9/30/04

JOHN ARMATO<= /p>

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND PARTNER, CREATIVE STRATEGIST

GLOBAL CO-CHAIR, BUSINESS-TO-CONSU= MER PRACTICE GROUP

FLEISHMAN-HILLARD NEW YORK

John Armato is a marketing communications veteran who provides strategic counsel for corporate, nonprofit, and association client= s. Known as an excellent writer and creative thinker, he helps organizations position their brands, develop their messages, and effectively tell their stories so that they can achieve their business objectives. He helps guide = the development of major programs for a variety of clients and new client relationships for a variety of Fleishman-Hillard account teams. Mr. Armato = also designs and delivers professional development programs related to the creat= ive process, plan development and writing, and facilitates ideation sessions wi= th clients.

Mr. Armato has lead or been an integral part of teams working with major general consumer, food, and health care brands and compa= nies such as Subway Restaurants, Universal Orlando Resort, Hallmark, H&R Blo= ck, Visa, The Iams Company, Dunkin’ Brands, Levenger, Perdue Farms, and Genente= ch, as well as associations and organizations such as the Egyptian Tourism Authority, U.S. Potato Board, National Association of Insurance Commissione= rs, and The Wharton School.

Mr. Armato has a diverse communications background — including journalism, advertising, graphic design, and public relations — t= hat has yielded work recognized with dozens of honors (including two Silver Anv= ils) from a wide range of professional organizations.

Some of his award-winning work includes: =

§&nb= sp; The creation of a nontraditional outreach program for Subway that allowed thous= ands of consumers to request daily motivational phone calls recorded by weight-l= oss inspiration, Jared Fogle (“The Subway Guy”) for an entire month, helping to boost sales in the otherwise slow January time period.

§&nb= sp; A successful brand repositioning campaign for H&R Block, for which Mr. Armato helped lead a multioffice team that literally turned Wall Street into “All Street,” ultimately shifting consumer perceptions of H&R Block from a seasonal t= ax preparer to a year-round financial services partner, and earning a PRSA Sil= ver Anvil Award of Excellence along the way.

§&nb= sp; The launch of Hallmark’s “Warm Wishes” line of greeting cards, which helped Hallmark e= arn back market share eroded by discount card shops. The program earned a PRSA Silver Anvil (the “Oscar” of the industry) for effectiveness in shifting consumer perceptions.

Mr. Armato has media-trained Olympic athlete= s and corporate executives for interviews ranging from “The Oprah Winfrey Show” to local newspapers, and has led major “big idea” brainstorm sessions for such clients as Hallmark, Gatorade, Visa and Novartis. He is a go-to writer for = unique or key projects, as evidenced by his drafting a style guide for Dunkin’ Bra= nds, a song (“Potato Power!”) for the U.S. Potato Board, a corporate history for H&R Block and a corporate brochure for Hallmark.

Mr. Armato is a popular speaker. He has b= een featured at a variety of professional conferences and in the Public Relatio= ns Society of America’s teleseminar series. His “Smart Words, Passionate Words” writing session and “Think INSIDE The Box” creativity session are in demand across the Fleishman-Hillard network.

Before joining Fleishman-Hillard in 1996, Mr. Armato= was senior copywriter for a national marketing communications firm that special= ized in the hospitality industry. Before that, he was director of community relations for Avila College in Kansas City, Mo.<= /o:p>

In 2001, Mr. Armato received the Team Player Award, which is given to a counselor from each of Fleishman-Hillard’s worldwide offices. A graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Mr. Armato a= lso is a professional musician.