Please direct your media and public relations inquiries to: mediarelations@cdw.com 800-800-4CDW CDW Expands Executive Team VERNON HILLS, Ill. - January 14, 2002 - CDW Computer Centers, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDWC), a leading provider of brand name technology solutions, today announced executive changes that broaden its leadership in support of the company's growth strategy. The following executive promotions were announced today: Harry J. Harczak, Jr. to executive vice president, sales; Jonathan J. Stevens to chief information officer; Robert Welyki to treasurer. Additionally, Barbara Klein will join the company as senior vice president and chief financial officer; and Christine A. Leahy will join the company as vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. The company also announced that Gregory C. Zeman will conclude his role as vice chairman. Zeman will serve as an advisor to the company and continue as a member of the Board of Directors. Additionally, Daniel B. Kass will transition from executive vice president, sales to an executive vice president position concentrating on improving the company's competitive position. "One of my goals is to build on the strength of CDW's existing management team by challenging our current executives with new opportunities, while at the same time expanding our team with additional expertise where needed," said John A. Edwardson, CDW chairman and chief executive officer. "We have a solid management team in place which, along with a tremendous team of coworkers, continues to deliver results that outpace the industry. This is one of the many reasons I am even more excited about our future today than when I joined the company one year ago." In his new role as executive vice president, sales, Harry Harczak, 45, will enhance the company's commercial sales strategy and lead an organization of more than 1,100 coworkers. His responsibilities will include management of the company's industry-leading sales force and product category specialist teams, along with sales recruiting, sales training and corporate training. Harczak has served as the company's chief financial officer since 1994. In 2001, he was named executive vice president and assumed a leadership role in developing the company's strategic plan for future growth. Harczak continues to report to Edwardson and to serve on the company's executive committee. As CIO, Jon Stevens, 32, will be responsible for overseeing the company's information technology and E-business strategy. Since joining the company as vice president, information technology in July 2001, Stevens has been instrumental in building an infrastructure to accommodate the company's future growth. He will now report to Edwardson and serve on the company's executive committee. Prior to joining CDW, he served as regional technology director for Avanade, a technology integration company formed through an alliance between Microsoft and Accenture. Robert Welyki, 37, will serve as treasurer with responsibilities for all tax, treasury and risk management activities. Welyki joined CDW in November 2000 as director of tax and treasury. Prior to CDW, Welyki was vice president and treasurer of CCC Information Services. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from University of Illinois and is a certified public accountant. Barbara Klein, 47, will join the company in February as senior vice president and chief financial officer, reporting to Edwardson and serving as a member of the company's executive committee. She brings more than 20 years of finance and leadership experience to the company. Most recently, Klein served as vice president, finance and chief financial officer of Dean Foods Company. Prior to Dean Foods, she served as vice president and corporate controller for Ameritech Corporation. Additionally, she has held senior management positions at Pillsbury and Sears, Roebuck and Co. Klein, a certified public accountant, earned an M.B.A. from Loyola University and graduated from Marquette University with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and finance. Christine Leahy, 37, joins the company as vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary beginning on January 28. Responsible for all legal and SEC-related matters, Leahy expands CDW's management team as the company's first in-house legal counsel. She will report to Edwardson and serve on the company's executive committee. Prior to joining CDW, Leahy was a partner in the Chicago office of Sidley, Austin, Brown & Wood, where her principal activities included mergers and acquisitions, securities law, corporate governance and strategic counseling. She received an undergraduate degree from Brown University and a law degree from Boston College Law School. Leahy is a member of the American, Chicago and Washington D.C. Bar Associations. Greg Zeman, 43, joined CDW in 1987 as an account manager. He moved up quickly in the organization, assuming several significant positions with the company. Zeman led sales, purchasing and marketing before being named the company's first president in 1991. "On behalf of CDW's 2,700 coworkers, I would like to thank Greg for his exceptional leadership during the past 14 years," said Edwardson. "Personally, I express my gratitude for the solid counsel he provided to me during my first year at this exciting company." Dan Kass, 45, has served many leadership roles during his 14 years with the company, most recently as executive vice president, sales. Under his leadership, CDW's sales force has become the most productive in the industry. Kass' new responsibilities will build on his sales and operational experience to improve the company's competitive position through an intense focus on productivity and quality of service throughout the organization. He will also be actively involved in Harczak's transition. Kass will continue to report to Edwardson and remain a member of the executive committee and Board of Directors. The statements in this release concerning the Company's future prospects and other statements of a non-historical basis are forward-looking statements that involve certain risks and uncertainties. Such risks and uncertainties include the continued acceptance of the Company's distribution channel by vendors and customers, the continuing development, maintenance and operation of our IT systems, the timely availability and acceptance of new products, continuation of key vendor relationships and support programs, changes and uncertainties in economic conditions that could affect the rate of IT spending by our customers, changes in pricing by our vendors, our management transition and the ability of the Company to hire and retain qualified account managers. Additional discussion regarding these and other factors affecting the Company's business and prospects is contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. About CDW CDW® (Nasdaq: CDWC), a FORTUNE 500 company, is a direct solutions provider, offering complete, customized technology solutions for businesses, government agencies and educational institutions nationwide. CDW is a leading source of technology products and services from companies such as Cisco, Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft, Sony, Toshiba and other top name brands. CDW was founded in 1984 as a home-based business and today employs more than 2,700 coworkers whose efforts generated net sales of $3.8 billion in 2000. CDW's direct model offers one-on-one relationships with highly trained account managers; purchasing via telephone, the award-winning www.cdw.com Web site, and customized CDW@work extranets; custom configured solutions and same day shipping; flexible financing solutions; and technical support with its factory-trained and A+ certified technicians. Additional information can be found by visiting CDW.com.