Firestone Complete Auto Care™ Begins Construction on LEED-Certifiable Automotive Service Location Store groundbreaking is automotive service provider’s first step toward offering customers an innovative new auto care option

BLOOMINGDALE, Ill. (Dec. 10, 2008) — Nashville-area drivers will soon have a new green option in auto care thanks to Firestone Complete Auto Care and its parent company, BFS Retail & Commercial Operations, LLC (BFRC).

BFRC recently began construction on a LEED-certifiable automotive repair retail store about 15 miles southeast of Nashville, Tenn., in the town of Smyrna. Slated to open in mid-2009, the Firestone Complete Auto Care location will seek certification through the U.S. Green Building Council’s well-known Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

LEED-certified buildings meet a long list of environmental standards that are verified by independent inspectors before the building can be certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. Some of the criteria of LEED certification include employing more environmentally friendly construction methods to create buildings that use less electricity and water and that have a decreased effect on the environment when compared to buildings constructed through conventional methods.

“Customers today expect businesses to behave responsibly, and the business case for going green is strong,” said Larry Magee, Chairman, CEO and President of BFRC. “LEED is the nationally accepted benchmark for environmental excellence, and we are incredibly proud that Firestone Complete Auto Care is pursuing this standard. This project places BFRC not only among leaders in the automotive industry, but among a select group of other visionary retailers who are constructing LEED buildings around the nation.”

BFRC announced several new environmental initiatives over the past year. Its store locations began using non-toxic steel wheel weights instead of traditional lead weights. The company was the first of the major chains in the automotive repair industry to announce the move to steel wheel weights. Firestone Complete Auto Care now offers a “green” oil change service utilizing a recycled oil product in Portland, Ore., and Boston, Mass., store locations. Also, the Automotive Service Association of Arizona just named five Firestone Complete Auto Care store locations in that state as “green shops” through its Green Business Automotive Program.

“This is another great example of the work BFRC is doing to help protect the environment,” Magee added. “This LEED-certifiable location will let us give our customers what they want: high-quality automotive service and an exciting new green alternative.”

BFRC’s green programs are part of “One Team, One Planet,” a global environmental initiative of Bridgestone Corporation and Bridgestone Americas (BSA), BFRC’s parent companies.

“Along with Bridgestone Americas, BFRC has a long tradition of working to enhance the environment and supporting conservation initiatives,” said John Sheerin, Environmental Director for BFRC. “The Environmental Protection Agency, the Environmental Federation of Oklahoma, the Iowa Governor’s Office, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the Conservation Fund, the National Geographic Society and Eastman Kodak Company are among the government entities and organizations that have recognized BSA’s and BFRC’s environmental achievements.”