Hot Banana Grows Web CMS Client Base, Hits Operational Milestones in Five Months Since Acquisition by J.L. Halsey Achievements Also Include Increased International Presence, Additional Staff and CMS Watch 'Mid-Market Challenger' Ranking

Hot Banana Software, Inc. (www.hotbanana.com), a leader in Web content management for marketing, today announced that it has won 20 new clients and achieved a number of key operational milestones since August, when J.L. Halsey (OTCBB:JLHY) acquired the company. The company's more than 200-strong client base grew by 10 percent during the period. The diverse cross-section of new accounts includes Arnold Clark Finance, Hot Banana's first U.K. client, and Fortune 500 giant Ingersoll Rand.

Barrie, ON and Menlo Park, CA (PRWeb) January 17, 2007 -- Hot Banana Software, Inc. (www.hotbanana.com), a leader in Web content management for marketing, today announced that it has won 20 new clients and achieved a number of key operational milestones since August, when J.L. Halsey (OTCBB:JLHY) acquired the company.

The company's more than 200-strong client base grew by 10 percent during the period. The diverse cross-section of new accounts includes Arnold Clark Finance, Hot Banana's first U.K. client, and Fortune 500 giant Ingersoll Rand.

"Hot Banana is moving aggressively to expand our leadership in the Web CMS space," said Krista LaRiviere, general manager, Hot Banana Software, Inc. "We're innovators in Web site optimization - making Web sites that work better for marketers. And we'll soon be releasing an enhanced version of Hot Banana with first-of-its-kind features that help online marketers achieve higher organic search-engine rankings, better manage their email campaigns, seamlessly launch landing pages and integrate with the Web analytics vendor of their choice."

New channel partners have been signed to sell, implement and support Hot Banana, including ipXperts in Mexico, U.K. firm White October and Oasis Technology Partners in the United States.

To further solidify its international presence, Hot Banana established U.S. headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., near its fellow Halsey subsidiary EmailLabs. The company also grew its workforce by more than 50 percent, building out its R&D, sales and marketing teams, and expanded its Canadian headquarters.

Industry analysts have taken note. For the first time, the influential industry organization CMS Watch reviewed Hot Banana. In the September 2006 issue of The CMS Report, CMS Watch ranks Hot Banana as a "Mid-Market Challenger."

About Hot Banana Software, Inc.
Hot Banana (www.hotbanana.com) is a leader in Web content management for marketing and the pioneer in Web site optimization - making Web sites that work better for marketers. It is the first Web CMS that is search-engine-friendly to increase Web traffic, loaded with eMarketing tools to turn traffic into leads, and, when integrated with Web analytics, able to convert prospects into customers. Available as an On Demand, Software as a Service (SaaS) offering, or as an on-site, licensed ColdFusion CMS, Hot Banana powers sites for more than 200 clients worldwide.

Headquartered in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, with a U.S. office in Menlo Park, Calif., Hot Banana is a subsidiary of J.L. Halsey Corporation (OTCBB:JLHY), a leading provider of technology solutions for mid-size marketers. Halsey is also the parent company of Lyris Technologies, EmailLabs and ClickTracks.

Media Contacts:
Ken Greenberg
Edge Communications, Inc.
818/990-5001

David Terry
Vice president, marketing, Hot Banana
705/792-3880 x. 222

Press Contact: DAVID TERRY
Company Name: Hot Banana Software Inc.
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 705-792-3880
Website: http://www.hotbanana.com

Press Release Source: EMediaWire