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Guardian Fiberglass Invests in Building Materials Buying Group

27 August 1998

Guardian Fiberglass Invests in Building Materials Buying Group

    AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Aug. 27 -- Guardian Fiberglass, a
leading manufacturer of fiberglass insulation for use in commercial and
residential applications and a subsidiary of privately-held Guardian
Industries Corp., has made a major investment in the building materials buying
market with the recent acquisition of 50 percent of South Carolina-based
Builder Marts of America (BMA).  "This investment will mesh nicely with
Guardian Fiberglass' position as a leading U.S. supplier of fiberglass
insulation products to the independent lumber dealer market," said Guardian
Fiberglass President, Duane Faulkner.
    "Our objective with this arrangement is to continue to broaden our product
offerings to ensure that Guardian Fiberglass remains at the forefront as a
value added supplier and partner to our customers," said Faulkner.  "This
investment reaffirms Guardian Fiberglass' commitment to, and primary focus on,
this portion of the building materials market."
    BMA is a privately-held wholesaler of building materials to hundreds of
lumber and building materials retailers across the country, mostly independent
dealers.  BMA specializes in the sale of building products such as lumber,
insulation, roofing, windows and doors.  Guardian Fiberglass will leverage
BMA's business base with its existing fiberglass operations to provide the
independent dealer with a broader range of products and services.
    The Guardian Fiberglass group is the fifth largest manufacturer of
fiberglass insulation in the United States with operations in Albion,
Michigan; Mineral Wells, Mississippi; Erin, Ontario, Canada; and Inwood, West
Virginia.  The Inwood facility recently began production in July 1998.  The
group provides a complete range of light density fiberglass building
insulation products to the construction market in the United States and
Canada.  Most Guardian Fiberglass products are sold under well-known private
brands, such as Georgia Pacific, True Value, Servistar, "Do it," and Ace
Hardware, with a primary focus on the independent lumber dealer and home
center market.
    In addition to its fiberglass operations, Guardian Industries is a leading
worldwide manufacturer of float glass and fabricated glass products used in
the construction industry, and a leading supplier of vehicle glass and
exterior trim systems to the global automotive industry.  The company operates
glass manufacturing, fabrication and distribution facilities throughout North
America, South America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.  Guardian
recently began commercial operations at two new float glass manufacturing
plants in New York State and Brazil, and an automotive trim plant in Kentucky.