BFS Retail & Commercial Operations Pledges to Help Keep America Beautiful

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BFS Retail & Commercial Operations Pledges to Help Keep America Beautiful

Company-Owned Retail Stores Nationwide to Participate In Keep America Beautiful's Great American Cleanup

BLOOMINGDALE, ILLINOIS, Mar. 2 -/E-Wire/Business Wire/-- BFS Retail & Commercial Operations LLC ("BFRC"), through its company-owned retail locations, announced today that it is teaming up with Keep America Beautiful Inc. as a 2004 national sponsor of Keep America Beautiful(R)'s Great American Cleanup(tm) for a third consecutive year. BFRC owns the largest number of company controlled tire and automotive service retail locations including Firestone Tire & Service Centers, TiresPlus and ExpertTire.

"We made great strides last year and we want to build on that success to exceed the number of scrap tires collected and increase the recycling of used do-it-yourselfer automotive batteries and engine oil," said John Sheerin, BFRC retail environmental manager. "Through initiative and hands-on involvement, we can make our communities more beautiful places in which to work and live. After all, our neighborhood is your neighborhood. We commend and thank all of our associates across the country who have decided to make protection of the environment a personal responsibility."

"We're proud to have BFRC again working with Keep America Beautiful to establish a sound environmental management program for recycling used automotive products and fluids and promoting community cleanup efforts during the 2004 Great American Cleanup," said Gail Cunningham, vice president of Keep America Beautiful and managing director of the Great American Cleanup. "They were a major part of our effort to collect more than 918,000 scrap tires during last year's national cleanup campaign."

In support of the Great American Cleanup, each of its retail stores nationwide will:

-- Accept do-it-yourselfer used engine oil from the public for proper recycling at no charge;

-- Accept do-it-yourselfer automotive batteries from the public for proper recycling at no charge;

-- Accept do-it-yourselfer scrap tires during organized community clean-up days for proper recycling at no charge; and

-- Promote Keep America Beautiful's Great American Cleanup with locally developed promotional materials.

Many retail locations will also participate in community improvement activities. Employees will volunteer their time to help keep America beautiful, and the company will donate volunteer appreciation incentives. Finally, in selected locations, BFRC will sponsor showcase projects to improve the environment and encourage citizens to take responsibility for the condition of their communities. The company will also publish local Keep America Beautiful event information on its Web site, www.MasterCareUSA.com.

The Great American Cleanup, which runs from March through May, is the nation's largest organized cleanup and community improvement program. President George W. Bush is serving as the program's honorary chairman for the second consecutive year. In 2003, volunteers eliminated 3,500 illegal dump sites nationwide, picked up more than 148 million pounds of litter and debris, restored 4,000 playgrounds and recreation areas, and planted more than 1 million trees, flowers and bulbs in just three months. BFRC associates will be among the 2 million volunteers pitching in this year to make their neighborhoods safer, healthier and more beautiful.

"The special tire recycling initiatives supported by these store associates during the 2003 Great American Cleanup were an outstanding model for education, civic engagement and community improvement," Cunningham said. "Keep America Beautiful is proud to team up with the BFRC organization, whose commitment is to promote recycling initiatives that help improve the quality of life in our communities and help sustain our land and water for generations to come."

BFRC embraces a wide variety of environmental programs and commitments, including recycling scrap tires, oil, oil filters, antifreeze, air conditioning refrigerant, batteries and lead wheel weights, as well as other items. Collected scrap tires will be recycled into beneficial uses such as construction material, fuel and rubberized surfaces for playgrounds or roads.

The Bridgestone/Firestone Trust Fund as well as Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) also contributed to the Great American Cleanup sponsorship in support of BFRC's participation through its company-owned stores.

BFRC is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc. (BSAH), which, through its various subsidiaries, has a long tradition of supporting the environment and conservation. BSAH companies have been honored by Keep America Beautiful, Honda of America Manufacturing Inc., the Environmental Protection Agency, the Conservation Fund, 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.

BFS Retail & Commercial Operations LLC is headquartered in Bloomingdale, Ill., and operates more than 2,200 consumer and commercial tire and vehicle service locations across the United States and Canada as well as the company's own credit card operations. The store channels include Firestone Tire & Service Centers, Tires Plus, Expert Tire, Commercial & Farm, GCR Truck Tire Centers and Mark Morris. GCR Truck Tire Centers offer truck tire sales, service and retreading outlets for truck and bus, off-the-road and agricultural tires. More information about their stores is available online at one of the following Web sites: www.MasterCareUSA.com, www.TiresPlus.com, www.ExpertTire.com.

Keep America Beautiful Inc. is a national, nonprofit community improvement and educational organization whose network of more than 540 local, statewide and international affiliate programs educates individuals about litter prevention and ways to reduce, reuse, recycle and properly manage waste materials. The Great American Cleanup is one of Keep America Beautiful's many programs that encourage people to care for communities through volunteer participation. Through partnerships and strategic alliances with citizens, businesses and government, Keep America Beautiful's programs motivate millions of volunteers annually to clean up, beautify and improve their neighborhoods, creating safer and more livable community environments. For more information, please visit www.kab.org.

BFS Retail & Commercial Operations LLC

Media Center, [REDACTED-PHONE] or Marina Marich, [REDACTED-PHONE], [REDACTED-EMAIL] or Victoria Condell, [REDACTED-PHONE], [REDACTED-EMAIL]

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