MARTIN MARIETTA MATERIALS, INC. ACQUIRES CONTROLLING INTEREST IN R&S

Business Wire, Oct 10, 1997

RALEIGH, N. C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 10, 1997--Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE:MLM) today announced that it has entered into a joint venture with R&S Haulers & Distributors, a sand and gravel producer located in New Albany, Mississippi. As a result of the transaction, Martin Marietta Materials will assume management of the operation. No financial details have been disclosed.

R&S operates one plant with annual capacity in excess of 900,000 tons. It serves a broad market area in northeast Mississippi and into Alabama.

Commenting on the acquisition, Stephen P. Zelnak, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Martin Marietta Materials, stated, "This acquisition is a natural geographic extension of our existing position in Alabama. The strong mineral reserves position of R&S should support further growth in shipments."

Martin Marietta Materials is the nation's second largest producer of construction aggregates and a leading producer of magnesia-based chemical and refractory products used in a wide variety of industries. -0-

NOTE TO EDITORS:

Investors are cautioned that statements in this press release

which relate to the future are, by their nature, uncertain and

dependent upon numerous contingencies - including political,

economic, regulatory, climatic, competitive, and technological

- any of which could cause actual results and events to differ

materially from those indicated in such forward-looking statements.

Additional information regarding these and other risk factors and

uncertainties may be found in the Corporation's filings with the

Securities and Exchange Commission.

CONTACT: Martin Marietta Materials, Raleigh

Janice K. Henry, 919/783-4658