Holcim (US) Theodore Plant Wins National Corporate Citizenship Award.

Plant Honored by National Organization for Outstanding Philanthropic Outreach

PHOENIX -- The Holcim (US) Theodore Plant in Alabama was recognized by the Council of State Governments (CSG) today as the winner of the 2006 CSG Associates Award for corporate citizenship. The Holcim plant and its leadership were honored for their ongoing commitment to helping the community near the plant rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.

"Holcim's commitment to its community is outstanding," said Daniel M. Sprague, executive director, Council of State Governments. "We encourage other companies to make similar commitments to be an active part of their communities."

The CSG award was presented to Holcim Plant Manager Joe McFalls by Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry. During remarks, Governor Henry highlighted two specific projects Holcim undertook to help the community rebuild.

The first project Holcim worked on was the rebuilding of a rural health clinic in Bayou La Batre. The clinic, which serves low-income residents in the Theodore community, was initially destroyed by the hurricane. Although it was rebuilt, the clinic later suffered another blow when it burned down the day before it was scheduled to re-open.

Holcim's Theodore Plant, in conjunction with other local industries, spearheaded the effort to raise $120,000 to once again restore the clinic, including a $50,000 donation from Holcim. Plant officials also sponsored two medical students from Morehouse College to help out at the clinic.

In addition to Holcim's work in helping to put the clinic back into operation, Holcim officials also coordinated with the local Habitat for Humanity office to support efforts to build new homes for those displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Holcim, in partnership with other local industries, arranged to have the concrete donated for all 11 Habitat for Humanity houses being built in the Belwood subdivision in Theodore. Holcim employees also provided volunteer labor on the building projects.

"For all of us at Holcim, Katrina hit very close to home," said McFalls. "Our company has a great history of stepping up to help whenever there is a need. The people who were affected by Katrina are our friends, neighbors and customers." McFalls continued, "I am honored to receive this award on behalf of all of our employees who've worked so hard to help out."

The CSG Associates Awards is given in recognition of an association's private sector members who have demonstrated exemplary partnerships with the states, the communities they serve and CSG. Nominations are submitted by state officials across the country, and winners are selected by CSG leadership. Past winners include Johnson & Johnson's Campaign for Nursing's Future, and Agilent Technologies' Agilent Community Outreach Program.

In addition to being recognized for its outstanding commitment to community, Holcim Ltd was recently named "Leader of the Industry" in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and acknowledged as the company with the best sustainability performance in the building materials industry for the second year in succession. This renewed recognition underscores the fact that Holcim's sustainability performance satisfies the high expectations placed on global corporations. Holcim has been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and the Dow Jones STOXX Sustainability Index (Europe) for four years.

Holcim (US) Inc. is one of the nation's leading manufacturers and suppliers of cement and mineral components. The company operates 14 manufacturing plants and over 70 distribution facilities in the United States. Holcim (US) Inc. is a subsidiary of Holcim Ltd of Switzerland. With majority and minority interests in over 70 countries on all continents, Holcim Ltd is one of the world's leading suppliers of cement, as well as aggregates (gravel and sand), concrete and construction-related services. The Group has a workforce of over 90,000 employees worldwide.

The Council of State Governments (CSG) is the nation's only organization serving every elected and appointed official in all three branches of each state and territorial government through its national office, as well as regional offices. CSG has championed excellence in state government since 1933 by advocating multi-state shared problem solving and states' rights, tracking national conditions, trends, and innovations, and through nonpartisan groundbreaking leadership training and support.