PRESS RELEASE CHANGE IN D&O
Published on January 24, 2008
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Exhibit
99.2
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 |
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News
Release
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For
Immediate Release
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http://www.ball.com
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Investor
Contact:
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Ann
T. Scott
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303-460-3537,
ascott@ball.com
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Media
Contact:
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Scott
McCarty
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303-460-2103,
smccarty@ball.com
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Hayes
Elected Executive Vice President, Chief Operating
Officer;
Friedery,
Herdman Named to New Positions
BROOMFIELD,
Colo., Jan. 23, 2008—Ball Corporation’s [NYSE:BLL] board of directors today
elected John A. Hayes executive vice president and chief operating officer
of
the corporation. Ball also named John R. Friedery president, metal beverage
packaging, Americas and Asia, and Michael D. Herdman president, Ball Packaging
Europe.
Hayes,
42, has been a senior vice president of Ball Corporation and president of Ball
Packaging Europe, a subsidiary. All five of Ball’s operating units will report
to Hayes. He will report to R. David Hoover, who continues as chairman,
president and chief executive officer.
“John
brings leadership, energy, experience and intellect to this important new
assignment,” Hoover said. “He has done an outstanding job over the last three
years while running our large European subsidiary. That, along with his previous
experience at Ball and elsewhere, made him the obvious choice to head our
operations.”
Hayes
joined Ball in 1999 as senior director, corporate planning and development.
He
became an officer of the corporation in 2000 and was vice president, corporate
strategy, marketing and development, before taking over Ball Packaging Europe
at
the beginning of 2005. Prior to joining Ball, he was a vice president
with Lehman Brothers in Chicago.
In
addition to Ball Packaging Europe, the operating units reporting to Hayes will
be metal beverage packaging, Americas and Asia; metal food and household
products packaging, Americas; plastic packaging, Americas; and Ball Aerospace
& Technologies Corp.
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more -
Ball
Corporation
10
Longs
Peak Drive · P.O. Box
5000 · Broomfield,
CO
80021
Ball
Corporation – 2
Friedery,
51, joined Ball in its Tampa, Fla., metal beverage container plant in1988.
He
has been assistant plant manager, plant manager, vice president, senior vice
president and president of Ball’s North American metal beverage container
operations. Since 2004 he has had responsibility for Ball Asia Pacific Ltd.,
based in China, and Ball’s metal food and household products packaging,
Americas, and plastic packaging, Americas, divisions. In his new position,
Friedery will focus on Ball’s beverage can operations in the Americas and
Asia.
Herdman,
57, has been president of metal beverage packaging, Americas, since 2004. Prior
to joining Ball, he was president and chief executive officer of beverage cans
Europe/Asia for Rexam PLC. Herdman’s packaging experience includes managing can
making operations in Asia and Europe; directing worldwide business development
through a global licensee network; and managing a plastic container division
in
the United States.
“John
and
Mike are two seasoned metal beverage packaging professionals who have been
part
of our company since 1988 and 2004, respectively,” Hayes said. “In their new
roles they will run businesses they know very well, which will allow us to
take
maximum advantage of their experience and skills.”
Ball
Corporation is a supplier of
high-quality metaland
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 15,500 people worldwide and reported 2006
sales of
$6.6billion.
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, including recent significant increases
in resin, steel, aluminum and energy costs, and the ability to pass
such increases on to
customers; 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,
including
our beverage can end project;
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, tax rates and activities of foreign subsidiaries.
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;
successful or
unsuccessful acquisitions,
joint ventures or
divestitures; integration of recently acquired businesses; regulatory action
or
laws including tax,
environmental and workplace safety; 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 ofthe
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.
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Ball
Corporation
10
Longs
Peak Drive · P.O. Box
5000 · Broomfield,
CO
80021