FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                           CONTACT: Trudi Allcott
March 15, 2001                                           Manager, Communications
                                                         804-935-4291


                      Owens & Minor Names Jeffrey Kaczka as
                             Chief Financial Officer

Richmond,  VA....(NYSE-OMI)  Owens & Minor  announced  today  that it has  named
Jeffrey  Kaczka,  41, as its new  senior  vice  president  and  chief  financial
officer.  Kaczka  most  recently  served as chief  financial  officer for Allied
Worldwide,  Inc., the largest moving services and van line logistics  company in
the world.  Owens & Minor is a Fortune  500  company  and the  nation's  leading
distributor of national name brand medical/surgical supplies.

Previously,  Kaczka  served as chief  financial  officer  for  I-Net,  Inc.,  in
Bethesda,  Maryland,  and  played a lead role in  selling  and  integrating  the
company with Wang Laboratories.

Kaczka also spent  fourteen years at General  Electric,  where he held financial
positions in various GE businesses and corporate  components including corporate
audit, GE  Communications  and Services,  and GE Capital.  His last position was
vice president, finance for GE Information Services (GEIS), one of the company's
twelve  major  business  units at that  time.  He also  served  on GE's  Finance
Council, a group comprised of top GE financial executives.

"We are very  pleased  to  welcome  Jeff to the Owens & Minor  family,"  said G.
Gilmer  Minor,  III,  chairman  and chief  executive  officer.  "His  impressive
financial  experience  includes  a record of success  in  growing  earnings  and
increasing  shareholder  value for strong public and private  companies.  Jeff's
career has centered on supply chain management, moving product from one place to
another, and information technology,  all of which are extremely significant for
Owens & Minor. Most  importantly,  he has earned his stripes from the ground up,
and has worked for companies that are setting the pace in American business.
We look forward to putting his expertise to work for Owens & Minor."

                                     -More-


Owens & Minor
March 15, 2001
Page 2

Kaczka will relocate to Richmond,  Virginia from his home in Indiana. A graduate
of Rutgers University, Kaczka is married and has three children.

Owens & Minor,  Inc., a Fortune 500 company  headquartered in Richmond,  Va., is
the  nation's  leading  distributor  of  national  name  brand  medical/surgical
supplies.  The company's distribution centers throughout the United States serve
hospitals,  integrated healthcare systems and group purchasing organizations. In
addition to its diverse product offering,  Owens & Minor helps customers control
healthcare costs and improve inventory management through innovative services in
supply chain  management,  logistics and  technology.  For fax copies of Owens &
Minor's news  releases,  contact  Company News On-Call at (800)  758-5804,  ext.
667125.  For releases on the World Wide Web,  visit  www.prnewswire.com,  or for
more  information  about  Owens & Minor,  as well as news  releases  and virtual
warehouse tours, visit the company's Web site at www.owens-minor.com.

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