Hawk Performance and Pep Boys Announces National Rollout

MEDINA, Ohio, July 8 -- Hawk Performance, a brand of Wellman Products Group and the leader in performance brake pad technology, announced that Pep Boys launched a national rollout of the complete line of Hawk Performance's street brake pads, beginning July 1.

Steve Campbell, President of Wellman Products Group, commented on the new partnership stating, "Pep Boys services all three kinds of customers: the DIY (Do-It-Yourself), the DIFM (Do-It-For-Me) and the commercial customer. This makes Pep Boys a perfect fit with Wellman, making the Hawk Performance brand available to all customers who want a proven performance brake pad for their car, light truck or SUV. We are excited about making our high performance product available through a national channel with the option of having the pads installed by professionals."

Pep Boys now stocks Hawk Performance brake pads in all of its 595 stores and is equipped to install them in its more than 6,000 service bays. Pep Boys' Rob Willis, a category manager specializing in brakes, said, "We are very excited to introduce Hawk Performance to Pep Boys' robust merchandise offering. This high-quality, well-proven brand will attract the demanding performance driver to Pep Boys. With the introduction of Hawk products, we are reaffirming our commitment to provide customers with a wide selection of name-brand products at a great value."

Hawk Performance intends to offer brake pads for virtually all makes and models of automotive, light truck and SUVs. Pep Boys store associates are receiving training and technical support from Hawk Performance personnel. Hawk Performance is the official brake pad of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), the largest sports car club in the world, with over 62,000 members.

Pep Boys has 595 stores and over 6,000 service bays in 36 states and Puerto Rico. Along with its vehicle repair and maintenance capabilities, the company also serves the commercial auto parts delivery market and is one of the leading sellers of replacement tires in the United States. Customers can find the nearest location by calling 1-800-PEP-BOYS or by visiting http://www.pepboys.com/ .

Wellman Products Group, a Hawk Corporation company (AMEX:HWK) is a leading worldwide supplier of highly engineered solutions for brakes, clutches and driveline components, servicing demanding markets including aerospace, construction, agriculture, on and off highway equipment, and motorsports.

http://www.hawkperformance.com/