FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Allen Blakey

July 22, 1998 (202) 364-3790

WASTE EXPO '98 FEATURED 531 EXHIBITORS
SPREAD OVER RECORD 245,500 NET SQUARE FEET

WASHINGTON -- WasteExpo '98, held June 8-11 at McCormick Place South in Chicago, featured 531 exhibitors covering a record 245,500 net square feet of exhibit space.

More than 10,400 people attended the exposition and conference, including over 8,100 qualified buyers. More than 1,200 international attendees came from 73 different countries.

Demographic analysis shows that over two-thirds of attendees were involved in purchasing: 30 percent had responsibility for making a final decision, nearly 25 percent recommended purchases, 4 percent specified products and 9 percent identified purchasing needs. Nearly 38 percent said their companies were planning purchases within the next 12 months.

Fred Leach, president and CEO of Leach Company, Oshkosh, Wisc., said, "Overall, the people that visited us at WasteExpo '98 were more serious about purchasing than we have seen at many past shows."

Bill Henning, senior vice president, Toter, Statesville, N.C., said "We had a really good show. It was a great place to introduce our new automated litter container, which has a gravity-locked lid that releases when the container is being dumped into a fully automated truck. The container was enthusiastically received by attendees in our booth. In fact, we took several orders."

Terry Barnes, vice president, Loadmaster Corp., Norway, Mich., said, "It was one of the better shows we have attended. We were able to showcase a new body style for our rear loader, and we got a lot of positive feedback. We built up far greater awareness than we had previously among Central American and South American attendees. We wouldn't have been able to get that exposure otherwise."

Don Quick, director of international marketing for Scranton Manufacturing Co., Scranton, Iowa, said, "It was absolutely the best international turnout that I've ever had, and the most positive people. The people that were there were the ones that could make the decisions."

Allison Transmission, Indianapolis, Ind., said in a statement, "WasteExpo is an important venue for us in terms of communicating with customers, potential customers and the trade press." The company said it expects that "WasteExpo will likely continue to be the premier show for exhibiting the wealth of technology changes required for this market."

Among other highlights of WasteExpo '98:

• The Waste Age & Recycling Times Buyer's Assistance Center, new at WasteExpo '98, produced more than 12,000 leads for exhibiting companies by helping attendees zero in on topics, exhibitors and events.
• The EIA Research and Education Foundation's fourth annual auction was its largest and most successful, grossing a record $764,000 as more than 100 attendees bid on such prizes as trucks, equipment, golf clubs and weekend getaways. Shelby Howard of Mack Trucks, Inc., in Indianapolis won a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee in a special drawing.
• A keynote address on leadership by Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf (USA, Ret.) drew an estimated 3,500 attendees.
  

NOTE: Parties interested in making presentations at the conference portion of WasteExpo '99 should contact EIA's Education Department at 202-244-4700, fax 202-966-4818.

EIA represents some 2,000 businesses involved in waste services and equipment manufacturing, distribution and servicing. EIA includes the National Solid Wastes Management Association and the Waste Equipment Technology Association.