Stephen Slymon and Thomas Long Named to Executive Positions at Irving Tanning Company

HARTLAND, Maine (July 23, 2003) ö Irving Tanning Company today announced the following organizational changes.

Stephen G. Slymon has been appointed Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing. Mr. Slymon has been with Irving for six years, most recently as Vice President of Sales. Mr. Slymon has spent the majority of his career in the leather and footwear industries. His affiliation with Irving dates back more than two decades, during which time Mr. Slymon was with Homer Bear Inc., a leather sales agency serving the footwear and personal leather goods industries. Prior to entering leather sales, Mr. Slymon spent six years in men's retail footwear.

Thomas S. Long has joined Irving as its new Vice President of Sales. Mr. Long has 35 years of experience in the footwear industry and all facets of the leather business. He most previously served at Phoenix Tanning. Prior to his time with Phoenix Tanning, Mr. Long was Vice President at Prime Tanning, where he was responsible for global sales, marketing, customer service and logistics. During his 14-year tenure there, he worked with the largest branded footwear manufacturers in the world and successfully developed numerous new lines of leather business, particularly in Europe, while also streamlining various supply chain management processes.

Irving Tanning, a leading designer and manufacturer of high-quality leather for the global footwear, accessories and personal leather goods markets, began its operations in Hartland in 1936 and currently employs approximately 300 people at its facilities there.

# # #