SILVERBOW, MT – The Montana Employment Relations Division - Department of Labor recognized The Scoular Company’s facility in Silverbow, MT on October 14, 2004 with the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) Award for the company’s exemplary workplace safety programs for employees.

In a special award ceremony at the facility, the Labor Department’s Safety and Health Bureau Chief John Maloney presented Scoular with the SHARP Award and flag. Also attending was Carl Crouse, Safety and Health Specialist with the Safety and Health Bureau.

The Silverbow facility is the Company’s third grain handling facility to receive the prestigious award and the first Montana grain elevator and fourth Montana business to achieve SHARPS certification.

“The Scoular Company has a lot to be proud of in achieving this recognition,” said the Wendy Keating, Commissioner of the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. “Businesses who receive SHARP status do so by going above and beyond in the area of workplace safety. The Montana Employment Relations Division – Department of Labor is proud to recognize The Scoular Company for its commitment to a safe and healthy work environment.”

Companies earn SHARP certification by demonstrating a strong commitment to workplace safety and health as reflected in reduced occupational injury/illness experiences and development of a safety and health management program.

Randy Linville, Scoular’s President and CEO, said receiving the SHARP Award further strengthens the company’s commitment to workplace safety and provides a goal for the company’s other facilities. “At The Scoular Company, we work hard to run productive businesses and to meet the needs of our customers,” Linville said. “Our business goals are important. But we have no goal more important than protecting the safety of our employees.”

The Scoular Company believes that unsafe working conditions cannot be tolerated. When conditions threatening the safety of employees are identified, the company says they will commit the necessary resources to correct the situation as promptly as possible.

“As we all know, safety doesn’t happen by accident; it happens one employee at a time,” Linville said. “By observing safety precautions, each individual contributes to making safety a reality.”

The Scoular Company, headquartered in Omaha, is a century-old agribusiness company supplying grain and food and feed ingredients throughout North America. The company presently has approximately 355 employees.

Once a company achieves the prestigious status of the SHARP Program, they are removed from OSHA’s routine inspections for one year. Employers who continue meeting the requirements will be exempted for two-year periods upon their second renewal, for as long as they choose to participate. Additionally, after the second year renewal, their injury and illness rates are averaged for a three-year period for qualification.

Certification in the Montana SHARP Program is a process that includes a comprehensive consultation and a satisfactory review. The company must meet several requirements to qualify, including correcting all hazards identified during the survey process.

Scoular is a century-old agribusiness company supplying grain and feed ingredients throughout North America.