Simonton Windows Hosts U.S. Commerce Secretary Locke, Senator Rockefeller and Governor Manchin for Plant Visit         

PARKERSBURG, W. VA. –  On Friday, October 23, 2009, Simonton Windows^® hosted U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Governor Joe Manchin for a tour of the company’s Ellenboro manufacturing facility. The plant tour was requested by the political dignitaries following the announcement this summer that Simonton offered employment back to all hourly employees laid off since late 2008.

“The economic recovery started showing itself at our company after the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was implemented,” says Mark Savan, president of Simonton Windows. “There are three drivers that enabled us to have a better-than-expected summer season. These include the market share gains Simonton has been able to achieve, the anticipated upswing in our seasonal business during the summer months that became reality, and the positive response of homeowners to the stimulus package incentives that led to increased purchases of our top-quality energy-efficient windows.

“With October being national Energy Awareness Month, this is the ideal time to shine the spotlight on the benefits of energy-efficient windows and our employees who manufacture these valuable products.”

Beginning at 2:30pm on October 23, Locke, Rockefeller and Manchin toured Simonton’s Ellenboro facility (located on U.S. Route 50) and met with employees. A press conference was scheduled for the media following the tour, where the dignitaries discussed Simonton’s success, economic recovery issues nationwide and the new legislation recently introduced by Rockefeller to replace the .30/.30 window tax credit requirement with the 2010 ENERGY STAR^® standards for windows and doors

“At Simonton, we applaud the legislation recently introduced by Senators Rockefeller and Grassley,” says Savan. “The 2010 ENERGY STAR program is dedicated to energy efficiency needs of homeowners based on their geographic locations. Those are the same parameters we believe should parallel the tax credit incentives for homeowners.

“Someone in Florida simply doesn’t have the same needs in a window as someone living in Minnesota. It makes more sense for windows and doors to be created to meet the different geographic needs of homeowners and for the tax credits to reflect those common sense purchasing decisions.”

Simonton Windows produces ENERGY STAR qualified replacement and new construction windows and doors, including a line of impact-resistant products. For the second year in a row, Simonton ranked “Highest in Builder and Remodeler Satisfaction among Residential Window and Patio Door Manufacturers” in the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Builder and Remodeler Residential Window and Patio Door Satisfaction Study^SM. Simonton was also ranked #1 in quality in the 2009, 2007, 2002 and 1998 Brand Use Studies sponsored by Builder magazine and has won three Best-In-Class Awards from Market Research Associates.

Founded in 1946, Simonton’s hallmark has been to deliver its made-to-order products in five days or less. Part of the home and hardware business of Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE: FO), Simonton delivers award-winning products nationwide to key markets throughout the 48 continental United States.

For information, call (800) SIMONTON (1-800-746-6686) or visit www.simonton.com

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Simonton Windows received the highest numerical score in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2008-2009 Builder and Remodeler Residential Window and Patio Door Satisfaction Studies^SM. 2009 study based on responses from 3,109 builders and remodelers measuring 16 manufacturers. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of builders and remodelers surveyed in April-May 2009. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com

ENERGY STAR is a government program that helps consumers protect the environment through superior energy efficiency and is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.