Bridgestone/Firestone Named Kiewit's Manufacturer of the Year One of largest construction and mining companies selects off road tire group as annual recipient NASHVILLE, Tenn. (June 13, 2002) - In an awards ceremony recently, Bridgestone/Firestone Off Road Tire Co. (BFOR), a division of Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC, received its first "Manufacturer of the Year" award from Peter Kiewit Sons', Inc., one of North America's largest construction and mining companies. Kiewit selected Bridgestone/Firestone for this award from among the 400 companies with which Kiewit does business annually. "We are proud to receive this impressive award from such a well-respected and well-established company," said BFOR President Manny Cicero. "Our goal is excellence in all areas of manufacturing, and it's especially gratifying to be recognized by a company that values the same core principles. It's an honor to design, support and supply quality tires in a timely manner to Kiewit." Kiewit's Manufacturer of the Year award recognizes manufacturers and dealers who did the best job to contribute to overall business improvement. In a letter to Bridgestone/Firestone announcing this honor, Neal Ferry, corporate equipment manager for Kiewit, said, "We believe Bridgestone/Firestone's selection of Manufacturer of the Year should be understood as recognition of superior effort and performance." Ferry added: "In addition to the recognition Bridgestone/Firestone is receiving for their efforts in 2001, we also feel very strongly about Bridgestone/Firestone's overall efforts in the last six years of using the product. Those efforts are possibly magnified because of our confidence with the product and personal relationships with many Bridgestone/Firestone employees. We believe our business with Bridgestone/Firestone is one of the best corporate relationships we have." The Kiewit award is the most recent honor in a long list of recent honors awarded Bridgestone/Firestone, including the coveted Shingo award, which promotes world-class manufacturing and recognizes companies that achieve superior customer satisfaction and business results. This year, Bridgestone/Firestone was also named a General Motors Supplier of the Year for the seventh consecutive year as well as earning Honda's Environmental Recognition Award for the second consecutive year. Bridgestone/Firestone Off-Road Tire Co. is a division of Nashville-based Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC. BFNT is a subsidiary of Bridgestone/Firestone Americas Holding, Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world's largest tire and rubber company. BFNT develops, manufactures and markets Bridgestone, Firestone, Dayton and associate and private brand tires. The company is focused on wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off-road, agriculture and other tires to its customers in the Americas. Peter Kiewit Sons' is one of North America's largest and most respected construction and mining organizations. Founded in Omaha in 1884, the employee-owned firm operates through a network of district and area offices across North America. Kiewit's workforce includes approximately 4,800 salaried personnel and 12,000 craft workers. Revenues for 2001 were approximately $3.9 billion.