KB Home Announces Winners of 2008 Strategic Partners Conference

Business Wire, Jan 30, 2009

The Sherwin-Williams Company, Whirlpool Corporation, Carrier Corporation and MASCO honored for Sustainability Partnership

Sea Gull Lighting, Stock Building Supply and Kwikset honored for Supply Chain Innovation

LOS ANGELES -- KB Home (NYSE: KBH), one of America's largest homebuilders, today announced award winners from the Company's annual 2008 Strategic Partners Conference. KB Home presented awards to trade partners who have made exceptional contributions to the Company's business in the areas of Sustainability and Supply Chain Innovation.

"Our trade partners are vital to fulfilling our mission of delivering high quality, Built to Order[TM] homes to families at a price they can afford," said Jeffrey Mezger, president and chief executive officer of KB Home. "These awards are indicative of the progress we have made, together with our trade partners, on two important fronts in our business: sustainability and supply chain innovation."

Sustainability Partnership Awards

Sustainability Partnership awards were presented to companies whose environmentally-friendly products have made a positive contribution to KB Home's My Home. My Earth.[TM] strategic environmental initiative. Recipients were The Sherwin-Williams Company (low-VOC interior paint), Whirlpool Corporation (ENERGY STAR([R]) appliances), Carrier Corporation (Puron([R]) refrigerant-based HVAC systems and programmable thermostats) and MASCO (kitchen cabinets made from sustainable materials).

"One of KB Home's commitments in our first-ever sustainability report released in July 2008 was to educate and enlist the help of our trade partners in achieving our goal of becoming a leading environmentally-friendly national company," continued Mezger. "I'm pleased to say the response has been very positive overall, but these four partners really stood out in working with us to make progress in this important area, and I want to thank them for their enthusiasm and support."

Each KB home is Built to Order, with customers choosing among thousands of options to personalize their new homes at a KB Home Studio. The focus of KB Home's My Home. My Earth. initiative in the Studios has been to offer affordable products that provide real economic benefit to the consumer via lower energy costs, while also providing a benefit to the environment by reducing the carbon footprint of the home over the long-term.

"KB Home's commitment to sustainability aligns with Sherwin-Williams EcoVision[TM], a company-wide mission to develop solutions that reduce environmental impact," said Christopher M. Connor, chairman and CEO, The Sherwin-Williams Company. "We are pleased to receive this recognition through the Sustainability Partnership Awards and to continue developing products for KB Home customers that help them achieve their sustainability goals."

"We're pleased to have the opportunity to support KB Home's leadership in helping to meet the growing consumer interest in energy efficient homes," said Michael Todman, president, Whirlpool North America. "Whirlpool Corporation has more ENERGY STAR rated appliances than any other manufacturer, and we are delighted to offer a wide variety to KB Home customers."

"Clearly the development of environmentally conscious and sustainable businesses is important to our country and its future generations. Carrier Corporation shares this vision," said Bob McDonough, president, Carrier Corporation's North American Residential Light Commercial Systems division. "KB Home has taken the lead in home building to provide customers with energy-efficient, environmentally sound options. Carrier is proud to be a part of that product offering."

"In today's business climate, the word "partner" is overused. But in the case of KB Home and Masco, this word has real meaning and is the way we work together today," said Donny DeMarie, president and chief operating officer of Masco.

KB Home sees each of its trade partners as both collaborators and resources for new ways to become a more sustainable business. It asked each trade partner that attended the 2008 Strategic Partners Conference to submit two or three "green" products or ideas that could potentially be implemented at KB Home. In addition, KB Home asked the partners to think about other ways to help the environment by making changes in the way they do business with KB Home, such as eliminating unnecessary packaging, minimizing waste on the job site, eliminating unnecessary deliveries, and recycling or re-using scrap materials.

KB Home's 2008 Sustainability Report is available at www.kbhome.com/sustainability.> Supply Chain Innovation Awards

Among the primary goals of KB Home's Strategic Partners Conference is to find new ways to work together to lower costs and improve operating efficiencies. To that end, KB Home presented awards for Supply Chain Innovation to Sea Gull Lighting, Stock Building Supply and Kwikset.

These awards are measured against a range of performance indicators that cover key issues such as pricing, delivery and customer service.