Presenting a national safety award, Steve Zylkowski, VP of APAThe Engineered Wood Association, congratulates Warren Newsome, Plant Manager of Washington's Anthony Forest Products Georgia Laminating plant. Anthony Forest Products' Washington laminating plant has won the first-ever "Safest Company Award" from APA, the Engineered Wood Association.

"That's an extraordinary success story," said Steve Zylkowski, Vice President of APA-The Engineered Wood Association, "and it says something about both the management team at Anthony Forest and the employees."

"Our team goal is to send our employees home healthy and whole to their families and friends each day and I want to thank all of them for helping the company achieve this award," added Warren Newsome, Plant Manager.

Zylkowski said, "From a management standpoint, these programs can't work without full commitment and support from the CEO on down. It takes vision to see the long-term benefits and it takes leadership to create a culture of safety. But most of all, I think it takes a sense of genuine trust and caring that's recognized by all employees."

The Washington plant was one of only two awarded the Safest Company Award. Anthony Forest's Georgia Laminating in Washington and Arkansas Laminating Plant in El Dorado, were also recognized in the "Incident Free Honor Society."

"This perfect score of zero incidents for each of our company's wood laminating plants, and to top it off with the 'Safest Company Award' is very rewarding news," said Beryl Anthony, Chairman of the Board. "We are very proud of this honor from the APA, and we strive to be excellent in the safety and health of our employees and community."

Begun in 1982, the APA awards program honors the managements and employees of companies and mills with the lowest severityweighted incidence rates. For 2008, Anthony Forest competed against 49 other eligible mills for the Safest Company Award, which encourages and recognizes operational excellence with the goal of reducing injury and illness rates year over year.

The APA is a nonprofit trade association representing North American manufacturers of plywood, oriented strand board, glued laminated timber, wood I-Joist, laminated veneer lumber, and other structural engineered wood products. Its primary functions are quality auditing and testing, applied research, and market support and development.

Anthony Forest Products Company is an integrated forest products business incorporated in 1965. The company owns approximately 91,000 acres of timberland in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. In addition to its Washington laminating plant, it operates southern pine lumber producing mills in Urbana, Ark., and Atlanta, Tex.; and wood chips mills in Plain Dealing, Louisiana, and Troup, Texas, along with another engineered wood laminating plant in El Dorado, Ark. Anthony Forest Products Company and Domtar, Inc. of Montreal, Canada jointly own and operate an I-Joist manufacturing plant in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.