Spartan Motors Launches Brand Licensing Program

First Licensee to Make Spartan(R) Brand Furniture for Fire Stations, Consumers

CHARLOTTE, Mich., April 30 -- Spartan Motors, Inc. today announced the launch of a brand licensing program aimed at extending the well-recognized Spartan(R) brand and creating new marketing and revenue opportunities.

The Charlotte, Mich.-based manufacturer of custom motorhome chassis, fire truck chassis and emergency-rescue vehicles said its Brand Licensing Program will first focus on licensing to leading suppliers to the emergency rescue market or other industries where manufacturers want to sell an authentic fire truck brand. Spartan will further extend its brand by offering licensed products for the recreational vehicle (RV) market and by exploring opportunities capable of crossing over into the consumer market. A pioneer in the custom fire truck market, Spartan has its products in thousands of fire departments in all 50 states and has been making vehicles for the emergency rescue market since 1975.

"The Spartan brand is synonymous with quality products and service, and we want to share this heritage with licensees of our brand, while simultaneously building the visibility of the Spartan name," said Spartan Motors CEO John Sztykiel. "As a well-recognized brand with a nationwide dealer network and customer base, we offer licensees instant market access and credibility. At the same time, we want to offer our customers a wide variety of premium products that bear the Spartan name and stamp of approval."

Spartan said it has signed a licensing agreement with its first manufacturer, Fort Worth, Texas-based Bippity, Inc. Bippity makes and markets solid-wood furniture for fire stations, as well as other contract customers such as colleges and universities, healthcare and senior centers and camps. Bippity products include bedroom, lounge and dining room furniture, as well as a variety of home furnishings. The market for fire station furnishings encompasses more than 27,000 fire districts nationwide.

"We are pleased to put the Spartan brand on our furniture and have custom designed our products -- like Spartan's custom-built chassis -- to the specific needs of firefighters," said Lisa Thornton, president of Bippity. "We have great products and look forward to helping Spartan extend its brand from the shop floor into the fire house."

Spartan said the initial focus of its Brand Licensing Program will be on its core industries -- emergency rescue and RV -- though it plans to explore opportunities to take the Spartan brand to the consumer market as more people look for authentic American brands. Spartan said the licensing agreement with Bippity is a good example of its industry/consumer strategy. Bippity also makes private label furniture for retail furniture customers, primarily in the children's market, and is developing a Spartan fire truck-themed bunk bed and bedroom set for the consumer market.

"Spartan is to fire trucks what Harley-Davidson is to motorcycles or Disney is to family entertainment. We believe -- like Disney(R) and Harley(R) -- that we have the opportunity to extend the Spartan brand to a variety of products, which will enhance the value of the Spartan brand and generate revenue as well," Sztykiel said.

About Spartan Motors:

Spartan Motors, Inc. (www.spartanmotors.com ) designs, engineers and manufactures custom chassis and vehicles for the recreational vehicle, fire truck, ambulance and emergency-rescue markets. The company's brand names -- Spartan(TM), Crimson Fire(TM), Crimson Fire Aerials(TM), and Road Rescue(TM) -- are known in their market niches for quality, value, service and being the first to market with innovative products. Spartan Motors employs approximately 700 at facilities in Michigan, Alabama, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and South Dakota and is publicly traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market under the ticker symbol SPAR.