1.   Member companies spent most of the first year trying to hammer out a mission and a game plan.

2.   And member companies buy so-called excess insurance from their commercial insurers to cover losses above the limits of their own policies.

3.   Before forming their own company, the two were employed at Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corp., a consortium in Austin that finds new technology uses for member companies.

4.   Abilizer acquires content from various providers and makes it available to member companies.

5.   But the member companies still have remained far apart on how best to position the venture and on details of its budget.

6.   Daily stock market reports attribute the rise in the Dow to events such as strong profits in member companies such as Eastman Kodak and General Electric Co.

7.   Despite their longevity, the member companies are not museum pieces.

8.   Early member companies, spread out across the country, presented one another in their home cities, thereby increasing national exposure.

9.   IBWA member companies with facilities abroad are subject to the same surprise inspections.

10.   IMRO refuses to comment on any investigations it conducts into its member companies.