Business Editors

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 9, 2000

ADC Ranks Tops Among Network Communications Companies

ADC (Nasdaq: ADCT; www.adc.com) has been named one of America's Most Admired Companies, according to FORTUNE Magazine's recently announced survey of leading business men and women. This is ADC's first appearance on the list, which includes leading companies such as General Electric, Microsoft Corporation and Home Depot. The survey results will appear in the February 21 issue of FORTUNE, which is available on newsstands beginning February 14.

The winners of FORTUNE's annual list of America's Most Admired Companies were chosen from the 1,000 largest U.S. companies (ranked by revenues) and the 25 largest U.S. subsidiaries of foreign-owned companies. ADC was selected in the Network Communications industry segment, which included Cisco Systems, Lucent Technologies, Tellabs, 3Com Corporation, and Cabletron Systems.

In evaluating the companies in their respective industries, FORTUNE asked business executives to rate companies on the following eight key attributes of reputation: innovativeness, quality of management, employee talent, quality of products/services, long-term investment value, financial soundness, social responsibility and use of corporate assets.

&uot;We were quite excited to learn of this selection,&uot; said William J. Cadogan, chairman, president and CEO of ADC. &uot;ADC continues to build a world class team of people who are innovative, responsive and committed to excellence. It is encouraging to see that business men and women throughout the country are impressed with our people and performance.&uot;

The FORTUNE list includes a top ten list made up of companies across all market segments and is topped by General Electric. To create the top ten list, Clark Martire &Bartolomeo asked 10,000 executives, directors, and securities analysts to select the five companies they admired most, regardless of industry from a list containing the companies that ranked among the top 25% in last year's survey, and those that finished in the top 20% of their industry.

The FORTUNE selection is the second such honor for ADC this year. ADC was recently included in the FORBES Magazine Platinum List as one of America's Best Big Companies in the telecommunications category. The selection appeared in the January 10 issue of FORBES.