LEE COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
Southern Base of the Research Triangle Region

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, December 20, 2004


PATRIOT MATERIALS BUILDING FACILITY ON
IRAQ BORDER TO ARMOR MILITARY VEHICLES

SANFORD -- When debate about armoring American military vehicles in Iraq 
exploded earlier this month, one Sanford company was already hard at work to 
solve the problem.

Patriot Performance Materials Inc., manufacturer of vehicle and body armor, 
will open a new Middle East facility early next year to install its armor 
packages on military vehicles now being used in the conflict.

Currently under construction near military staging facilities in Kuwait, just 
steps from the Iraqi border, the building will include several vehicle bays 
with all equipment needed to perform the installations on site.

Chris Powell, senior vice president for Patriot, said the facility will be 
open 24 hours a day and staffed initially by roughly a half dozen trained 
technicians currently based in Sanford. Additional employees will be hired in 
Kuwait to help keep the work flowing.

"This is very important work, because we're installing life-saving equipment," 
Powell said. "No armor can guarantee safety in every situation; there are 
still issues with RPGs [rocket-propelled grenades].

"But what we have will stop rounds from AK-47s and IEDs [improvised explosive 
devices], and that's mainly what they're dealing with."

Though Patriot produces a wide range of armor -- most often for military use 
-- the company began ramping-up production on its more-powerful military 
packages when earlier operations began in Afghanistan.

Powell said his company has developed lightweight alternatives to the standard 
ballistic steel. Patriot's lighter armor, created from high-tech composite 
materials, can be installed on standard Humvees, vehicles not designed 
initially to support heavy armor.

That means soldiers get the protection they need without overstressing the 
vehicle or sacrificing mobility in the field. It also reduces the additional 
maintenance required to keep overstressed vehicles running properly.  

For leaders at Patriot, the move is not just an opportunity to capitalize on 
the latest headlines. It's far more personal.

"We're all former military, special operations," explained Terry Earle, who 
serves as vice president of operations. "We still have relationships with many 
of these people. Ultimately, we want to make sure they come home."

The company was formed barely more than two years ago already is bustling in 
two large manufacturing plants along Industrial Drive. Earle said Patriot 
currently is producing body armor at full capacity and its production of 
vehicle armor has shot up significantly.

By the end of January, the company will have 125 employees producing armor 
locally. With such a sharp rise in demand, Patriot plans to add another 75 
people to its payroll during the next year.

There's no doubt the war has helped Patriot's growth. But Earle believes the 
company would have been expanding anyway. Because the company specializes in 
innovative, high-quality products made in America, he said, it has been 
gaining a greater share of the broader armor market.

The new facility in Kuwait is currently scheduled to open Jan. 31. And while 
it's being created to support the U.S. military, company officials believe it 
could eventually provide security for the emerging Iraqi government and other 
allies in the region.

"If additional business opportunities arise at the conclusion of hostilities, 
we'll consider them at that time," Powell said. "In the region, even though 
the soldiers leave, it doesn't mean the problem will go away."

Until then, Patriot will focus all of its efforts on "uparmoring" American 
military vehicles. And, most of all, trying to get their friends home safely.

                                 -- 30 --

Media Contacts:
Bob Heuts, Director
Jane Haber, Administrative Assistant
919-774-8439 (phone)
919-775-5410 (fax)
info@lcedc.com (e-mail)

LCEDC Media Web: http://www.lcedc.com/media/
Patriot Performance Materials: http://www.patriotmaterials.com
This release: http://www.lcedc.com/media/releases/nr122004.txt