PIERS(R) Launches Trade Profiles Connect 'Click-to-Email' Business Contacts Feature

NEWARK, N.J., Jan. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- PIERS Global Intelligence Solutions (www.piers.com), a Commonwealth Business Media company, is kicking off 2008 with a software update and new subscription option for its industry-leading Trade Profiles.(R) Trade Profiles is the Web-based sales and marketing intelligence source for current trading activities plus the D&B D-U-N-S(R) Number*-identified business profiles of the more than 350,000 most-active companies in U.S. import-export commerce.

With the Version 1.95 release, Trade Profiles adds immediate access to key company contacts via a new Trade Profiles Connect feature: When users click on the highlighted contact name in a company profile, an email application opens, enabling them to send a message directly to that contact's email box.

In this 2008 release, more than 65,000 contact names in the Trade Profiles database -- those that passed "opt-out" screening -- have been enhanced with this direct email feature.

"Trade Profiles Connect is a simple-to-use tool for extracting commercial value from the expansive information contained in our trade database," says Lenny Corallo, PIERS executive vice president. "With just a few clicks, you can research and identify your best prospects from among the more than 65,000 top players in international trade, and then connect with them through email."

"Trade Profiles Connect is a direct communication feature that permits emailing, but maintains privacy by not disclosing recipients' email addresses," Corallo noted.

Trade Profiles Connect is available on a subscription-only basis. The 1.95 Trade Profiles update also offers additional enhancements to the Web-based information product, available to pay-per-view users as well as subscribers, including:

      -- More functional-level contact names and titles have been added to the
         Trade Profiles database, and up to three contacts per company can be
         downloaded to Microsoft Excel* (all company contacts listed can be
         downloaded into a pdf).
      -- "Top 5" import or export commodities are now a standard component of
         Trade Profiles reports.
      -- More refined search options include searching multiple company names
         at one time, searching HS codes using a wildcard and setting your own
         open-ended search ranges for TEUs, number of shipments, estimated
         values, sales volumes, and more.

To learn more about Trade Profiles and how this Web-based market intelligence resource can support your global business strategies, visit www.piers.com/piersproducts, call PIERS at 1-800-952-3839 ext. 7128 or email info@piers.com.

*D&B D-U-N-S Numbers are proprietary to D&B, are licensed from D&B and are for internal use only.

    D-U-N-S is a registered trademark of D&B.
    * Microsoft Excel is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation

About PIERS Global Intelligence Solutions

A division of Commonwealth Business Media, Inc., PIERS Global Intelligence Solutions is the primary source of U.S. waterborne trade information and a leading provider of trade information products for companies that do business on a global basis.

A roster of over 6,000 private industry, trade association, and domestic and foreign government clients, representing more than 40 countries, relies on PIERS to translate trade data into meaningful intelligence that guides their global business strategies. For more information visit www.piers.com

About Commonwealth Business Media

Commonwealth Business Media, Inc., a subsidiary of United Business Media plc, is the leading information provider to the global trade and transportation market with comprehensive proprietary data, news and analytical content. Its leading brands include The Journal of Commerce, PIERS Global Intelligence Solutions, BACK Aviation Solutions, Air Cargo World, Traffic World, OAG and Aviation Industry Group, a number of directory databases covering the international trade, railroad and trucking markets. The Company also produces more than 30 conferences serving the international trade, aviation and maritime markets. Commonwealth Business Media is headquartered in East Windsor, NJ, and employs more than 800 people in major cities throughout the United States and in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan. For more information on Commonwealth Business Media Inc., and the products it offers, explore cbizmedia.com or call 800-221-5488 or +1-609-371-7700 outside the U.S. and Canada.