News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mr. C. J. Bailey 606.768.3620
March 24, 2004

Boneal Becoming a Fixture
on an American Fixture

MEANS, KY- The next time you roll down your car window and drop a letter in the big blue mailbox at a post office, don’t be surprised if you see the name of a local company prominently displayed on the front of the mail chute.
Boneal Incorporated became the United States Postal Service’s only provider of motorist mail chutes late last year.
     The new Boneal chute looks exactly like the traditional design that has been in use for 50 years, but looks can be deceiving. The Boneal engineering team, under the direction of President David Ledford, greatly improved the design and durability of the product. The team spent two years developing and testing a finish system that allows Boneal mail chutes to hold up to vandalism and extreme weather much better than the old design.
     “The result of this program is a United States Postal Service mail chute that will last many times longer than any previous version. This improvement could save the Postal Service millions of dollars in annual maintenance costs if the technologies we forged are applied to all of its outdoor mail collection equipment,” said Arnold, Boneal Director of Programs. The motorist mail chute design team includes Arnold and Phil Harris.
     Boneal’s innovation, both in what it does and how it does it, is catching the attention of more than just its customers and employees. In
December, Kentucky’s 5th District Congressman Hal Rogers met with company officials and toured the company’s facilities, which are located near the Montgomery-Menifee county line on US 460.
     Congressman Rogers stated, “By entrusting Boneal to build the motorist mail chute, which is a true American icon, the Postal Service has recognized what Kentuckians have known all along - that our companies and workers are among the best in the world.”
     Rogers continued, “I commend Boneal for its commitment to making quality goods and giving back to the local community.  Success is not just about products and making money, it’s also about accountability, vision, and leadership.  Boneal clearly understands and operates according to those important principles.”
     Boneal, which has produced hundreds of custom products for commercial and government customers, established a charitable foundation 5 years ago. The largest benefactors of that foundation are students in Menifee County. College scholarships are awarded regularly to qualified students. To date, over $33,000 has been committed.
     On top of the foundation money, Boneal has worked with several Kentucky colleges whereupon scholarship dollars are matched. The result is a potential windfall of $20,000 for the selected students.
The synergy created between local students and state colleges is modeled after the approach Boneal uses in business, particularly in its relationship with the Postal Service.
     “We pride ourselves in finding the best people and expecting the best out of them,” Ledford said. “It’s no accident that world class products are being produced by people in this community.”
     Boneal was given the task of redesigning the motorist mail chute as part of a massive effort by the Postal Service to re-evaluate the way in which it collects mail following the biohazard attacks of 2001. Postal inspectors from Washington, D.C., gave final certification to Boneal’s mail chute during an on-site visit on October 12, 2003.
     “I am incredibly proud of this team,” Ledford said of his staff. “This group has worked tirelessly and steered around many obstacles for over two years. The end result is a first-of-its-kind product that bears the Boneal name, and that name will be prominently displayed for years to come on a fixture of Americana all across the United States.”

     Boneal Incorporated is a prime contractor for the Postal Service and several other U.S. government agencies. It also works with companies such as Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, providing solutions to manufacturing problems. Boneal’s Web address is www.boneal.com.

POSTAL INSPECTION -- Kentucky’s 5th District Congressman Hal Rogers, left, discusses the innovations Boneal put into the Postal Service’s motorist mail chute with Boneal CEO Keith Gannon, center, and Boneal President David Ledford. The Congressman toured Boneal in December 2003 to see firsthand how the company designs and builds world class products such as the motorist mail chute.

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For additional information contact Mr. C. J. Bailey, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, by phone at 606.768.3620 or via electronic mail at cjbailey@boneal.com

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