Please direct your media and public relations inquiries to: mediarelations@cdw.com 800-800-4CDW CDW Computer Centers, Inc. Launches Subsidiary to Strategically Address Government and Education Customers Vernon Hills, Illinois, September 2, 1998 — CDW Computer Centers, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDWC), a Fortune 1000 company and one of the country's largest and fastest growing direct marketers of brand name computer products, today announced the formation of CDW Government, Inc. (CDWG), a wholly-owned subsidiary exclusively focused on serving the government and education marketplace. CDWG was formed to address the unique needs of customers in the government and education markets around the United States and signals CDW's long-term commitment to providing specialized service and leadership to this market. CDWG will operate with a unique combination of a field sales force and contract bid team, headquartered at a national sales office in Chantilly, Va., augmented by inside sales account managers in VERNON HILLS, Ill. CDWG will service all government and educational accounts previously served by CDW, which generate approximately $100 million in annualized sales. "CDWG will bring the best commercial practices that have been developed during CDW's 14-year history to the government and education marketplace. We are committed to expanding CDWG's presence and becoming a long-term leader in this market," said CDW's Chairman and CEO Michael Krasny. CDWG will offer a variety of government procurement vehicles, including GSA schedule, open market purchases, blanket purchase agreements (BPA's) and other formal bid contracts. Additionally, CDWG has launched www.cdwg.com, a Web site dedicated to bringing the latest in electronic commerce to the government marketplace. William Shafley, CDWG's vice president of sales, will lead CDWG's sales and marketing efforts from its national sales office. An industry veteran with more than 16 years of experience, Shafley's knowledge of the unique government procurement vehicles, and other specialized needs, will enable CDWG to provide customized solutions for its customers. "By leveraging CDW's operational strengths and customer service orientation, CDWG customers will benefit from quick and accurate same-day shipping, competitive pricing, lifetime toll-free technical support, custom configuration and broad product selection," said Shafley. "With the combination of market-specific experience and expertise, availability of the products government and education customers need at competitive prices, and a fast and flexible operating culture, CDWG has everything it takes to be the supplier of choice for this market," Shafley continued. CDWG offers more than 30,000 computer products across all product categories and major brand names including Compaq, IBM, Toshiba, Hewlett Packard and Microsoft. CDWG customers have the ability to access their purchase history, order status and special pricing, as well as order online, from the CDWG customized, secured Web site. Government and education customers can find out more About CDWG's product offering, service and solutions by calling 800-863-4239 or by visiting the CDWG Web site at www.cdwg.com. About CDW CDW Computer Centers, Inc., a Fortune 1000 company, is one of the country's largest and fastest growing direct marketers of microcomputer products, providing customized solutions and support to business and consumer customers nationwide. Founded in 1984, CDW today has more than 1,400 coworkers whose efforts generated net sales that topped $1.4 billion for the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 1998. The No. 1 authorized direct source for Compaq, IBM, Microsoft and Toshiba, CDW offers more than 30,000 brand name microcomputer products to business, government, educational, institutional and home office users in the United States. With lifetime technical support and other industry leading service capabilities, CDW prides itself on providing unparalleled support, solutions and customer service. With more than 50 factory-trained and certified technicians on staff, CDW provides customized solutions, completing more than 2,500 custom configurations each week, free of charge. More information About CDW is available on the company's award-winning Web site, www.cdw.com, or by calling 800-671-4239. Additional information can be found by visiting CDW.com.