OKLAHOMA CITY, Dec. 10, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- Dobson Communications Corporation (Nasdaq:DCEL) today announced that Ed Evans has resigned as president and chief operating officer to accept the position of chief executive officer for TSI Telecommunications Services, Inc., a leading provider of transaction-based call processing and other network services. Mr. Evans will remain with Dobson until he assumes his new responsibilities in January 2002.
"Ed has been a valuable member of our management team and contributed significantly to Dobson Communications' growth over the past five years," said Everett R. Dobson, chairman and chief executive officer. "We wish him well as he tackles this exciting new opportunity."
Doug Stephens will serve as interim chief operating officer for Dobson Communications, Mr. Dobson said. Mr. Stephens is regional vice president and general manager of Dobson's Central Region, which includes Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Missouri. He has served in various management positions in the wireless communication industry for 15 years, most recently at Cellular Communications Inc. and United States Cellular prior to joining Dobson Communications in March 1997. He earned a BS in Business Management from the University of Nebraska.
"Our Company has developed exceptionally deep bench strength in recent years," Mr. Dobson said. "Our five regions are very well led, backed up by one of the strongest management teams in the industry at our national headquarters. The implementation of our growth strategy will not be altered by this change, and we expect another year of record revenues and operating profit in 2002."
Dobson Communications is a leading provider of cellular phone services to rural markets in the United States. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, the rapidly growing Company owns or manages wireless operations in 19 states. For additional information on the Company and its operations, please visit its Web site at www.dobson.net.
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company's plans, intentions and expectations. Such statements are inherently subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These risks include, but are not limited to, increased levels of competition, shortages of key equipment, restrictions on the Company's ability to finance its growth and other factors. A more extensive discussion of the risk factors that could impact these areas and the Company's overall business and financial performance can be found in the Company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Given these concerns, investors and analysts should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.