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                 EXHIBIT 99(a) - PRESS RELEASE DATED JULY 24, 1998 

                                         ALTERNATIVE RESOURCES CORPORATION
                                         100 TRI-STATE INTERNATIONAL 
                                         SUITE 300
                                         LINCOLNSHIRE, IL  60069
                                         NASDAQ:  ALRC

CONTACT:
BRAD LAMERS                   SUSAN H. FISHER
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER       DIRECTOR, INVESTOR RELATIONS
(847) 317-1000, EXT. 248      (847) 317-1000, EXT. 287

              ALTERNATIVE RESOURCES CORPORATION NAMES RAYMOND R. HIPP
                  CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER;
                     FOUNDER LARRY KANE RETIRES AND WILL REMAIN
                                ON BOARD OF DIRECTORS

LINCOLNSHIRE, IL, JULY 24, 1998 - ALTERNATIVE RESOURCES CORPORATION (NASDAQ: 
ALRC), a leading provider of information technology (IT) services, today 
announced that Raymond R. Hipp will join ARC as chairman, president and chief 
executive officer, effective August 1, 1998.  Larry Kane, ARC's founder and 
former chief executive, will retire effective July 31, 1998.  However, he 
will remain on the ARC Board of Directors.  Mr.  Hipp, a current ARC board 
member, will have overall responsibility for ARC's strategy and operations, 
focusing on the integration of the company's new practice areas, as well as 
the recently announced goal of generating higher revenue growth and margins 
from its national sales and marketing organization.

Mr. Hipp, 56, was president and CEO of ITI Marketing Services, Inc., of 
Omaha, NE, a large teleservices provider which was recently sold to APAC 
Teleservices, Inc., of Deerfield, IL.  He was brought into ITI in 1996 by a 
private investment group to lead the company.  Under his leadership, the 
organization, with more than 10,000 employees and 24 customer contact 
centers, experienced significant revenue growth and showed a dramatic 
improvement in profitability.

Prior to heading ITI Marketing Services, Mr. Hipp was founder and president 
of Comdisco Disaster Recovery Services (CDRS), the largest global provider of 
Business Continuity Services for the IT industry.  From its inception in 1980 
to 1994, CDRS grew to approximately $230 million in revenues.  He was an 
executive vice president of parent company, Comdisco, Inc, as well as a 
member of the Board of Directors.  Prior to that,  Mr. Hipp held numerous 
positions with the IBM Corporation over a 15-year period, with the most 
recent being regional manager in the Office Products Division.  


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"Following the long search for someone with Ray's background and experience 
to serve as ARC's new chief executive, we are extremely fortunate that Ray 
has become available at this time," said chairman Larry Kane. 

"His 30 years of IT management experience have given him strong operating and 
marketing skills to lead ARC's continuing efforts to accelerate the 
integration of our new practice initiatives and drive rapid internal growth.  
I have full confidence in relinquishing responsibilities to Ray, who has been 
an invaluable ARC board member for the past four years.  I look forward to 
working with Ray as we all strive to expand on this company's success over 
the past 11 years."

"ARC is an exciting company and one of the first IT services providers to 
establish a national branch network supported by an industry-leading resource 
of skilled IT professionals," said Mr. Hipp.  "The company is well positioned 
to maintain its growth as it integrates the newly acquired programming 
services into its vast client network.  I am delighted to have this unique 
opportunity and am confident that I can contribute extensive strategic and 
operating expertise to ARC's management as we work to improve profitability 
over the near term and, more importantly, to achieve the company's 
extraordinary long-term potential."

     ABOUT ARC
Alternative Resources Corporation (ARC) is a leading provider of information 
technology services, including component outsourcing, technology deployments, 
and IT projects staffing.  Headquartered in Lincolnshire, IL, the company 
serves Fortune 1000 and mid-sized clients from 60 offices in the U.S. and 
Canada. 


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