GOLDEN Receives Small Business Excellence Award

––– Columbus, NY, May 27, 2004

Golden Artist Colors, Inc., was recently honored by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the New York Business Development Corporation and Fleet Bank with an Excellence Award. Mark and Barbara Golden accepted the award on behalf of all the employee owners at the 6 th Annual Small Business Excellence Awards luncheon and ceremony at the Syracuse Wyndham on Mon., May 3, 2004.

Family founders, Mark and Barbara Golden, have built GOLDEN around an environment in which every employee can thrive. From the beginning, Golden Artist Colors, Inc., has prepared its employees to take greater responsibility and share in the company’s success — learning how to act and feel like owners.

“From the Chairman Mark Golden and his wife Barbara Golden to each of their employee owners, there is a sense of community and support, not only for each other, but for their customers and the community in which they operate,” said Vice President Client Manager of Fleet Bank, Timothy G. Denniston,

“It was very exciting for all of us here at GOLDEN when we found out that we had won the award,” said CEO, Mark Golden. “The dedication and support we have received over the years from our employees, the Small Business Administration, the NY Business Development Corporation and Fleet Bank has been outstanding! We couldn’t have done it without them.”

Golden Artist Colors, Inc. began as a four-person company producing acrylic paint in 1980. Now employing 120 full-time equivalent employees in its expanding 60,000 square foot facility GOLDEN continues to extend the boundaries of painting through producing quality, innovative products born of a constant dialog with artists. Fleet nominated the company for their continued growth, innovative, high-quality products and positive economic impact on the community.

In addition to GOLDEN, 21 other successful small business owners received Excellence Awards. SBA also recognized seven business owners and champions of small business with National Small Business Week awards in recognition of the impact they’ve had on the local economy and quality of life in their communities.

The Small Business Excellence Award ceremony is one of a series of events in local communities across the nation celebrating National Small Business Week and provides the opportunity to recognize the successes of outstanding business in Central New York. Small business is what’s driving our nation’s economy. They employ 51 percent of the private-sector workforce — that’s 57 million Americans! They create two out of three new jobs and produce 51 percent of the private sector output.

About Golden Artist Colors, Inc.
Founded in 1980 by the Golden family, Golden Artist Colors, Inc. began producing acrylic paint as a result of conversations with artists who needed new materials to help them explore more innovative ways of working with acrylic. The products that Sam Golden developed as the result of collaborations with these painters became his inspiration and central motif that he carried forward in the creation of GOLDEN.

Now a global brand, GOLDEN acrylics continue to extend the boundaries of painting through quality, innovative products born of a constant dialogue with artists, which drive the company's innovation. Located in its expanding 60,000-square-foot facility in rural Columbus, N.Y., GOLDEN's 110 employees are committed to producing materials that encourage exploration of form and concept, while assuring archival integrity. GOLDEN takes pride in the fact that its Custom Lab is the only facility of its kind, dedicated to designing products to the specifications of individual artists. Developing paints to meet exacting criteria is the specialty of GOLDEN's custom operations. As a natural progression from our initiatives in the fine arts market, GOLDEN established Paintworks, the commercial paint and coatings division of Golden Artist Colors, Inc. It provides commercial and OEM clients with paint making technology, toll manufacturing and integrated solutions. GOLDEN Paintworks can design a full solution to a coatings project based on its expertise designing, manufacturing, marketing and selling high performance paints and coatings. The company also assists customers with complex production, packaging and regulatory issues. For more information about Golden Artist Colors, Inc. and its comprehensive product offering, call 1-800-959-6543 or visit the company's Web site at www.goldenpaints.com.