Ball Board Elects Knobel Treasurer, Declares Dividend; Shareholders Elect Five Directors

BROOMFIELD, Colo., April 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ball Corporation's (NYSE: BLL) board of directors today elected Jeff A. Knobel treasurer of the corporation. Knobel, 39, has held the position of senior director, treasury operations, since 2005 and was vice president and treasurer of Ball's European packaging business from 2002 to 2005. He joined Ball in 1997.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100428/LA95030)

Ball's shareholders re-elected at the company's annual meeting today Hanno C. Fiedler; John F. Lehman; Georgia R. Nelson; and Erik H. van der Kaay to board terms that will expire at the corporation's 2013 annual meeting. Shareholders elected John A. Hayes to a term that will expire at the corporation's 2011 annual meeting.

Ball's board also declared a dividend of 10 cents per share is payable June 15, 2010, to shareholders of record on June 1, 2010. Ball will report its first quarter 2010 results on April 29 (see conference call details below).

Ball Corporation is a supplier of high-quality metal and plastic packaging for beverage, food and household products customers, and of aerospace and other technologies and services, primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ more than 14,000 people worldwide and reported 2009 sales of more than $7.3 billion. For the latest Ball news and for other company information, please visit www.ball.com.

Conference Call Details

Ball Corporation [NYSE: BLL] will hold its regular quarterly conference call on the company's first quarter 2010 earnings on Thursday, April 29, 2010, at 9 a.m. Mountain Time  (11 a.m. Eastern). The North American toll-free number for the call is 800-732-5617. International callers should dial 212-231-2901. Please use the following URL for a Web cast of the live call:

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?p=irol-eventDetails&c=115234&eventID=2976701.

For those unable to listen to the live call, a taped replay will be available after the call's conclusion until 1 p.m. Eastern Time on May 6, 2010. To access the replay, call 800-633-8284 (North American callers) or 402-977-9140 (international callers) and use reservation number 21463971. A written transcript of the call will be posted within 48 hours of the call's conclusion to Ball's Web site at www.ball.com in the investors section under "presentations."

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99.2 in our Form 10-K, which are available at our Web site and at www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect our packaging segments include fluctuation in product demand and preferences; availability and cost of raw materials; competitive packaging availability, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; crop yields; competitive activity; failure to achieve anticipated productivity improvements or production cost reductions; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; and changes in foreign exchange rates or tax rates. Factors that might affect our aerospace segment include: funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts. Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: accounting changes; changes in senior management; the current global recession and its effects on liquidity, credit risk, asset values and the economy; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures; integration of recently acquired businesses; regulatory action or laws including tax, environmental, health and workplace safety, including in respect of climate change, or chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the manufacturing process; governmental investigations; technological developments and innovations; goodwill impairment; antitrust, patent and other litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to statutory audits or other effects.

SOURCE Ball Corporation