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New York (July 15, 2002) -- With the piecemeal sale of its offices and business lines scattering ex-Andersen employees around the country, a former colleague has launched a Web site to help firm alumni keep in touch.
The site, http://www.andersenalumni.net , is the brainchild of former Andersen employee Jonathan Goldsmith. "I started to see a lot close friends and colleagues having to leave with such short notice," said Goldsmith. "I've had other jobs before and once you leave you tend to lose touch with most people. I didn’t want that to happen, so I decided to create the site as way to keep in touch with people I worked closely with."So far, the free site has attracted nearly 1,500 members. Although originally intended to reach people in the Chicago area, the site has drawn members from across the United States, England, Asia and Australia. Members can search for other Andersen alumni, post their resumes, view job postings and post questions and comments. The site also provides space for members to share success stories, and offers free advertising for Andersen alumni who started a business this year.
"I hope that it will help people remember the good times and happy moments, instead of the way it ended with people walking out with their belongings in their hands," added Goldsmith. He worked at Andersen's Chicago headquarters as a mergers and acquisitions consultant for nearly three years until he was laid off in May.
-- Melissa Klein
