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Keeping the Outdoors Safe for Tomorrow
Gander Mountain Maps Out Eco-Friendly Flooring Solution with Lees Carpets
ST. PAUL, MN and KENNESAW, GA, August 1, 2007 — Outdoor enthusiasts can now reduce their environmental footprint by stepping inside their local Gander Mountain (Nasdaq: GMTN) store. The renowned outdoor lifestyle retailer announced today it is outfitting stores throughout the country with carpet from Lees Carpets, a long-standing leader in the design and manufacture of sustainable commercial carpet. An eco-friendly flooring solution for today and tomorrow, the carpet features several green attributes, including a revolutionary PVC-free (polyvinyl chloride) backing technology that enables complete recyclability back into itself.
“As a part of Gander Mountain’s ‘Keeping the Outdoors Safe for Tomorrow Program’ we are always looking for ways to ensure that future generations will have great outdoor experiences, “ said Andy Carlin, Gander Mountain’s senior vice president of store operations. “Putting Lees’ carpet in our new stores and apparel sets is a good step toward achieving that goal. We can improve our customers’ experiences and still adhere to our philosophy of being environmentally responsible.”
Gander Mountain is in the process of equipping stores with Lees’ Notion carpet tile product, the majority of which will be backed by the company’s new Encycle™ backing system. Gander Mountain will have the carpet installed in the apparel sections of all new stores for 2007 as well as future remodels.
“For years, we’ve devoted considerable time and resources to developing eco-friendly products that will serve our customers today, while preserving the environment for the future,” said Diann Barbacci, vice president of sustainable design for The Mohawk Group, Lees Carpets’ parent company. “Backed by Encycle, Lees’ Notion carpet will benefit both consumers and the environment long after it reaches the end of its useful life.”
A CRI Green Label Plus certified-product, Encycle incorporates 35 percent pre-consumer recycled content. It is the industry’s only carpet tile backing system that is made of 100 percent thermoplastic and contains zero water-based components. This unique composition ensures that Notion can be completely recycled back into itself without needing to separate the face fibers from the backing.
Enhancing its resilient performance and supporting a long lifecycle, Notion features the company’s Duracolor® stain-resistant dye technology. Duracolor is integrated into the carpet fiber – rather than applied topically – providing permanent stain and fade resistance, while also improving indoor air quality by eliminating the need for chemicals and harsh detergents during the cleaning process.
The durability of Notion products ensures that the carpet stays in use and out of the recycling stream longer. Yet when it reaches the end of its useful life, the carpet tiles can be reclaimed and recycled through the company’s ReCover program. Notion is produced in an ISO 14001-certified manufacturing facility in Glasgow, Va., ensuring adherence to the highest environmental standards.
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About Gander Mountain Company
Gander Mountain Company (Nasdaq: GMTN), headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota, is the nation's largest retail network of stores for hunting, fishing, camping, boating, marine and outdoor lifestyle products and services. Since 1960, the Gander Mountain brand has offered an expanding assortment of competitively priced outdoor equipment, technical apparel and footwear, as well as gunsmith, archery, ATV and marine services. The stores feature national, regional and local brands as well as the company's owned brands. Focused on a "We Live Outdoors®" culture, Gander Mountain dedicates itself to creating outdoor memories. There are currently 108 conveniently located Gander Mountain outdoor lifestyle stores in 22 states. For the nearest store location call 800-282-5993 or visit www.ganderountain.com.
About Lees Carpets
A long-standing industry leader in sustainability, Lees Carpets, a division of The Mohawk Group, pioneers a strong focus on driving environmentally sound practices inside and outside of its facilities. The commercial carpet manufacturer continues to make significant investments in state-of-the-art technologies to enable the creation of life enhancing, eco-friendly products and processes. For more information about Lees Carpets’ and The Mohawk Group’s sustainable initiatives, visit www.leescarpets.com or www.themohawkgroup.com or call 800-554-6637.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Any statements in this release that are not historical or current facts are forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Certain of these risks and uncertainties are described in the "Risks and Factors Affecting Current and Future Results" section of the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal 2006 and other required reports, as filed with the SEC, which are available at www.gandermountain.com and at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.
Contact Information:
Gander Mountain
Ron Reitmeier
651-325-4300
Stern & Associates for Lees Carpets
Stephanie Euler
908-276-4344, ext. 213
stephanie@sternassociates.com |
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