Rich Blewitt Joins W2 Group as Senior Advisor

First Assignment Will Be Support of Racepoint Group's World 2.0
Next-Generation Reputation Management Practice
WALTHAM, Mass.--(Business Wire)--
W2 Group, a next generation marketing services ecosystem, today
announced that Rich Blewitt, a renowned expert in global crisis and
issues management has joined the organization as a senior advisor.

Blewitt will initially focus on supporting the growth of Racepoint
Group's World 2.0 global reputation practice, which works with
corporations, countries and NGOs (non-governmental organizations) to
establish on- and offline dialogues and communities to promote
agendas. Racepoint Group is a global public relations agency with
special expertise in digital media relations.

"Rich offers great depth of experience and we benefit by his
presence in the strategically important Washington, D.C. market," said
W2 Group Chairman Larry Weber. "Rich will have an immediate impact on
the World 2.0 practice, providing strategy and counsel to W2 Group and
Racepoint Group for the benefit of our clients, which include global
executives and government leaders. These clients will benefit from
Rich's proven skills in problem-solving with corporate leaders."

Blewitt founded and led Rowan & Blewitt Incorporated, a premier
issues and crisis management firm that worked for top management of
many of the world's leading corporations, including 30 of the Fortune
100 companies. The firm worked with Exxon after the Valdez oil spill;
supported American Airlines following the 9/11 attack; assisted
Household Finance with the sub-prime lending controversy; counseled
Ford Motor during the issue with Firestone Tire; and served numerous
companies in a variety of industries to solve and prevent problems.
Rowan & Blewitt was considered by many in the "front office" suite to
be the firm to turn to for crisis and issue management.

Prior to forming Rowan & Blewitt, he was a former corporate
officer of Velsicol Chemical Corporation, where he received national
attention for leading the business' turnaround.

Blewitt is a member of the Board of Visitors of the University of
Maryland's University College (UMUC), one of the world's largest
public universities with major online growth, and of the Board of
Governors of the Josephson Institute of Ethics, best known for its
Character Counts! program for youngsters. He has served as chair of
both boards and both organizations are full partners in The Blewitt
Foundation, which he formed in 2005 to support the severely injured of
our nation's military and their families by offering unique programs
that provide special comfort, enjoyment and enrichment opportunities
to these families, with a focus on children.

A former reporter at The Scranton (PA) Times, Blewitt served as a
Navy journalist in Japan. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Government
and Politics from UMUC and holds an MBA degree from the University of
Chicago. He is also a graduate of Harvard Business School's
Owner/President Management program.

"I am thrilled to be working with a visionary firm that is
changing the landscape of corporate communications," said Blewitt.
"The combination of expert senior counsel with breakthrough
communications strategy and execution will have enormous impact on the
reputation and branding and marketing initiatives of corporations and
governments. The kinds of leaders I have worked with in the Fortune
500 will immediately embrace this as a critical means of competitive
differentiation."

About W2 Group, Inc.

W2 Group is a global marketing services ecosystem that helps CMOs
in their new role as builders of communities and content aggregators.
W2 Group companies, including Digital Influence Group and Racepoint
Group, are leaders in social media marketing in both paid and unpaid
media.

About Racepoint Group

Based in Waltham, Mass., Racepoint Group, Inc. is an award-winning
global public relations agency with special expertise in digital media
relations. We leverage the power of traditional and digital media
relations to elevate premium and emerging technology, health and
science brands - generating world-class media and analyst coverage
that directly impacts mindshare and marketshare. We lead in the
application of technology to our craft and provide clients with a
level of research, analytics and measurement that is unmatched in the
public relations industry. On the net: http://www.racepointgroup.com.

W2 Group, Inc.
Jackie Lustig, 781-487-4664
jlustig@w2groupinc.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008