America’s Backyard: Making A Difference Where It Matters MostFirestone Complete Auto Care™ and Tires Plus™ join thousands of volunteers to clean up communities across America

Bloomingdale, Ill. (May 12, 2008) – Whether it’s an afternoon at a local playground or a picnic at a state park, the outdoors serves as the backdrop for America’s favorite pastimes. For the seventh consecutive year, Firestone Complete Auto Care and Tires Plus — along with their parent companies, BFS Retail & Commercial Operations, LLC (BFRC) and Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc. (BSAH) — are joining thousands of Americans in improving the outdoors by cleaning up their communities during Keep America Beautiful’s® Great American Cleanup™.
 
“We are extremely proud of our teammates and their commitment to their communities and environmental preservation,” said Larry Magee, Chairman, CEO and President of BFRC. “By working to sustain our environment, BFRC teammates are ensuring that our communities will continue to prosper for generations to come.”
 
Between March 1 and May 31, BFRC will donate volunteer hours, as well as supplies, materials and financial support for local Great American Cleanup events around the country. Additionally, through the end of May each Firestone Complete Auto Care and Tires Plus store location will accept at no charge used oil, used automotive batteries and up to four scrap tires from do-it-yourselfers. Many store locations also make arrangements to recycle tires and other automotive materials collected from community clean-ups.
 
“BFRC teammates have positioned themselves as environmental leaders in their communities,” Magee added. “Participating in events like the Great American Cleanup and providing effective programs for recycling used automotive products are two more ways our teammates have made lasting, positive changes for their communities and for the environment.”
          
Preservation of the environment is a top priority for Firestone Complete Auto Care and Tires Plus. Each store location implements a variety of in-store environmental programs, including recycling scrap tires, oil and other vehicle fluids, oil filters, anti-freeze, air conditioning refrigerant, batteries and many other items. BFRC store locations are also replacing millions of lead wheel weights each year with more ecologically sensitive steel weights, making them the first of the major chains in the automotive repair industry to make the switch.
 
BFRC is a subsidiary of BSAH, which, through its various subsidiaries, has a long tradition of supporting the environment and conservation. BSAH companies have been recognized by various organizations, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Environmental Federation of Oklahoma, the Iowa Governor’s Office, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, and the National Geographic/Eastman Kodak Company/Conservation Fund.