ABC Laboratories Breaks Ground on New Pharmaceutical Facility.

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Analytical Bio-Chemistry (ABC) Laboratories held a formal groundbreaking ceremony for its new laboratory facility on March 21, 2007 at 9:30 A.M. ABC employees, university and government officials, and representatives from businesses involved in the construction attended.

ABC's new $14.4 million, 90,000 square-foot facility will house the company's rapidly growing pharmaceutical development business. Last May, the company and the University of Missouri jointly announced that ABC would become the first tenant of the university's new Discovery Ridge Research Park. The final lease agreement was executed in October.

"This building is designed to be a model of efficiency," said Byron E. Hill, ABC President & CEO. "It will be modular and scalable, which will enable us to grow quickly without disrupting business, and to adapt to our customers' needs." The facility will more than double ABC's capacity to accommodate plans to grow revenue to $50 million by 2010. "The expansion will also provide a more attractive work environment for our scientists and support staff," said Hill. "This is a pivotal time for our company."

St. Louis-based ARCO Construction Company is the general contractor on the design-build project. ARCO and ABC have teamed with ACI Boland Architects to complete the design of the facility. "We've worked hand-in-hand with Byron and the ABC team from the beginning," said ARCO Project Manager Hank Bellina. "From location selection to the building size, design criteria and aesthetics, we've utilized each other's expertise to co-develop what will be a world-class laboratory. This is the way the design-build process is supposed to work," he added. The new building is slated for completion in the first quarter of 2008. According to Bellina, roughly $10 million of the construction budget will be awarded to local subcontractors.

About Analytical Bio-Chemistry Laboratories, Inc.

Analytical Bio-Chemistry (ABC) Laboratories, Inc. is a privately held Contract Research Organization that provides expert analytical chemistry services and support to the pharmaceutical and chemical product industries. The company is fully GLP and cGMP-compliant, and brings nearly 40 years of experience to all phases of regulated product development -- from discovery through post-commercialization. ABC employs nearly 300 scientists and support personnel at its 56-acre campus in Columbia, Missouri.

For additional information, visit http://www.abclabs.com or contact Kristein King at 573-441-4409.

About ARCO Construction Company

ARCO Construction Company is a St. Louis-based general contractor specializing in design/build commercial construction of office and retail, industrial/warehousing, biotechnical/medical, and large scale multi-family residential buildings. Founded in St. Louis by Jeff Cook and Dick Arnoldy in 1992, the company has additional offices in Atlanta, Tampa, Chicago, Cincinnati, and Philadelphia. ARCO has constructed over 450 projects in more than 230 cities and 35 states.

For additional information, visit http://www.arco1.com or contact Hank Bellina at 314-963-0715.