyond the initial notification. My contact with school and campus organizations stresses the understanding of the difference between notification and preparedness, and is making a difference that is beginning to pay dividends.
Sincerely,
Dr, Alan R. McCartney, COO
Virtual Ed Link
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