BHMA 17 th ANNUAL AWARD OF EXCELLENCE GOES TO
JOHN SIMON OF GENERAL SUPPLY COMPANY

NEW YORK, NY (August 1, 2005) — Builders Hardware Manufactures Association (BHMA) announced that the winner of its 2005 Award of Excellence is John J. Simon, President and CEO of General Supply Company in Bethlehem, PA. The annual award is presented to a distributor or hardware professional who has demonstrated excellence in representing the needs of architects, contractors, users, and manufacturers.

Peter Rush, Executive Director of BHMA, remarked, “This award is given to individuals who achieve the highest standards of excellence in meeting the needs of the builders hardware industry. It is clear, from the enthusiastic feedback we have received about John, that he is the type of individual for whom this award was developed.”

John Simon has been in the door and hardware business for over 20 years, primarily in distribution. He is a member of the Door and Hardware Institute’s (DHI) Board of Governors and has served as treasurer of DHI’s Tri-State Chapter. Mr. Simon has conducted numerous seminars on hardware and security for contracting and architectural organizations.

Criteria for winning the Award of Excellence include: the promotion of specifications to architects, accurate take-off and scheduling of projects, the promotion of high quality products, and being able to service contractors and end users by understanding products’ attainability, function, and intended usage. An additional criterion is that the recipient not be a member of BHMA. Mr. Simon is the 17 th winner of the award, previous recipients include Mark Hallgren, AHC, President of the Hallgren Company and President of DHI; Ken and Tom Orihel, CEO and COO, respectively, of Akron Hardware; and Ken J. Metzler, AHC, President of LaForce Inc.

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About BHMA

The Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA) is an industry leader in building safety and security. BHMA is the only organization accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to develop and maintain performance standards for locks, closers, exit devices and other builders hardware. The widely known ANSI/BHMA A156 series of standards describes and establishes the features and criteria for specific types of hardware products. In addition, BHMA sponsors third-party certification of hardware products, which is a requirement for a product to bear the "BHMA Certified" mark - insuring that the product meets the ANSI/BHMA standard. For more information on BHMA, please write to BHMA, 355 Lexington Avenue, Suite 1700, New York, NY, 10017 or visit the Web site at www.buildershardware.com.