3.30.2000 ET

(CSRwire) Brady Corporation has been named to the list of "The 100 Best Corporate Citizens" in the March/April issue of Business Ethics magazine released this week. Brady is 44th on the list, and is the only Wisconsin company to be named.

Reporting that serving stockholders isn't the only definition of corporate success today, the magazine recognizes companies that best serve four stakeholder groups: employees, customers, the community and stockholders; and demonstrate creative approaches in the areas of employee involvement, focused community service, innovative employee benefits and team-based product development. The magazine notes that "this new picture of corporate citizenship goes beyond a company's philanthropic activities." Among the benefits good corporate citizens enjoy are attracting the best employees, winning deep-seated customer loyalty, minimizing lawsuits and possibly lowering the cost of capital, according to Marjorie Kelly, Business Ethics publisher and editor.

"Brady's ongoing support for education in our community, commitment to diversity in the workplace, and family-friendly employment policies and benefits have demonstrated year after year that companies can indeed enhance shareholder value when they do the right thing. We are honored to be recognized by Business Ethics as being one of the 100 best corporate citizens," said Brady President and CEO Katherine M. Hudson.

A statistical analysis to determine the 100 best corporate citizens was conducted by the Carroll School of Management at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass. For ratings of social performance, the study relied upon data from the research database of the Domini 400 Social Index, a socially screened counterpart to the S&P 500. This database covers approximately 1,000 publicly traded U.S. corporations and evaluates companies in areas such as diversity, employee relations, and the environment for the socially conscious investor. Brady has been included in the Domini Social Index since 1997.

Other companies named to "The 100 Best Corporate Citizens" list include IBM (#1), Hewlett Packard (#2), and Intel (#3). Brady (#44) was ranked ahead of such well-respected companies as Wal-Mart (#47), AT&T (#56), Lucent Technologies (#68), and Dell Computers (#72). The complete list is posted on the Internet at www.Busines-Ethics.com.

Brady Corporation is an international manufacturer and marketer of complete identification solutions, with products including labels, software, printing systems, label-application and data-collection systems, signs, safety devices and specialty materials for manufacturing, electrical, electronic, telecommunications and a variety of other markets. Founded in 1914, Brady is headquartered in Milwaukee and employs about 3,000 people in operations in the United States, Europe, Asia/Pacific, Latin America and Canada. Brady's fiscal 1999 sales were approximately $471 million and net income was approximately $40 million. More information is available on the Internet at www.bradycorp.com.