BASF Kaolin Middle Georgia leaders receive Georgia Mining Association’s highest awards

CHARLOTTE, NC, August 5, 2013 -- The Georgia Mining Association (GMA) recently awarded its Miner of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Awards to two employees of BASF’s Middle Georgia Kaolin site.

Jack Hodge, Environment, Health and Safety (EH&S) Team Leader received the Miner of the Year honors and Keith Brooks, Site Director of BASF’s Middle Georgia Kaolin operations, received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

“Over the many years that Hodge and Brooks have been affiliated with GMA they’ve developed many strong relationships and are admired and respected by their peers,” said Lee Lemke, Executive Vice President of GMA.

Each year, GMA staff and board members nominate individuals who have provided exceptional contributions to the growth and prosperity of the mining industry. Hodge and Brooks were selected from more than 200 member companies for their respective awards.

Brooks currently serves as Board Director and president of the Georgia Mining Association.  He is a third generation kaolin miner who has worked in numerous jobs within the industry.

Hodge is chairman of the GMA safety committee, and the industry has achieved one of its best years ever for safety.

“BASF is proud that two members of our team have been recognized by their peers for their accomplishments. Both are deserving of these honors,” said Chuck Schmidt, Senior Vice President, Paper Chemicals, for BASF in North America.

Founded in 1972, the Georgia Mining Association (GMA) is a Georgia trade association dedicated to helping mining companies and allied trade members succeed, understand, comply and function in a complex business and regulatory world. The primary purpose of the GMA is to protect and promote the mining industry in the state.

For press photo, please click on the following link:
http://www.basf.us/pressphotos/08-05-13_GMA Awards.jpg    

Suggested caption: The Georgia Mining Association (GMA) recently awarded its Miner of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Awards to two employees of BASF’s Middle Georgia Kaolin site. From left to right:  Sam Martinez, Director of Operations with Burgess Pigment Co. , current GMA First Vice President; Keith Brooks, Site Director of BASF’s Middle Georgia facility; Jack Hodge,  EH&S Team Leader for BASF’s Middle Georgia site; and Lee Lemke, Executive Vice President of GMA. Brooks received the Lifetime Achievement Award and Hodge received Miner of the Year honors.

About BASF’s Kaolin business

BASF specialty kaolin extender pigments are engineered using naturally occurring aluminosilicates mined from high-purity deposits in the United States. These are refined using complex BASF processes to control particle size distribution, remove natural contaminants, minimize ionic impurities and enhance brightness. Some BASF kaolins are surface-modified and treated with functional additives to further enhance performance, processing and hydrophobicity. For more information on Kaolin, visit kaolin.basf.com.

BASF - The Chemical Company

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 16,600 employees in North America, and had sales of $18.5 billion in 2012.

For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.us.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of €72.1 billion in 2012 and more than 110,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

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