Clearfield CEO Cheri Beranek Podzimek Named Industry Leader at Mpls/St. Paul Business Journal's Women in Business Ceremony

Podzimek's role in Clearfield's turnaround, including revitalizing profitability, rebranding the company, and new product innovation cited

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal named Clearfield, Inc. (Nasdaq:CLFD) President and CEO Cheri Beranek Podzimek an "Industry Leader" at its "Women in Business" luncheon and award ceremony, May 21, 2009, in downtown Minneapolis.

Podzimek's significant role in Clearfield's turnaround was cited as a key reason why she is at the forefront of the telecommunications industry and still breaking new ground. The Business Journal noted, "When Podzimek took the helm of Clearfield in 2007, the Plymouth-based company was unprofitable and struggling to rewire itself for growth. Podzimek rebranded and reinvented Clearfield, shutting down a research-and-development operation that weighed down earnings, and focusing the business on its core customers: small, rural telecom service providers. The result was a $1.5 million profit in fiscal 2008 versus a $2.9 million loss the year before."

Podzimek was also quoted, "While it was personally gratifying to be named the Turn-Around-Story of 2008 by the American Business Awards and recognized for our performance at a dinner in New York last fall, what was most satisfying was awarding performance bonuses and stock options to the employee community that made it happen."

Podzimek joined the firm in 2003 as president of APA Cables and Networks. The company's name was changed to Clearfield, Inc. in early 2008. She has more than 20 years experience with high-growth technology companies, including Digi International. She credits former Digi Vice President Gary Deaner as being a key mentor. "He taught me that to be successful in high-growth technology opportunities, you need to trust your instincts, as long as those instincts were based upon sound raw data."

About Clearfield, Inc.

Clearfield, Inc. designs and manufactures the WaveSmart PowerNode and FieldSmart Fiber Management Platform, which includes its latest generation FieldSmart Fiber Distribution System (FDS), FieldSmart Fiber Scalability Center (FSC) and FieldSmart Fiber Delivery Point (FDP) series. The FDS, FSC and FDP product lines support a wide range of panel configurations, cabinet and wall mount panel sizes, densities, connectors and adapter options, and are offered alongside an assortment of passive optical components for the inside plant, outside plant and access networks. Clearfield also provides a complete line of fiber and copper assemblies. Clearfield is a public company, traded on NASDAQ:CLFD.

    Source: Clearfield, Inc.

Released May 22, 2009