FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                               

 

CONTACT:

SHANNON GODWIN

515-371-7321

 

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2006                                               

 

 

CARLISLE COMPANY, MASSACHUSETTS FIRM

TEAM UP TO CREATE SAFER IOWA PLAYGROUNDS

 

      ANKENY, Iowa - Welch Products of Carlisle, Iowa, announced today it has entered into an agreement with GreenMan Technologies of Iowa, a wholly-owned subsidiary of GreenMan Technologies, Inc. (AMEX GRN) to purchase crumb rubber manufactured at GreenMan's Des Moines, Iowa facility, which will be ground specifically to Welch Products specifications for use in their playground safety products.

 

       "By working with GreenMan, a Massachusetts firm with Des Moines facilities, we are able to significantly reduce our inbound transportation related costs thereby allowing us provide additional incentives to Iowa schools during the next 90 days to assist them with the purchase our DuroMat Extended Life™ playground safety tiles," said Jack Brown, President and CEO of Welch's parent company, First Continental Industries.

 

      Bob Davis, President and CEO of GreenMan stated, "Our relationship with Welch Products underscores our continued commitment to ensuring that Iowa scrap tires are processed in a compliant manner and in this particular application, ultimately keep children safer on Iowa's playgrounds as well as provide savings to Iowa taxpayers through lower playground maintenance costs and reduced injuries."

 

      The National Safe Surfacing Initiative (NSSI), the playground-surfacing subsidiary of Welch Products, will work through its relationship with the Iowa Association of School Boards to implement this 90 day incentive program to the Iowa school districts.  "We've visited hundreds of Iowa schools that wanted our products installed as soon as possible," said Tim Mahoney, President of NSSI.  "The opportunity, provided by the Welch and GreenMan relationship, combined with the NSSI's financing and deferred payment plans options will help schools to realize the benefits of safer playgrounds even sooner."

 

      The DuroMat Extended Life™ playground safety tiles were the focus of a three year study by the Iowa Legislature to test whether playground safety tiles, made with Welch's patented manufacturing process, could actually prevent serious injuries to children when compared with traditional loose fill surfacing such as woodchips and pea-gravel.  In a report to the Iowa Legislature, the National Program for Playground Safety at the University of Northern Iowa concluded that the combination of Welch-manufactured tiles with supervisory training resulted in a 75-percent reduction in serious injuries.

  

 

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