FABER TO DEVELOP BI SOLUTIONS FOR CHICAGO TRIBUNE

The Chicago Tribune, Chicago's leading daily newspaper, has again turned to Faber Consulting for business intelligence (BI) solutions. Under a new agreement, Faber, a management consulting firm focused exclusively on the expanding data warehousing market, will develop a comprehensive BI system for the classified recruitment division of the Chicago Tribune. Faber's BI system will enable the publication to capture, manage and analyze volumes of print and online classified advertising data by customer and product, and convert it into actionable information used to carry out competitive analysis, forecasting and customer relationship management (CRM) initiatives. Faber was selected for the project following the successful implementation of previous BI applications for the Chicago Tribune.

The partnership comes at a time of heightened competition in the classified industry, as the economy spurs more businesses to complement traditional advertising with alternative channels, such as online job sites, niche publications and job fairs to attract employees. Proactively addressing the direction of the market by advancing its analytical capabilities, the Chicago Tribune will be even better positioned to leverage its mountain of current and historical data assets, contained in three operational systems, and offer more creative and strategic integrated recruitment solutions to its customers. As important, information will be more readily available to management and sales personnel through the new system.

"The Chicago Tribune is taking a closer look at customer needs, advertising choices and success rates in print and online" said Jane Migely, director of classified advertising. "With Faber Consulting's business intelligence solutions, we can build on existing programs and offer more innovative and customized solutions."

Faber Consulting is recognized for its unique approach to combining technology with proven business strategies. It is the first and only management consulting firm dedicated to building business intelligence solutions that leverage the vast data assests of enterprise resource planning (ERP), CRM, and legacy systems, while incorporating all aspects of the software development lifecycle, from strategy definition through implementation, as well as supporting the hardware infrastructure.

"Simply put, we wanted our initiatives to work effectively and efficiently, so we turned to Faber," Migely added. "We are an organization driven by quality control standards and recognize that Faber possesses the same professional mindset. We could see from day one the personalization Faber was bringing to our company and the quality that they would soon deliver."

Faber has already proven itself on past Chicago Tribune projects, including the News in Education (NIE) division. The NIE engaged Faber to define application requirements, design the technical architecture, develop the data model and complete source-to-target data mappings for a customer-centric data warehouse. The Faber BI system today supports sales employees in identifying and targeting potential markets for the company's educational services.

In October, Faber will commence the first phase of the Chicago Tribune project, which will provide integrated information specifically for Help Wanted classified advertising. Subsequent BI efforts will enhance functionality and expand the data warehouse to include automotive, real estate, and merchandising classified advertising. Faber's solution encompasses several vendors and technologies, including a Sun 6500 server running Oracle 8i as the data warehouse repository platform and Microsoft NT Server 4.0 and Business Objects for enforcing business rules and presentation requirements. The number of data warehouse users is estimated to include 100 to 120 Chicago Tribune employees.

"Our goal is to provide clients with the best solutions for their given business problem," says John Onder, president of Faber Consulting. "We stood back from the Chicago Tribune, assessed the situation, and recommended a series of best practice business solutions. Our Knowledge Builder methodology allows us to map out the entire life cycle of a project and present it to the client, clarifying expectations involved at each stage of implementation and support. With our objectivity and expertise, we are proud to provide the Chicago Tribune the BI solutions needed to continue as a leader in its field."

About Faber Consulting

Faber Consulting (www.faberconsulting.com) is an innovative and comprehensive professional services company that focuses exclusively on integrated business intelligence and e-business solutions, what it calls i-business. By combining its proven methodologies and deep experiences, Faber helps organizations deliver results. Faber's business-driven approach focuses on the bottom line, while being responsive to and understanding the information needs and technology challenges companies face today.

The company's expertise includes providing Internet-based solutions that enable organizations to transform their vast data assets into true business intelligence that produce new revenue streams, improve customer relationships and increase market dominance. Headquartered in Chicago, Faber also has branch offices in Dallas and Los Angeles.

Contact Elizabeth Scanlon Bils, elizabeth@scanloncc.com or Leslie Beyer of Scanlon Corporate Communications, 312-822-9299.