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Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations Warren County, Tenn., Facility Wins Corporate Habitat Of The Year Award Wildlife Habitat Council recognizes facility at national symposium

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Nov. 17, 2009) — The Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) plant in Warren County, Tenn., was recognized as Corporate Habitat of the Year at the Wildlife Habitat Council’s (WHC) annual national symposium held recently in Baltimore, Md.

“What an honor,” said Ron Brooks, Plant Manager, Warren County, BATO. “We are very proud of the work we are doing with the Bridgestone Environmental Education Classroom & Habitat program at the plant, and we take great pride in being named Habitat of the Year by a leading environmental group like the Wildlife Habitat Council.”

The award recognizes the plant’s wildlife habitat, which was certified as a WHC Wildlife at Work location in 2004, and the Bridgestone Environmental Education Classroom & Habitat (BEECH), which was established in 2008 and certified as a WHC Corporate Lands for Learning site in 2009.

The BEECH program in Warren County provides young people with handson environmental education, a key goal of the Bridgestone Group’s global “One Team, One Planet” initiative. Instruction at the BEECH facility takes place on outdoor nature trails and in the advanced hands-on classroom equipped with both live and mounted animals. Students study local wildlife, habitats, pollinators, forests, soils, water and the air, and learn important lessons about recycling, conservation and the shared responsibility to protect the environment. An estimated 5,000 students have already participated in the program. The Warren County plant had originally applied for the Rookie of the Year award; based on the selection committee’s review of the BEECH program, the committee elevated the nomination of the program for Corporate Habitat of the Year.

The Wildlife Habitat Council’s Corporate Habitat of the Year Award recognizes a company or facility that demonstrates superior habitat enhancement and restoration based on the following criteria: improvements to habitat, scope of projects, level of commitment, outside group involvement, length of involvement, employee involvement and environmental credibility. Award winners receive a solid bronze osprey statue to display on site for one year. Previous winners include DOW Chemical Company; Pfizer, Inc.; and BP.

About Bridgestone Americas, Inc.:
Nashville, Tenn.-based Bridgestone Americas, Inc. (BSAM) is the U.S. subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, the world’s largest tire and rubber company. BSAM and its subsidiaries develop, manufacture and market a wide range of Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires to address the needs of a broad range of customers, including consumers, automotive and commercial vehicle original equipment manufacturers, and those in the agricultural, forestry and mining industries. The companies are also engaged in retreading operations throughout the Western Hemisphere and produce air springs, roofing materials, and industrial fibers and textiles. The BSAM family of companies also operates the world’s largest chain of automotive tire and service centers. Guided by its One Team, One Planet message, the company is dedicated to achieving a positive environmental impact in all of the communities it calls home.