Bertolini to open first East Coast facility in Fulton County

Atlanta, March 9, 2006 — The Georgia Department of Economic Development announced today that California-based Bertolini Corporation has chosen a site in Fulton County as its first East Coast investment, creating up to 80 jobs for metro Atlantans in the next three years. 'We are pleased that Georgia has the workforce and logistics assets Bertolini needs to grow its operation,' said Craig Lesser, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. 'It's exciting that our state is playing such a major part in the company's expansion to new markets.' Bertolini, which manufactures seating for church sanctuaries, will lease 16,000 square feet in an existing building  at 4713 Fulton Industrial Blvd. for light assembly and distribution, and will add 10,000 square feet within the next 12 to 14 months for an in-house metal fabrication process. The company plans to purchase up to 100,000 sq. ft. after two years in order to accommodate full assembly and manufacturing, including in-house powder coating, metal fabrication, foam fabrication, and final seat assembly. 'The Georgia manufacturing plant is a very important doorway in serving our East Coast constituents and will strongly support our overall business plan objectives,' stated Chuck Horn, executive vice president of Bertolini. The company attended the state's annual Red Carpet Tour in 2003 and has been considering Georgia since that time as the site of choice for its first East Coast investment. Bertolini Sanctuary Seating is a global leader in manufacturing premium church seating systems and recognized for its quality in serving the hospitality and education sector. Based in Chino, California, the company fuses design and innovation to redefine elegance, comfort, and durability that is globally recognized in the industry. Bertolini Sanctuary Seating develops, manufacturers, and markets a vast array of seating systems for public use, including stackable seating for churches, banquets, fixed-seating for auditorium use, and distributes tables for conference and public use facilities. The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state's sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a location for film, video and music projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development. For more information, visit www.georgia.org.