UL DQS Signs Agreement for GQEX and QSU Services

Jacksonville, FL (09 July 2008) – Apogee Global Resources, Inc. (AGR), your worldwide business partner, has signed an agreement to market and promote ISO 9001 and other management system certificates awarded by UL DQS, Inc. and to provide UL DQS Inc. clients with a cobranded electronic subscription to leading industry publication Quality Systems Update (QSU).

The agreement provides an opportunity for UL DQS clients to be listed on Apogee’s Global Quality Exchange (GQEX) for management system certificates, product certification and auditors. The GQEX certification ticker appears, or will soon be posted, on popular web sites operated by QSU Publishing, a division of Apogee, as well as the web sites of partner organizations, including the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) in the United States and the Latin American organization for quality, Instituto Latinoamericano de la Calidad A.C. (INLAC).

“Many certification bodies talk about adding value to their management system certification program, but UL DQS is the first Big Ten Registrar to play an active role in promoting the certification investments of its clients,” says Ganesh Rao, who heads UL DQS. “At the same time we’re also providing our clients with one of industry’s best resources to stay abreast of important developments with respect to management systems.”

Located at www.GQEX.net on the World Wide Web, the GQEX ticker incorporates a traditional stock ticker format. But rather than reporting on stock activity, GQEX provides a worldwide marketing presence to certified organizations. The service was built upon the recently upgraded worldwide database of QSU Publishing, the largest global listing of certified suppliers anywhere in the world.

In recent weeks, GQEX has announced agreements with the South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (SCMEP) program, INLAC and ANAB — the recognized US body that accredits certification bodies to audit and certify the management systems of client organizations.
“Most certification bodies market their own services, but UL DQS has taken a leadership position in promoting its clients,” explains Ronald D. Mathis, president and chief executive officer of Apogee Global Resources Inc. “In a difficult economy, UL DQS has demonstrated the kind of out-of-the box thinking that clients need to stay competitive.”

Quality Systems Update (QSU), which was recently acquired by Apogee, is widely regarded as the definitive journal for management systems information, having broken every major development involving the ISO 9000 standards on quality management systems over the past 15 years.

Apogee Global Resources, Inc.
Headquartered in the Jacksonville, Florida metropolitan area, Apogee Global Resources, Inc. helps companies pursuing A Global Quality Initiative™ deliver their products or services to international standards, while maintaining optimal profitability and efficiency. Founded in 2002, the firm primarily serves Fortune 500 companies as well as large privately held enterprises. For more information about Apogee Global Resources, Inc., please visit www.apogeeglobalresources.com.

UL DQS, Inc.
UL DQS was recently formed by a merger of the management systems certification business of Underwriters Laboratories and DQS GmbH. This merger will meet the growing market demand to offer a full suite of services to customers who are expanding globally. It will also enable UL to provide a broader scope of management system registration services to better serve its valued customers. UL’s worldwide family of companies and network of service providers includes 62 laboratory, testing and certification facilities serving customers with business operations on six continents.

DQS, a German Registrar for Management Systems, was founded in 1985 by the German Institute for Standardization (DIN) and the German Society for Quality (DGQ) as the first German registrar for management systems. With offices in more than 30 countries, DQS performs assessments to more than 70 recognized standards and technical or industry-specific specifications, as well as intra-company requirements.