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West Corporation Reports Second Quarter 2010 Results

OMAHA, Neb. - (BUSINESS WIRE) - West Corporation, a leading provider of technology-driven, voice-oriented solutions, today announced its second quarter 2010 results.

Financial Summary (unaudited)
(Dollars in millions)
				Three Months Ended									Six Months Ended
				June 30,									June 30,
				2010			2009			Percent			2010			2009			Percent
										Change									Change
Revenue				$596.5			$606.9			-1.7%			$1,196.4			$1,213.9			-1.4%
Adjusted EBITDA1				$164.1			$166.6			-1.5%			$330.9			$330.2			0.2%
Adjusted EBITDA Margin				27.5%			27.5%						27.7%			27.2%
Cash Flow from Operations				$71.7			$52.1			37.6%			$187.2			$101.0			85.3%
Net Income				$36.3			$26.4			37.5%			$72.3			$57.1			26.6%

Consolidated Operating Results
For the second quarter of 2010, revenue was $596.5 million compared to $606.9 million for the same quarter last year, a decrease of 1.7 percent. The net increase in revenue from entities acquired or sold² was $2.8 million during the second quarter of 2010.

Foreign currency exchange rates negatively impacted revenue and Adjusted EBITDA in the second quarter by $7.3 million and $3.8 million, respectively, compared to the rates used for 2010 guidance. Year-to-date, revenue and Adjusted EBITDA are lower by $10.2 million and $5.3 million, respectively, due to foreign currency exchange rates. The two most significant exchange rates used for 2010 guidance provided in February were as follows: British Pound Sterling 1.63 and Euro 1.46.

"Despite a difficult operating environment, we continue to produce solid results. The Company effectively managed expenses, especially in the Communication Services segment, which contributed to repeat records in operating income of $118.5 million and operating margin of 19.9 percent," said CFO, Paul Mendlik. "We also had strong cash flows from operations of $71.7 million in the second quarter."

Adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter of 2010 was $164.1 million, or 27.5 percent of revenue, compared to $166.6 million, or 27.5 percent of revenue, for the second quarter of 2009. A reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to cash flows from operating activities is presented below.

Balance Sheet and Liquidity
At June 30, 2010, West Corporation had cash and cash equivalents totaling $66.2 million and working capital of $174.0 million.

During the second quarter of 2010, the Company invested $26.0 million in capital expenditures primarily for software and computer equipment.

Acquisition
As previously announced, during the second quarter the Company acquired Holly Connects, a premium provider of carrier-grade voice platforms. Results from Holly Connects will be included in the Communications Services segment and are not expected to have a material impact on the Company's 2010 results.

Conference Call
The Company will hold a conference call to discuss these topics on Thursday, July 22, 2010 at 11:00 AM Eastern Time (10:00 AM Central Time). Investors may access the call by visiting the Financials section of the West Corporation website at www.west.com and clicking on the Webcast link. A replay of the call will be available on the Company's website at www.west.com.

About West Corporation
West Corporation is a leading provider of technology-driven, voice-oriented solutions. West offers its clients a broad range of communications and infrastructure management solutions that help them manage or support critical communications. West's customer contact solutions and conferencing services are designed to improve its clients' cost structure and provide reliable, high-quality services. West also provides mission-critical services, such as public safety and emergency communications.

Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, West serves Fortune 1000 companies and other clients in a variety of industries, including telecommunications, banking, retail, financial, technology and healthcare. West has sales and operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Latin America. For more information on West Corporation, please call 1-800-841-9000 or visit www.west.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "intends," "continue" or similar terminology. These statements reflect only West's current expectations and are not guarantees of future performance or results. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the effects of global economic trends on the businesses of West's clients; competition in West's highly competitive industries; West's ability to keep pace with its clients' needs for rapid technological change and systems availability; the loss, financial difficulties or bankruptcy of any key clients; the non-exclusive nature of West's client contracts and the absence of revenue commitments; increases in the cost of voice and data services or significant interruptions in these services; the cost of pending and future litigation; extensive regulation affecting many of West's businesses; security and privacy breaches of the systems West uses to protect personal data; West's ability to protect its proprietary information or technology; the cost of defending West against intellectual property infringement claims; service interruptions to West's data and operation centers; West's ability to retain key personnel and attract a sufficient number of qualified employees; increases in labor costs and turnover rates; the political, economic and other conditions in the countries where West operates; changes in foreign exchange rates; West's ability to complete future acquisitions and integrate or achieve the objectives of its recent and future acquisitions; and West's ability to recover charged-off consumer receivables and decreases in collections in its receivables management business. In addition, West is subject to risks related to its level of indebtedness. Such risks include West's ability to generate sufficient cash to service its indebtedness and fund its other liquidity needs; West's ability to comply with covenants contained in its debt instruments; the incurrence of significant additional indebtedness by West and its subsidiaries and the ability of West's lenders to fulfill their lending commitments. West is also subject to other risk factors described in documents filed by the company with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which the statements were made. West undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by applicable law.

WEST CORPORATION
CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Unaudited, in thousands except selected operating data)
			Three Months Ended June 30,										Six Months Ended June 30,
			2010				2009				% Change		2010				2009				% Change
Revenue			$	596,549			$	606,907			-1.7%		$	1,196,370			$	1,213,866			-1.4%
Cost of services				263,433				269,268			-2.2%			524,256				538,318			-2.6%
Selling, general and administrative expenses				214,639				229,893			-6.6%			436,392				459,347			-5.0%
Operating income				118,477				107,746			10.0%			235,722				216,201			9.0%
Interest expense				59,882				63,616			-5.9%			118,931				127,484			-6.7%
Other expense (income), net				58				802			-92.8%			185				(5,493	)		-103.4%
Income before tax				58,537				43,328			35.1%			116,606				94,210			23.8%
Income tax expense				22,244				16,202			37.3%			44,310				34,971			26.7%
Net income				36,293				27,126			33.8%			72,296				59,239			22.0%
Less net income - Noncontrolling interest				-				691			NM			-				2,180			NM
Net income - West Corporation			$	36,293			$	26,435			37.3%		$	72,296			$	57,059			26.7%
SELECTED SEGMENT DATA:
Revenue:
Unified Communications			$	309,053			$	288,748			7.0%		$	608,245			$	567,043			7.3%
Communication Services				288,985				319,454			-9.5%			590,814				649,642			-9.1%
Intersegment eliminations				(1,489	)			(1,295	)		-15.0%			(2,689	)			(2,819	)		4.6%
Total			$	596,549			$	606,907			-1.7%		$	1,196,370			$	1,213,866			-1.4%
Depreciation & Amortization:
Unified Communications			$	22,343			$	23,222			-3.8%		$	46,309			$	45,257			2.3%
Communication Services				20,401				25,851			-21.1%			40,008				51,415			-22.2%
Total			$	42,744			$	49,073			-12.9%		$	86,317			$	96,672			-10.7%
Operating Income:
Unified Communications			$	83,366			$	78,135			6.7%		$	160,848			$	157,307			2.3%
Communication Services				35,111				29,611			18.6%			74,874				58,894			27.1%
Total			$	118,477			$	107,746			10.0%		$	235,722			$	216,201			9.0%
Operating Margin:
Unified Communications				27.0	%			27.1	%		-0.4%			26.4	%			27.7	%		-4.7%
Communication Services				12.1	%			9.3	%		30.1%			12.7	%			9.1	%		39.6%
Total				19.9	%			17.8	%		11.8%			19.7	%			17.8	%		10.7%
SELECTED OPERATING DATA ($M):
Cash flow from operations				71.7				52.1						187.2				101.0
Term loan facility				2,434.9				2,472.8
Revolving credit facilities				-				263.8
Senior and senior subordinated notes				1,100.0				1,100.0
Revenue from automated services ($M)3				407.0				387.9			4.9%			808.4				760.0			6.4%
Revenue from agent-based services ($M)				189.5				219.0			-13.5%			387.9				453.9			-14.5%
			Condensed Balance Sheets
			June 30,				December 31,				%
			2010				2009				Change
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents			$	66,182			$	59,068			12.0%
Trust and restricted cash				16,565				14,750			12.3%
Accounts receivable, net				385,464				353,622			9.0%
Deferred income taxes receivable				18,027				35,356			-49.0%
Prepaid assets				40,122				34,063			17.8%
Other current assets				37,477				46,757			-19.8%
Total current assets				563,837				543,616			3.7%
Net property and equipment				336,231				333,267			0.9%
Goodwill				1,647,560				1,665,569			-1.1%
Other assets				461,134				502,810			-8.3%
Total assets			$	3,008,762			$	3,045,262			-1.2%
Current liabilities			$	389,788			$	368,609			5.7%
Long-term obligations				3,522,223				3,607,873			-2.4%
Other liabilities				156,903				161,524			-2.9%
Total liabilities				4,068,914				4,138,006			-1.7%
Class L common stock				1,413,958				1,332,721			6.1%
Stockholders' deficit				(2,474,110	)			(2,425,465	)		-2.0%
Total liabilities and stockholders' deficit			$	3,008,762			$	3,045,262			-1.2%
NM: Not Meaningful

