Valassis Communications, Inc. (NYSE: VCI) proudly announced today that it has earned a spot on Working Mother magazine's 15th annual list of "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" for the second consecutive year. Overall Valassis ranked third as it relates to flexibility.

"At Valassis, our greatest strength as a company is the people who work here," said Alan F. Schultz, chairman, president and CEO of Valassis. "We strive to help our employees - men and women, alike- balance the challenges between working and home life. As a result, we have an energized and enthusiastic workforce."

Working Mother chose the 100 Best Companies based on six criteria: leave for new parents, flexible work arrangements, work/life benefits (such as elder care and adoption assistance), child care, advancement opportunities for women, and compensation. Editors of the magazine reviewed a range of supportive company offerings, such as health insurance premiums, availability of leave to care for sick children, mentoring programs, and extras, such as on-site gym facilities, and other lifestyle conveniences.

Some of Valassis' perks for working moms are: time off for adoption, flexible work hours, child care reimbursement, back-up/sick child care, and a new car seat for newborns, and discounted house cleaning services. Additionally, there is a resource and referral network that addresses a range of needs including financial and legal support, and advice on child care and youth academic services. Valassis also offers several on-site convenience services including a gym, dry-cleaning, hair and nail salon, a dinner-catering program, and a visiting physician.

"I've always wanted to have a family and maintain a challenging career. Valassis has provided the flexibility, programs, and facilities necessary for me to do so. It has really made a difference, and both my work and family life are more rewarding," said Mary Ann Rivers, executive vice president of targeted marketing services at Valassis.

The "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" list will be published in the October issue of Working Mother magazine (on newsstands September 5th - October 24th), and also can be found on the web site at www.workingmother.com .

Working Mother magazine, founded in 1979, reaches more than 3 million readers each month, and is the only national business magazine written for executive and entrepreneurial mothers. It is part of Working Woman Network (WWN), a leading global resource for businesswomen in today's digital economy, which also includes Working Woman magazine, the National Association for Female Executives, a conference division, Businesswomen's Research Institute and The Business Women's Network. In August, under the leadership of CEO Kay Koplovitz, WWN launched WorkingWoman.com, the first online resource center exclusively for women in business.

Valassis connects people to brands by offering a wide range of specialty media programs to manufacturers, retailers, and Internet/e-commerce companies. From mass to one-to-one communications, Valassis leads the marketing services industry in comprehensive marketing solutions, including newspaper-delivered co-op and specialty inserts, advertising, product sampling, direct mail, on-line promotions, loyalty marketing programs and consulting services. Established in 1970, Valassis Communications is headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, with printing and manufacturing facilities in Michigan, North Carolina, Kansas, and Mexico. Valassis affiliates include Independent Delivery Service (IDS), Save.com, Coupons.com, Valassis Relationship Marketing Systems (VRMS), and Valassis Canada.

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