Raymond E. Mabus Named to Foamex Board of Directors; Addition of Former Mississippi Governor and Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Expands Board to Eight Members

28 September 2000

Raymond E. Mabus Named to Foamex Board of Directors; Addition of Former Mississippi Governor and Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Expands Board to Eight Members

    LINWOOD, Pa.--Sept. 28, 2000--Foamex International Inc. , the leading manufacturer of flexible polyurethane and advanced polymer foam products, announced today that Raymond E. Mabus, Jr., 51, former Governor of Mississippi and Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, has been elected to the Foamex Board of Directors, effective immediately.
    In making the announcement, Marshall S. Cogan, Chairman of the Foamex Board, said, "The election of Governor Mabus to our board was unanimous, reflecting the confidence we all have in his ability to make a meaningful contribution to our company. He has a distinguished record of public service with a focus on economic and international trade issues, and we are proud to have him join us to help guide the strategic initiatives for Foamex."
    Governor Mabus served as United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 1994 to 1996, establishing close working relationships with all levels of Saudi Government while managing one of the largest embassies in the U.S. diplomatic corps.
    In 1987, he was elected governor of Mississippi, the youngest in more than 100 years. During his term of office, he served as Chair of the National Governors' Association on Economic Development and Technological Innovation Committee and chaired the Southern Growth Policies Board. He directed a complete rewrite of the state's economic development laws and developed the first capital budget in Mississippi history, spurring economic growth while holding the line on taxes.
    A native of Mississippi, Governor Mabus earned a B.A. in English and Political Science, Summa Cum Laude, from the University of Mississippi; was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow at The Johns Hopkins University, where he earned an M.A. in Political Science; and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard Law School. He was named Counsel to the Governor of Mississippi in 1980, and was elected State Auditor in 1983, quickly establishing stringent auditing and enforcement standards for the state's 82 counties.
    Throughout his government service, Governor Mabus was a forceful advocate for education at all levels. After leaving public service in 1996, he joined the Board of Directors of an employee training service called International Management & Development Group, Ltd., now operating as the Global Resources Division of Frontline Group. Governor Mabus is currently President of Global Resources. He is also active in the family timber business, is Of Counsel to the national law firm of Baker, Donelson, Bearman & Caldwell, and serves on a number of civic and corporate boards.
    Foamex, headquartered in Linwood, Pennsylvania, is the world's leading producer of comfort cushioning for bedding, furniture, carpet cushion and automotive markets. The company also manufactures high-performance polymers for diverse applications in the industrial, aerospace, electronics and computer industries as well as filtration and acoustical applications for the home. Revenues for 1999 were $1.3 billion.
    For more information visit the Foamex web site at http://www.foamex.com.
    This press release contains forward-looking information, and actual results may materially vary from those expressed or implied herein. Factors that could affect these results include those mentioned in the documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.