Reconciliation of Financial Measures
The common definition of EBITDA is "Earnings Before Interest Expense, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization." In evaluating liquidity, we use earnings before interest expense, share based compensation, taxes, depreciation and amortization, minority interest, non-recurring litigation settlement costs, other non-cash reserves, transaction costs and after acquisition synergies and excluding unrestricted subsidiaries, or "Adjusted EBITDA." EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are not measures of financial performance or liquidity under generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for net income, cash flows from operations or other income or cash flows data prepared in accordance with GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA, as presented, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies. Adjusted EBITDA is presented as we understand certain investors use it as one measure of our historical ability to service debt. Adjusted EBITDA is also used in our debt covenants, although the precise adjustments used to calculate Adjusted EBITDA included in our credit facility and indentures vary in certain respects among such agreements and from those presented below. Set forth below is a reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to cash flows from operations.

Amounts in thousands			Three Months Ended June 30,									Six Months Ended June 30,
			2010				2009					2010				2009
Cash flow from operating activities			$	71,714			$	52,139				$	187,195			$	100,994
Income tax expense				22,244				16,202					44,310				34,971
Deferred income tax expense				(1,000	)			(533	)				(17,824	)			(9,022	)
Interest expense				59,952				63,616					119,075				127,679
Provision for share based compensation				(846	)			(380	)				(1,728	)			(715	)
Amortization of loan origination costs				(3,999	)			(4,178	)				(8,009	)			(8,289	)
Other				2				1,072					(8	)			2,202
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of business acquisitions				13,166				28,078					(1,013	)			70,740
EBITDA				161,233				156,016					321,998				318,560
Provision for share based compensation				846				380					1,728				715
Acquisition synergies and transaction costs				702				4,586					2,921				9,869
Site closures and other impairments				1,371				2,678					3,053				2,967
Non-cash foreign currency loss (gain)				(38	)			2,518					1,193				(4,593	)
Non-recurring litigation settlement costs				-				450					10				2,669
Adjusted EBITDA			$	164,114			$	166,628				$	330,903			$	330,187

The following table summarizes the Company's cash flows by category for the periods presented.

Amounts in thousands			Three Months Ended June 30,									Six Months Ended June 30,
			2010				2009					2010				2009
Cash flows from operating activities			$	71,714			$	52,139				$	187,195			$	100,994
Cash flows used in investing activities			$	(40,682	)		$	(16,368	)			$	(74,463	)		$	(39,662	)
Cash flows used in financing activities			$	(19,308	)		$	(22,606	)			$	(100,339	)		$	(40,587	)

¹ See Reconciliation of Financial Measures.

² Net revenue from entities acquired or sold includes the acquisitions of Stream57 and SKT BCS in the Unified Communications segment and the acquisition of Holly Connects and the sale of the Positron CAD business in the Communications Services segment.

³ Automated services includes Unified Communications, Intrado and West Interactive

West Corporation
David Pleiss, 402-963-1500
Investor Relations
dmpleiss@west.com