Chuck Kostalnick Named to Top North American Post At Bell Microproducts

Bell Microproducts Inc. (Pink Sheets:BELM), one of the world's largest value-added distributors of storage and computing technology, today announced the promotion of Chuck Kostalnick to president of North American distribution. Kostalnick brings over 20 years of experience in the electronic distribution industry to his new position.

Kostalnick, having previously served as senior vice president for Bell Micro's Technology Solutions Group while concurrently working to develop and grow Bell Micro's value add business, brings unique insight and qualifications to his new post at the helm of the company's North American distribution operations. Kostalnick will report directly to Graeme Watt, president of worldwide distribution for Bell Microproducts, and will be responsible for all sales and marketing business units for North America, as well as continue his leadership role within the Technology Solutions Group.

Bell Micro will leverage Kostalnick's depth of knowledge and years of industry experience to head up key initiatives focused on widening its customer base and broadening its vendor portfolio to continually offer the best products available.

"Chuck is already an accomplished member of our management team, and under his leadership, Bell Micro's OEM business has grown substantially," noted Watt. "Chuck has garnered the respect of those both inside and outside of Bell Micro, and I am confident that he will successfully rise to the new challenge of leading our North American distribution team." Kostalnick replaces Jerry Kagele, who previously held this post and has left Bell Micro to pursue another opportunity.

Kostalnick is an industry veteran who has held several executive level positions at other top tier distributors including vice president of sales for Arrow's OEM Computing Solutions division as well as additional senior management positions with Arrow, Avnet Electronics Marketing, and Marshall Industries.

"Bell Micro is an organization of the highest caliber with a rich history and exciting future, and I look forward to contributing to its continued success in North America -- as well as building upon that success and taking it to the next level," said Kostalnick.

Kostalnick received his B.S. degree in economics from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

About Bell Microproducts Inc.

Bell Microproducts Inc. (Pink Sheets:BELM) is an international, value-added distributor of a wide range of high-tech products, solutions and services including, storage systems, servers, software, computer components, and peripherals, as well as maintenance and professional services. An industry-recognized specialist in storage products, the company is one of the world's largest storage-centric value-added distributors.

Bell Microproducts is uniquely qualified with deep technical and application expertise to service a broad range of information technology needs. From design to deployment, its products are available at any level of integration, from components to subsystem assemblies and fully-integrated, tested and certified system solutions. More information can be found in the company's SEC filings, or by visiting the Bell Microproducts web site at www.bellmicro.com.

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SOURCE: Bell Microproducts Inc.

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          Dena Grigas
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