Please direct your media and public relations inquiries to: mediarelations@cdw.com 800-800-4CDW CDW Tops Its Industry on FORTUNE'S "Most Admired" List VERNON HILLS, Ill. - February 25, 2002 - Success in uncertain economic times is translating into a stellar corporate reputation for CDW Computer Centers, Inc., (Nasdaq: CDWC), a leading provider of technology products and services to businesses and the public sector. The company ranks first in its industry on FORTUNE magazine's "America's Most Admired Companies" list. The list, in the magazine's March 4, 2002 issue, hits newsstands today. "Even through these challenging economic times, we have continued to grow market share, thanks to our customer focus and our corporate culture that respects coworkers and rewards them for their success. Everyone at CDW is dedicated to providing our customers an unsurpassed technology buying experience," said Harry J. Harczak, Jr., executive vice president - sales, CDW. "To be so highly admired is a tremendous honor, especially during this time of increased corporate scrutiny." Considered the definitive report on corporate reputation, FORTUNE's "Most Admired" list is based on opinion research by the Hay Group consultancy, which selects the 10 largest companies in terms of revenue in 58 industries. The Hay Group asks 10,000 executives, directors and security analysts to rate the companies on eight attributes: Innovativeness, Financial Soundness, Employee Talent, Use of Corporate Assets, Long-Term Investment Value, Social Responsibility, Quality of Management, and Quality of Products/Services. In the Wholesalers: Electronics and Office Equipment industry, CDW ranked first in six of the eight attributes, including Innovativeness, Employee Talent, Social Responsibility, Financial Soundness, Long-Term Investment Value and Quality of Products/Services. For the remaining two attributes, CDW ranked second in its industry. For CDW, the "Most Admired" list is the latest in a string of FORTUNE awards for the company. CDW is currently ranked No. 435 on the FORTUNE 500, has been named to FORTUNE's "100 Best Companies to Work for in America" in each of the past four years and also is on FORTUNE's "100 Fastest Growing Companies" list. Additionally, in late 2001, CDW was ranked the world's No. 2 top performing information technology company in BusinessWeek's "InfoTech 100" list and was also named to the Nasdaq 100. About CDW CDW® (Nasdaq: CDWC), ranked No. 435 on the Fortune 500, is a direct solutions provider of 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, Computer Associates, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Toshiba and other top name brands. CDW distributes contracts to end users for customized and standardized on-site services provided directly by firms such as Compaq Global Services and DecisionOne and for training programs provided directly by KnowledgeNet and Productivity Point. CDW was founded in 1984 as a home-based business and today employs more than 2,800 coworkers whose efforts generated net sales of approximately $4 billion in 2001. CDW's direct model offers one-on-one relationships with highly trained account managers; purchasing by fax, telephone, the company's award-winning www.cdw.com Web site or customized CDW@work™ extranets; custom configured solutions and same day shipping; flexible financing solutions; and phone and online technical support, with more than 100 factory-trained and A+ certified technicians on staff. Additional information can be found by visiting www.cdw.com.