American Woodmark Corporation Breaks Ground on Third Manufacturing Facility in Hardy County, W. Va.

Business Editors

HARDY COUNTY, W. Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 8, 2004

   West Virginia Governor Bob Wise to Recognize American Woodmark's
    Continued Commitment to Hardy County at Groundbreaking Event on
                      January 8, 2003 at 11:00 am

American Woodmark Corporation (AWC) (NASDAQ: AMWD), a leading supplier of kitchen cabinetry to the new construction and remodeling industry, will break ground on its new 250,000-square-foot manufacturing plant, called the South Branch Plant, on January 8, 2004.

Governor Bob Wise; Delegate Harold Michael, D-Marlinton; Senator Walt Helmick, D-Hardy; and other state and local officials will welcome AWC's president and chief executive officer, Jake Gosa; Tom Ward, group vice president, manufacturing; Mark Goodall, manager of the Hardy County Plant; Scott Sherman, manager of the Moorefield Plant; and Bryan Earl, vice president marketing communications to Hardy County at special event, open to the media, at the McCoy McMechen Theatre, located on Main Street, in Moorefield, W. Va.

"American Woodmark's continued commitment to Hardy County is a testament to our state's favorable business climate," says Governor Bob Wise. "I want to thank everyone in our community who worked to make this happen."

The state-of-the-art facility, scheduled to begin the production process in June 2004, will be located on a 40-acre site in the Robert C. Byrd Industrial Park. It will manufacture wood cabinet components, which will be distributed nationally to other AWC assembly locations around the country. AWC will invest $27 million for the first phase of the facility's development. Subsequent investments to satisfy the company's growth will be made at this location, ultimately creating 300 jobs.

"With plans to double its size in the next few years, our new South Branch Plant provides the additional manufacturing capacity necessary to support the strategic growth of AWC," says Mr. Gosa. "The state-of-the-art facility will help meet our customers' needs now and into the future. We look forward to continuing our long and mutually beneficial relationship with Hardy County and the state of West Virginia."

American Woodmark Corporation, located in Winchester, Virginia, is the third largest manufacturer of kitchen cabinets in the United States and Canada. Offering over 150 cabinet lines in a wide variety of designs, materials and finishes, American Woodmark products are sold through a network of dealers and distributors and directly to home centers and major builders. The company currently operates 13 manufacturing facilities in Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, as well as various service centers across the country. American Woodmark shares are traded on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol "AMWD." To find out more about American Woodmark, and view its vast array of cabinet styles, visit its Web site at www.americanwoodmark.com.