BELTWAY BIZ

CrossMedia Revs Its Engines:
With the commercial launch of its new technology less than two months away, CrossMedia Networks Corp. is focusing on money and people.

The McLean, Va., company may not be a household name, but it has gained the attention of Washington's technology community. With its speech technology that can read you your e-mail over a telephone, the company closed on its $850,000 initial round of financing earlier this month and almost doubled its staff to 10 employees just days later.

Investors in the company include David Boast, a vice president of UUNet Technologies Inc. of Fairfax, Va., and Alan Wurtzel, vice chairman of Circuit City Stores in Richmond, Va. Boast will also sit on CrossMedia's board of directors.

Michele Woodward, a spokeswoman for CrossMedia, said the company is now looking at a second round of financing in the $3 million to $4 million range from venture capitalists.

Once the new technology goes commercial, CrossMedia's sales team will sell to Internet service providers and personal communications services companies, which will then resell to the end user.

ACSI Finds New Leader:
American Communications Services Inc. in Annapolis Junction, Md., filled the chief operating officer slot that has been vacant since George Tronsrue left the company last year.

Ronald Spears, previously corporate vice president of telecommunications for Citizens Utilities in Stamford, Conn., has taken over the position at the competitive local exchange carrier. Spears also served as president of Washington-based MCI Communications Corp.'s Midwest division.

Tronsrue joined ACSI in early 1994, serving as both COO and president. One year ago, Jack Reich joined the company and took the president and chief executive officer titles.

MicroStrategy Lands Two Board Members:
MicroStrategy, a Vienna, Va., developer of data warehousing-related products, appointed two new board members last week.

Frank Ingari, who was chief executive at Shiva Corp. until last year, and Ralph Terkowitz, vice president of technology for the Washington Post Company (Washington Technology's parent company), will sit on MicroStrategy's board.

-Bob Starzynski

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