September 27, 2004

Cynthia Driskill, CDG, Named as Finalist in 2004 STEVIE™ Awards for Women Entrepreneurs

CDG was named a Finalist today in the Lifetime Achievement Award and Community Involvement Program of the Year categories in The 2004 Stevie Awards for Women Entrepreneurs.

The Stevie Awards for Women Entrepreneurs, www.stevieawards/women, is a new national awards competition recognizing the accomplishments of women small business owners in the United States. The awards are produced by the creators of the prestigious American Business Awards, hailed as “the business world’s own Oscars” by the New York Post (September 22, 2002).

Winners will be announced on Friday, October 22 at the Marriott Marquis in New York City’s Times Square. The master of ceremonies will be Bill Rancic, spokesperson for Advanta, which is sponsoring the awards and winner of the hit television show “The Apprentice.”

More than 600 nominations from small companies in virtually every industry were submitted for consideration in 18 categories, including Best Entrepreneur, Best Young Entrepreneur, Best New Product and Mentor of the Year. Cynthia Driskill was named as a finalist in the categories for Lifetime Achievement and Community Involvement Program of the Year.

Driskill has been acknowledged for her contributions to the business world and for her extraordinary personal accomplishments with a host of prestigious awards including Ernst & Young’s Southwest Area 2000 Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the 2001 National General Excellence award by Working Woman Magazine, the Small Business Administration’s 2001 Small Businessperson of the Year award, the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce’s 2001 Small Business of the Year award, and the 2002 Greater Dallas Society of Financial Services Professionals Business Ethics Award.

Additionally, Driskill founded “CEOs Walk the Walk”, a new concept to enable small businesses and major charitable organizations to have a symbiotic relationship, with unique and untapped benefits for both groups. The team has raised nearly $200,000 for March of Dimes since its inception in 2002.

Advanta Corp. (NASDAQ: ADVNB; ADVNA) is the exclusive sponsor of The 2004 Stevie Awards for Women Entrepreneurs, and has been committed to supporting the success of women in business for over 50 years. Founded as Teachers’ Service Organization, originally providing needs-based loans to teachers – mostly women – at a time when banks often did not, Advanta is now one of the nation’s largest issuers of MasterCard business credit cards to America’s small businesses through its subsidiary Advanta Bank Corp.

“The Finalists for the first-ever Stevie Awards for Women Entrepreneurs comprise the most dynamic women in business today. These entrepreneurs have accomplished innovative and extraordinary things while building their business,” said Dennis Alter, chairman and CEO of Advanta. “We congratulate all of them on their achievement.”

“To be recognized as a finalist among the most outstanding entrepreneurs in the nation is quite an honor,” Driskill says. “We appreciate the opportunities the Stevie Awards provides women leaders across the US.”

The Stevie Awards for Women Entrepreneurs are governed by a board of Distinguished Judges & Advisors that features many leading women entrepreneurs and figures in American business, including Carrie Fitzmaurice, publisher for Entrepreneur Media Inc.; Dr. Lisa Krinsky, chairman & president for SFBC International; and Dr. Betty Spence, president of The National Association for Female Executives.

The elegant Stevie trophy was designed by R. S. Owens, the same company that makes the Oscar and the Emmy. Details about The Stevie Awards for Women Entrepreneurs and the full list of Finalists are available at http://www.stevieawards.com/women/.

About CDG

CDG is a national human resources information systems consulting firm headquartered in Dallas. CDG provides its clients with the industry’s latest human resources information systems and methodologies to support payroll, personnel and benefits operations. CDG supports applications including ADP Enterprise, Genesys, Lawson, Oracle, PeopleSoft, SAP, and UltiPro. CDG is a certified Women-owned Business Enterprise (WBE) and a GSA Schedule 70 Vendor. For more information, visit (www.cdg-inc.com).

About The Stevie Awards

Hailed as “the business world’s own Oscars” by the New York Post (September 22, 2002), Stevie Awards are conferred in three programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, and The Stevie Awards for Women Entrepreneurs. Honoring companies of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about The Stevie Awards at www.stevieawards.com.