News Release

KEEPING JOBS AT HOME

August 18, 2003 - Chico, Calif. — A blind man applies his steady hands to follow the geometric lines of a Corian® cutting board, sanding away and irregularities to ensure a smooth finished product. He is an employee of Work Training Center, an organization dedicated to the training, vocational and recreation needs of hundreds of adults with disabilities. Work Training Center is the production workforce for family-owned Meraz & Associates, the sole wholesale supplier of Corian® cutting boards in the United States. These two community-minded entities have collaborated to manufacture quality products not only in the U.S. and California, but right in their hometown of Chico, Calif., creating numerous jobs for people with disabilities and shattering archaic misconceptions of disabilities along the way.

"We are thrilled to be working with WTC," said Rosemary Febbo, marketing coordinator for Meraz & Associates. "The WTC crew strives for perfection and is responsive to new designs, customer needs and production demands. Plus we are proud to manufacture our quality products in the USA, and our partnership with WTC has made it possible for us to make our product locally in Chico, Calif."

A pioneer in the Corian® ancillary product market, Meraz & Associates built its business with an environmentally-aware vision. In 1994, owner David Meraz and his son Robert Meraz salvaged several thousand pieces of Corian® outfall slated for land fill and recycled this material into innovative kitchen accessories including Corian® curios, flower vases, humidors, lamps, clocks, cutting boards, and even yo-yos. (They have since become a direct account with Dupont^TM Corian division). Through their retail line, Eráz, they sell thousands of their unique Corian® cutting board designs to major retain outlets, including Williams-Sonome, Inc., specialty retailer of home furnishings and kitchen accessories.

Serving the retail, hospitality, restaurant, and beverage industries, Meraz & Associates has sold its unique designs to thousands of satisfied customers for nearly a decade. Their savvy marketing team headed by Rosemary Febbo, has created an impressive presence on the Internet generating daily orders through their company website www.eraz.com and several other online stores. Many specialty gift and kitchen shops, located nationwide, carry a wide variety of their products as well.

In 2002, Meraz & Associates determined the need for a larger workforce to handle product demands, but were mindful that their vision was to continue to manufacture their product in the U.S., the state of California, and the city of Chico. After review of a pool of local competitive bidders, Meraz chose Work Training Center, a unique nonprofit organization offering a more extensive scope of services than the other manufacturing businesses. WTC provides a complete range of in-house skills, beginning with the cutting and routing of the Corian® sheets to the surface and edge sanding, buffing, cleaning, quality control inspection, shrink-wrapping, labeling, and then the meticulous packaging of the final product. WTC quickly adopted and incorporated Meraz's proprietary manufacturing techniques, establishing a collaborative vision, and consistently producing a quality product.

Outsourcing production has allowed Meraz & Associates to maintain its dynamic nature — to stay ahead of market trends with the ability to research and develop new prototypes that prove to be useful and durable for home and commercial markets. Meraz & Associates is constantly reinventing itself, coming up with new and creative ways to utilize the material. David Meraz creates an idea, designs the concept, then turns it over to Rob Meraz who fabricates the prototype then designs and builds the specialized manufacturing and assembly fixtures to facilitate the Work Training Center's production. They also use thermoforming technology, sublimation, laser etching and other techniques to create their unique product lines.

"Beyond enhancing our current product line, we strive to push the boundaries while focusing on changing economic times," said David Meraz. "You won't find our unique designs anywhere else. Working with WTC has allowed us to expand our production capabilities, accommodate custom requests and add to our product line." Meraz is currently working with other sources and WTC to create products utilizing various raw materials and integrating Corian® surfaces as well.

Meraz & Associates was founded in 1994 in a home basement shop. Here, David Meraz applied artistic applications to Corian® material because he liked the way the material responded to his designs. The properties of Corian® lent themselves better to his ideas than wood or other plastics. To learn more about Meraz & Associates and to order their line of Eráz Corian® Designs products. visit www.eraz.com.

Founded in 1949, WTC has proudly served Butte County for more than 50 years meeting diverse business needs with affordable prices and excellent results. Serving over 700 individuals, WTC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to meeting the training, vocational and recreation needs of adults with disabilities. The Work Training Center, Inc. mission is to empower people with disabilities to achieve increased independence in work and leisure, and to enhance their quality of life. To learn more, visit www.wtcinc.org.

For more information about the Work Training Center and Meraz & Associates partnership, please contact WTC Marketing & Development Specialist Alice R. Smith at 530/343-7994, extension 125 or Meraz & Associates Marketing Coordinator Rosemary Febbo at rose@eraz.com.