(Manheim Township) Lancaster, PA (August 31, 2000) John H. Rose of Lancaster has been appointed by the director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to the 2000 board of examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The Award, created by public law in 1987, is the highest level of national recognition for performance excellence that a US organization can receive.

Rose contributes diverse industry and global business insight as a CPA currently serving as senior vice president and chief financial officer of the Horst Group, with former experience as CEO for Charles Chips, and COO for Simon Lever & Co., and CFO for Cardinal Technologies, Bongrain Cheese and ASI Business Solutions. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland and served in the US Marine Corps.

Rose is an active community leader who currently serves on a funding panel of the United Way of Lancaster County, the board of the Economic Development Finance Council, the board of Healthstream, Inc., past president of the PA Dutch Council of the Boy Scouts of America (for which he recently received the prestigious Silver Beaver Award) and as a volunteer for the First United Methodist Church.

Rose has been an integral member of the Performance Excellence Awards Committee of The Lancaster Chamber of Commerce, serving as an examiner for the local Baldrige-based award for eight years. He has championed the power of the process to area businesses, encouraging them to join the Horst Group (for whom Rose works) in participating in the Award. The Horst Group received the prestigious Performance Excellence Leadership Award for the second year in a row with Rose spearheading the effort.

As Baldrige examiner, Rose is responsible for reviewing and evaluating applications submitted for the Award. The board s comprised of about 400 leading experts selected from industry, professional and trade organizations, education and healthcare organizations, and government.

Those selected meet the highest standards of qualification and peer recognition. All members of the board must take part in a preparation course based on the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence and the scoring and evaluation processes for the Baldrige Award.

Awards may be given annually in each of five categories: Manufacturing, Services, Small Business, Education and Health Care. Awards have been presented to 38 companies, including 1999 Award recipients, STMicroelectronics, Inc-Region Americas, BI, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.L., and Sunny Fresh Foods. Pennsylvania Baldrige Award recipients were Armstrong World Industries, Building Project Operations, in 1995 and Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Commercial Nuclear Fuel Division, in 1988.

Information about the Baldrige National Quality Program and the application process is available from the Baldrige National Quality Program, 100 Bureau Drive, Mail Stop 1020, A600 Administration Building, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1020, telephone: 301/975-2036, fax: 301/948-3716. Information can also be found on the Baldrige National Quality Program's WebSite at www.baldrige.com.

The Ward Program is managed by NIST in close cooperation with the private sector. The American Society for Quality (ASQ) in Milwaukee, WI, administers the program. For further information about the Baldrige Award, call Jan Kosko, NIST Public and Business Affairs, 301/975-2767. The Horst Group is a family of diversified construction, property management and insurance companies (Horst Construction, Horst Excavating, Horst Masonry, Horst Painting, Horst Property Management (commercial, residential, association, hospitality and senior housing development, management, janitorial and service), Horst Insurance and Horst Financial Services), serving the mid-Atlantic region. Situated in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania's Granite Run Corporate Center, the Horst Group has a tradition of service dating back to 1880. To contact the Horst Group, call (717) 581-9800 or visit www.horstgroup.com.

For more information regarding this release, please contact Karen Haski, communications manager, Horst Group, call (717) 581-9817 or email to khaski@horstgroup.com.