Higdem Steps Down as APAC president, Randolph Named as Successor

COVINGTON, Ky., Sept. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH) announced today that Garry M. Higdem has resigned as senior vice president of Ashland, and president of Ashland Paving And Construction, Inc. (APAC), to attend to a serious family health matter. "Garry has been a strong leader and a positive force in changing APAC's business model, and we will miss his deep knowledge of the construction business," said James J. O'Brien, chairman and chief executive officer. "He has higher priorities at this time, and we understand and respect his desire to tend to those needs."

 

Ashland's board of directors has elected R. Kirk Randolph vice president of Ashland Inc., and president of APAC, reporting to O'Brien. "Kirk is a seasoned construction industry executive and a strong leader," said O'Brien. "Kirk brings a distinguished history of success within APAC to this position. His depth of knowledge of APAC, coupled with his list of accomplishments, will assure continued strong leadership for our paving and transportation construction business."

Randolph was most recently vice president of APAC's Major Projects Group, and brings a 26-year history with APAC to the top position. Upon graduation from the University of Missouri at Rolla with a degree in civil engineering, Randolph joined APAC as an engineer. Subsequently he held positions as estimator, division vice president, division president and regional vice president. In his most recent position, as head of the Major Projects Group, he managed large-scale transportation construction and design-build projects integral to APAC's growth strategy.

Among the top-ranking transportation construction contractors, APAC's assets consist of 93 aggregate production facilities, including 36 permanent operating quarry locations; 31 ready-mix concrete plants; 226 hot-mix asphalt plants and more than 13,000 pieces of mobile equipment. The APAC companies are wholly owned subsidiaries of Ashland Inc.

Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH) is a Fortune 500 transportation construction and chemical company providing products, services and customer solutions throughout the world.

SOURCE  Ashland Inc.
    -0-                             09/15/2005
    /CONTACT: Jim Vitak, Media Relations of Ashland Inc., +1-614-790-3715, or
jevitak@ashland.com /
    /Web site:  http://www.ashchem.com /
    (ASH)
CO:  Ashland Inc.; Ashland Paving And Construction, Inc.
ST:  Kentucky, Georgia, Ohio
IN:  CHM CST TRN
SU:  PER
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3558 09/15/2005 17:43 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com

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