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                                                                   EXHIBIT 10.23

                              EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

1.       PARTIES; EFFECTIVE DATE. This Employment Agreement ("Agreement") is
         between Supply Tech, Inc., a Michigan corporation with offices at 1000
         Campus Drive, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104 (the "Company") and R. David
         Bursiek of 10215 Governors Drive, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514
         ("Employee" or "you"). This Agreement is effective as of December 1,
         1996 ("Effective Date").

2.       NATURE OF AGREEMENT; "AT-WILL" EMPLOYMENT.

         (a)      The Company is the developer, owner and distributor of certain
                  Electronic Data Interchange computer software and bar coding
                  software, and provides various related products and
                  technological and professional services related to such
                  software (the "Company's Business"). The Company wishes to
                  hire you as an employee. Your job responsibilities are
                  generally described in Exhibit A of this Agreement. Your
                  responsibilities could change as the Company obtains new
                  projects and reassigns responsibilities. These changes may be
                  communicated orally, or in writing.

         (b)      This is not a contract for a specific period of time, and is
                  not a promise of continued employment. You are an employee "at
                  will," which means that the Company can terminate your
                  employment for any reason, with or without "cause," and with
                  or without notice. You, too, have the right to terminate your
                  employment with the Company at any time, with or without
                  cause, and with or without notice to the Company.

         (c)      You agree to devote your full business time and best efforts
                  to the Company while employed by the Company. You shall not be
                  employed by (or retained as a consultant for) any other
                  company providing products or services similar to the
                  Company's Business. While employed by the Company, you shall
                  not engage in any activity that will have an adverse effect
                  upon your ability to perform the obligations under this
                  Agreement.

3.       COMPENSATION; COMPANY POLICIES.

         (a)      The Company shall compensate you, and shall provide you the
                  employment benefits, set forth in Exhibit A, which may be
                  amended from time to time by the Company. Upon the termination
                  of your employment with the Company, you shall be paid
                  severance pay (if applicable) in accordance with the terms and
                  conditions of Section 8 of this Agreement.

         (b)      The Company may develop additional personnel policies,
                  including policies relating to benefits, terms and conditions
                  of employment, and any terms relating to or affecting the
                  operation of the Company, including rules, procedures and
                  regulations required by U.S. or state governments or their
                  agencies. You agree that compliance with those policies, terms
                  and conditions is a condition of continued employment with the
                  Company.

4.       THE COMPANY'S INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS.

         (a)      In the course of your employment with the Company, you may
                  have access to information or materials that are considered
                  trade secret, confidential and/or proprietary by the Company
                  ("Information"). Information permits the development and
                  commercialization of competitive and unique products and
                  services, and is protected by the Company from unauthorized
                  use and disclosure. Information includes, but is not limited
                  to, technical know-how, procedures, technical specifications,
                  designs, software (both object code and source code), results
                  of testing, programmer documentation, protocols, processes,
                  compilations of data, strategic plans, sales and marketing
                  plans, customer information, supplier information, financial
                  information and proposed agreements. Information also includes
                  all written materials identified in writing as "Confidential"
                  or "Proprietary" or such similar proprietary legend, and oral
                  information



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                  disclosed in connection with the Information. Information also
                  includes "Proprietary Materials" identified in Section 4(c)
                  below.

         (b)      The Company understands that its current employees may have
                  had access to the trade secrets and proprietary information of
                  third parties (that is, persons or companies other than the
                  Company) during their previous employment. These other trade
                  secrets may be owned by the former employers or by clients
                  with whom those former employers did business. The Company
                  does not permit its employees to disclose, use or incorporate
                  into the Company's products or services, the unlicensed trade
                  secrets or proprietary information of third parties. You
                  acknowledge the foregoing, and represent and warrant that you
                  will not disclose to the Company, or incorporate into the
                  Company Information, any trade secrets or proprietary
                  information of third parties.

         (c)      Information created by you within the scope of your employment
                  belongs to the Company and is not owned by you individually.
                  This Information includes copyrightable works of original
                  authorship (including but not limited to computer programs,
                  compilations of information, generation of data, graphic
                  works, audio-visual materials, technical reports and the
                  like), ideas, inventions (whether patentable or not) know-how,
                  processes, trademarks and other intellectual property, whether
                  proprietary or nonproprietary. You agree that all works of
                  original authorship created during your employment are "works
                  for hire" as that term is used in connection with the U.S.
                  Copyright Act. You agree to disclose promptly to the Company
                  all ideas, inventions, improvements, works of original
                  authorship, know-how, trade secrets, processes and the like,
                  developed or discovered by you in the course of your
                  employment relating to the business of the Company, or to the
                  prospective business of the Company, or which utilizes the
                  Company Information or staff services ("Proprietary
                  Materials"). To the extent that, by operation of law, you
                  retain any intellectual property rights in such Proprietary
                  Materials, you hereby assign to the Company all right, title
                  and interest in all such Proprietary Materials, including
                  copyrights, patents, trade secrets, trademarks and know-how.
                  As used in this Agreement, "Information" includes "Proprietary
                  Materials."

         (d)      You agree to cooperate with the Company, at the Company's
                  expense, in the protection of the Company Information and the
                  securing of the Company's proprietary rights, including
                  signing any documents necessary to secure such rights, whether
                  during or after your employment with the Company.

