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Contact: Kirsten Combs
Phone: (703) 736-9666
E-mail: kirstencombs@landcarenetwork.org           

For Immediate Release

PHILIP MORRIS USA RECEIVES 2005 LANDSCAPE CONTRIBUTION AWARD

HERNDON, Va., February 10, 2006 — Philip Morris USA was honored recently with the 2005 Landscape Contribution Award for its commitment to interior and exterior landscaping. The award, created in 1986, is presented by the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) to major corporations, developers, and municipalities that are committed to quality landscape development and help to consistently create landscape awareness.

The company recently relocated its corporate headquarters from Manhattan to Richmond, Virginia, where its numerous other manufacturing and operations facilities are located. The new headquarters occupies a building that is listed on the National Registry of Historic Buildings.

Visible from several interstate highways, the company’s properties more closely resemble a college campus than a manufacturing site or headquarters office. Visitors to the headquarters office enter along a tree-lined reflecting pool designed in the 1950s by renowned Virginia landscape architect Charles Gillette.

Extensively landscaped grounds are scattered along the James River and are situated on scenic properties south of the city. Highlights of a tour through the grounds reveal many interior gardens, courtyards, and lobbies; preservation of natural habitats along the James River; seasonal color, both indoors and outdoors; environmentally friendly maintenance processes; and water features throughout.

The company’s beautifully landscaped grounds offer both visitors and employees a break from the enclosed environment of a manufacturing or office setting. While the buildings are constructed of aluminum and architecturally designed with many sharp angles, the great expanses of glass provide a visual bridge from the interior to the exterior environments.

In accepting the award, Cassandra Jones, Philip Morris USA manager of facilities management, said, “We are honored to receive the Landscape Contribution Award from PLANET. For us, this recognition represents a tremendous amount of hard work, not only from our own facility maintenance staff but also from our valued business partners who work beside us every single day.

“If you’ve ever visited Virginia, you know that our climate and natural settings provide a great backdrop, which helps us in our goal to make our facilities as beautiful as possible. We see it as our job to take over where Mother Nature left off, helping transform our facilities into places that delight the senses and connect our employees and visitors with nature. We are fortunate to work in an environment that lends itself to this level of creativity, and we are committed to preserving it in the future.”

Two longtime PLANET members — Buckingham Greenery and TruGreen LandCare —  jointly nominated Philip Morris USA for the award. Both companies have a long history of service with Philip Morris USA.

PLANET represents approximately 4,300 green industry service provider companies and suppliers nationwide that specialize in design/build/installation, interior plantscaping, landscape management, and lawn care. These firms and their employees represent more than 100,000 green industry professionals.