Hanson Brick & Tile announces new executive leadership team

CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 19, 2007

• Bob Christensen, named new president of Hanson Brick & Tile, appoints three regionally based general managers to enhance responsiveness to customer needs

Hanson Brick & Tile, the largest brick manufacturer and a leading concrete roof tile producer in North America, announced the appointment of Bob Christensen as president. Christensen also announced the formation of a regionally based leadership team designed to refocus the company on specific market needs.

Christensen, who has 30 years experience in the pipe and precast industry, comes to Hanson Brick & Tile after five years as president of Hanson Pipe & Precast’s Northeast region.

“We are pleased to welcome Bob Christensen to Hanson Brick & Tile,” said Richard Manning, president and CEO of Hanson Building Products, which operates Hanson Brick & Tile and Hanson Pipe & Precast as group businesses in North America. “Bob brings an in-depth knowledge of the building products industry and a proven record of commitment to Hanson customers to his new position. We look forward to tapping into Bob’s leadership skills as he works toward continued growth for Hanson Brick & Tile.”

In his first initiative as president, Christensen is spearheading the creation of a regionally based leadership team that will give Hanson Brick the ability to respond quickly to market changes and customer needs. Christensen has named three seasoned Hanson Brick executives to serve as regional vice presidents/general managers. The three will be based out of Charlotte, Toronto and Dallas/Fort Worth regional offices.

In the East, Christensen has appointed Charlie Ward as senior vice president/general manager. Ward, who had been serving as Hanson Brick’s executive vice president commercially, brings extensive financial experience to the table, having served as chief financial officer for Hanson Brick & Tile and as divisional controller for Hanson Roof Tile.

In the North, Christensen selected Steve Luckett as vice president /general manager to oversee Hanson Brick’s Canadian and Northeastern U.S. markets. Luckett, who had been serving as the vice president of operations for the East region, knows the brick business from the ground up having been promoted from plant manager in one of Hanson’s Canadian plants to the executive leadership level.

In the West, Simon Bates, who had been serving as executive vice president of operations, has been tapped to serve as senior vice president/general manager. Before overseeing the operations side of the business, Bates also served as vice president for Hanson Brick’s commercial activities throughout North America and prior to that he worked extensively with Hanson in Europe.

“These three individuals bring an impressive depth of experience in operations and sales, which will prove essential in serving our customers,” Christensen said. “They are respected customer-driven leaders who are in tune with the changing marketplace and who have been given greater decision-making authority on issues that affect our customers. We believe this will enable our customers to have a more direct line of communication with our executive team.

“We are dedicated to ongoing high-quality service through market leadership,” Christensen added. “We believe these changes will not only make Hanson Brick more efficient, but also better able to respond quickly to varying local market conditions and our customers’ unique needs.”

Dylan Walters will remain senior vice president/general manager of Hanson Roof Tile, reporting directly to Bob Christensen. Additionally Hanson’s block business based in Richmond, Virginia, will be integrated into the operations of Hanson Brick’s East region. The company was previously a part of Hanson Pipe & Precast. This change will bring additional products, which are typically sold in conjunction with brick, to customers of Hanson Brick in the Richmond area.

Hanson Brick is North America’s largest brick manufacturer with operations across the United States and Canada. The company provides its customers with superior selection and service, offering more than 1,000 styles of brick in five regional brick collections. Hanson Brick is based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Hanson Brick is North America's largest brick manufacturer, with approximately 1,600 employees and operations across the United States and Canada. The company provides its customers with superior selection and service, offering more than 1,000 styles of brick in five regional brick collections. Hanson Brick is based in Charlotte, N.C.

Hanson Brick is part of Hanson, one of the world's largest suppliers of heavy building materials to the construction industry. Hanson produces aggregates (crushed rock, sand and gravel), ready-mixed and precast concrete, asphalt and cement-related materials and a range of building products including concrete pipes, concrete pavers, tiles and clay bricks.

Hanson is part of the HeidelbergCement Group, which employs 70,000 people across five continents. Heidelberg has leading positions in concrete and heavy building products and is the global leader in aggregates.

Further information on Hanson can be found at na.hansonbrick.com

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