Koppers Signs Agreement to Acquire Crosstie Supplier Gross & Janes Co.

Supports Network Optimization and Bolsters Supply Chain

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE: KOP), an integrated global provider of treated wood products, wood treatment chemicals, and carbon compounds, today announced that Koppers Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Koppers Holdings, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of Gross & Janes Co. for an undisclosed amount.  The transaction is expected to close within the next thirty days, subject to customary closing conditions.

Gross & Janes, headquartered in Kirkwood, Missouri, is the largest independent supplier of untreated railroad crossties in North America, with operations in Williamsville, Missouri, and Camden, Arkansas.

Chief Operating Officer Jim Sullivan said, "The Gross & Janes name has been well respected in the industry for a long time, so I am extremely pleased to have them on our team.  In addition to the increased access to crossties, their fixed assets will enable us to rethink our logistics footprint and potentially displace near-term capital requirements at some of our existing facilities while also driving other meaningful tangible synergies to our bottom line."

Commenting on the transaction, President and Chief Executive Officer Leroy Ball said, "We are happy to add the Gross & Janes team to the Koppers family, which I believe will immediately benefit our customers and shareholders.  The last few years have taught us the value of a strong uninterrupted supply network, and this acquisition only enhances the value of our integrated supply model by providing additional access to untreated crossties to feed our treating facilities.  From hardwood procurement, to preservative production, to treating the final product and disposing of it responsibly at its end of life, Koppers is proud to be the only crosstie supplier to offer a carbon positive circular solution for our products at scale."

About Koppers

Koppers, with corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is an integrated global provider of treated wood products, wood treatment chemicals, and carbon compounds.  Our products and services are used in a variety of niche applications in a diverse range of end markets, including the railroad, specialty chemical, utility, residential lumber, agriculture, aluminum, steel, rubber, and construction industries.  We serve our customers through a comprehensive global manufacturing and distribution network, with facilities located in North America, South America, Australasia, and Europe.  The stock of Koppers Holdings Inc. is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "KOP."

For more information, visit: www.koppers.com. Inquiries from the media should be directed to Ms. Jessica Franklin Black at [email protected] or 412-227-2025.  Inquiries from the investment community should be directed to Ms. Quynh McGuire at [email protected] or 412-227-2049.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and may include, but are not limited to, statements about sales levels, acquisitions, restructuring, declines in the value of Koppers assets and the effect of any resulting impairment charges, profitability and anticipated expenses and cash outflows.

All forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature are forward-looking, and words such as "outlook," "guidance," "forecast," "believe," "anticipate," "expect," "estimate," "may," "will," "should," "continue," "plan," "potential," "intend," "likely," or other similar words or phrases are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements.  Any forward-looking statement contained herein, in other press releases, written statements or other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or in Koppers communications and discussions with investors and analysts in the normal course of business through meetings, phone calls and conference calls, regarding future dividends, expectations with respect to sales, earnings, cash flows, operating efficiencies, restructurings, the benefits of acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures or other matters as well as financings and debt reduction, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and contingencies.

Many of these risks, uncertainties and contingencies are beyond our control, and may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from anticipated results, performance or achievements.  Factors that might affect such forward-looking statements include, among other things, the impact of changes in commodity prices, such as oil and copper, on product margins; general economic and business conditions; disruption in the U.S. and global financial markets; potential difficulties in protecting our intellectual property; the ratings on our debt and our ability to repay or refinance our outstanding indebtedness as it matures; our ability to operate within the limitations of our debt covenants; potential impairment of our goodwill and/or long-lived assets; demand for Koppers goods and services; competitive conditions; interest rate and foreign currency rate fluctuations; availability and costs of key raw materials; unfavorable resolution of claims against us, as well as those discussed more fully elsewhere in this release and in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by Koppers, particularly our latest annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent filings by Koppers with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Any forward-looking statements in this release speak only as of the date of this release, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after that date or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

SOURCE Koppers