         (e)      You agree (i) to not use Information for your own benefit,
                  (ii) to not disclose Information to any other company or
                  person without the written permission from a Company officer;
                  (iii) and to return to the Company all Information and Company
                  materials upon termination of your employment. You have no
                  obligation to maintain as confidential any Information that is
                  entirely in the public domain, or is known to you prior to
                  disclosure by the Company as evidenced by written, dated
                  records in your possession, or is received lawfully by you
                  without the breach of any obligation of confidentiality owed
                  to the Company.

         (f)      You may also have access to information that is considered
                  confidential by third parties with whom the Company does
                  business, such as customers, suppliers, OEMs and consultants
                  ("Clients"). Such client information shall be maintained as
                  confidential in accordance with the procedures identified
                  above.

5.       NONSOLICITATION AND NONCOMPETE.

         (a)      As used in this Section 5, the term "Restricted Period" means:
                  (1) the number of months for which severance pay is paid to
                  you in accordance with Section 8 of this Agreement in the
                  event that you are terminated by the Company for a reason
                  other than gross negligence or fraud; or (2) in all other
                  cases, 12 months. As used in this Section 5, the



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                  term "Indirectly" means as an employee, agent, consultant,
                  advisor, principal, proprietor, owner, partner or shareholder
                  (other than by holding shares listed on a stock exchange that
                  does not exceed 5% of the outstanding shares listed).

         (b)      During the term of your employment and during the Restricted
                  Period thereafter, you agree not to directly or indirectly
                  hire, or solicit for hire, any then-current Company employees,
                  or to contact them for the purpose of inducing them to leave
                  the Company.

         (c)      During the term of your employment and during the Restricted
                  Period thereafter, you agree not to directly or indirectly:
                  (i) contact any then-current Company customers for the purpose
                  of inducing them to leave the Company or to discourage them
                  from doing business with the Company; or (ii) within the
                  geographic area to which you were assigned to work by the
                  Company during the immediately preceding year, compete with
                  the Company or engage in an business which is competitive with
                  the Company's Business, without the express prior written
                  approval of the Company.

6.       ENFORCEMENT OF AGREEMENT; INJUNCTIVE RELIEF; ATTORNEYS' FEES AND 
         EXPENSES.

         You acknowledge that violation of this Agreement will cause irreparable
         damage to the Company, entitling it to injunctive relief and possible
         money damages. If you violate this Agreement, in addition to all other
         remedies available to the Company at law, in equity, and under
         contract, you agree that you are obligated to pay all the Company's
         costs of enforcement of this Agreement, including attorneys' fees and
         expenses. The parties agree that any litigation over this Agreement
         shall be in a court of competent jurisdiction in Washtenaw County,
         Michigan, or the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division, and
         the parties hereby consent to personal jurisdiction and venue in such
         courts.

7.       DRUG/ALCOHOL POLICY. While on company time or in the representation of
         the Company, it is understood that there will be no use of illegal
         mind-altering drugs or chemicals. It is also understood that upon
         arrival to work that there will be no traces of mind-altering drugs or
         chemicals in the employee's body. This includes amount of blood alcohol
         that is beyond legal driving limits. As alcohol is not considerate an
         illegal drug, it is understood that its mind-altering effects can
         reduce employees judgment and is not to be consumed during normal
         business hours. It is understood that if alcohol is being served at an
         event in which the Company has not been hired to provide services for,
         an employee may consume alcohol, but must not exceed the legal blood
         level for driving. Failure to comply with the above may result in
         termination of employment.

8.       SEVERANCE PAY.

         (a)      As used in this Section 8, the term "Base Salary" means only
                  the base salary paid to you and does not include bonus,
                  benefits, expenses, or options, if any.

         (b)      Upon the termination by the Company of your employment with
                  the Company for any reason other than for gross negligence or
                  fraud, you shall be paid severance pay in accordance with the
                  following terms and conditions.

                  (i)      If your employment with the Company is terminated
                           during the first year of your employment, you shall
                           be paid a severance pay equal to 6 months of your
                           Base Salary as of the date of termination;

                  (ii)     If your employment with the Company is terminated
                           during the second year of your employment, you shall
                           be paid a severance pay equal to 9 months of your
                           Base Salary as of the date of termination; or



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                  (iii)    If your employment with the Company is terminated at
                           any time after the second year of your employment,
                           you shall be paid a severance pay equal to 12 months
                           of your Base Salary as of the date of termination.

9.       GENERAL.

         (a)      This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the laws
                  of the state of Michigan, and shall inure to the benefit and
                  be binding upon the parties and their heirs, representatives,
                  successors and assigns.

         (b)      The terms of this Agreement are deemed to be severable, with
                  the effect that if any of the provisions of this Agreement
                  shall be held to be invalid or enforceable by any court of
                  competent jurisdiction, such provision shall be deemed revised
                  so as to reflect the intent of the parties expressed therein
                  and such revisions or determinations of invalidity or
                  unenforceability shall not affect any other provision of this
                  Agreement.

         (c)      This Agreement contains the entire understanding of you and
                  the Company with respect to the subject matter of employment;
                  and the status of employment at will cannot be amended except
                  by a written agreement between the parties. You represent that
                  you have not been given any oral or written promises relating
                  to employment that are not contained in this Agreement,
                  including in any of the Exhibits, which are made a part of
                  this Agreement.


                 THE PARTIES HAVE READ THE FOREGOING AGREEMENT,
               UNDERSTAND ITS TERMS AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THEM.

SUPPLY TECH, INC.                                 EMPLOYEE


By: 
   ------------------------------------           ------------------------------
   Ted C. Annis                           R. David Bursiek
   Its:  Chief Executive Officer



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