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December 18, 2007 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Martin
A. Kish Ashland, Toyota, Connemara Group & Leadership Strategies Group Sign Long-Term Sponsorship Agreements with KAM Frankfort – Two of Kentucky's most renowned corporate icons, a Louisville marketing agency and a Bowling Green global training firm have signed three-year agreements to sponsor the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers (KAM), says Jim LeMaster, President and CEO. Ashland Inc., Toyota, Connemara Group and Leadership Strategies Group (LSG) will sponsor KAM and one of its eight branded advocacy initiatives. Ashland will sponsor KAM's CleanKentuckySM initiative designed to help promote a sustainable environment for Kentucky citizens. Toyota will sponsor KAM's SmartKentuckySM branded initiative that will help manufacturers find and hire better-prepared, trained and educated workers. Connemara Group is sponsoring KAM's newly created MarketKentuckySM initiative to help manufacturers market their products both in Kentucky and around the world. Leadership Strategies International (LSI) will sponsor KAM's The four new KAM sponsors bring to 30 the total number of new sponsors which have signed similar agreements with KAM since last spring. "We are very pleased that Kentucky businesses are investing in the future prosperity of all Kentuckians by supporting the state's number one economic engine, manufacturing," LeMaster says. "By more than a two-to-one margin, manufacturing is number one in our state, with $27 billion in production and 250,000 well-paid workers." "Add to that the tens of thousands of other jobs and projects that depend on a healthy manufacturing industry and the impact we have is multiplied many times over," LeMaster says. "KAM is an organization that's definitely on the move and Ashland is proud to be a part of it and sponsor the CleanKentuckySM program," says James J. O'Brien, Ashland Inc. Chairman and CEO. "Ashland's sponsorship will support a cleaner environment for all Kentuckians." "We are pleased to partner with KAM in its efforts to work with educators and industry to develop an educated workforce for Kentucky's advanced manufacturing industry," says Steve St. Angelo, president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky. "These efforts, as well as those of other business organizations, are critical to the state's future prosperity." "Connemara Group is very excited to be the first sponsor of KAM's new MarketKentuckySM initiative," says Patti Naiser, Partner. "We are eager to help the industry market its products and services and increase its market share in the global economy." "LSG looks forward to playing a significant role in helping keep manufacturers in Kentucky through the ProductiveKentuckySM initiative," says Dr. Randall Capps, President and Founder. "It has been our experience that a highly trained workforce can be a distinct competitive advantage in today's global economy." About Ashland Ashland Inc., a diversified, global chemical company, provides quality products, services and solutions to customers in more than 100 countries. A FORTUNE 500 company, it operates through four divisions: Ashland Performance Materials, Ashland Distribution, Valvoline and Ashland Water Technologies. To learn more about Ashland, visit www.ashland.com. About Toyota Toyota (NYSE:TM) established operations in North America in 1957 and will operate 15 manufacturing plants in North America by 2010. There are more than 1,700 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealerships in North America which sold more than 2.8 million vehicles in 2006. Toyota directly employs over 41,000 in North America and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18.6 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design. Toyota's annual purchasing of parts, materials, goods and services from North American suppliers totals more than $30 billion. Toyota currently produces 11 vehicles in North America, including the Avalon, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Corolla, Matrix, Sienna, Solara, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra and the Lexus RX 350. By 2010, Toyota will have the annual capacity to build approximately 2.2 million cars and trucks, 1.45 million engines and 600,000 automatic transmissions. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com. About Connemara Group Connemara Group is a full-service advertising/public relations/government relations/political consulting firm, serving a broad-based clientele dedicated to creating, planning and handling all forms of advertising and marketing for their clients. Their services include; marketing strategy, public relations, branding, broadcast and multimedia and internet development on a local, regional and national basis. About Leadership Strategies International Leadership Strategies Group (LSG), has helped distinguished clients improve organizational performance for over a decade. Its business is helping clients improve productivity by developing and aligning their strategies, people, and processes to reach higher levels of performance. LSG accomplishes this through:
Headquartered in Bowling Green, Kentucky, LSG has offices in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Columbus, Memphis, and Nashville. As a boutique consulting firm, its focus is on maintaining a cadre of highly skilled professionals with the experiences and abilities to help clients realize their desired results. LSG prides itself on being a highly resourceful firm with access to a vast network of affiliates from many different industries and with varied skills. On the web at About the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers Established in 1911, KAM is the commonwealth’s only manufacturing trade association. Our mission is to raise the prosperity of all Kentuckians by protecting and growing our state’s economic engine: manufacturing. KAM proactively works with elected officials, policymakers, chambers of commerce, other associations, economic development experts, the news media, the general public and its own members to drive results through eight branded initiatives: ProsperousKentuckySM, ProductiveKentuckySM, FreedomKentuckySM, SmartKentuckySM, HealthyKentuckySM, HonestKentuckySM, CleanKentuckySM and MarketKentuckySM. Visit us on the web at www.KAManufacturers.com.
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