July 12, 2004-- The FB Johnston Group, a leading specialty graphics company, broke ground today on a major expansion at its headquarters and production facility in Chapin, SC, located 20 minutes northwest of Columbia. The expansion will add 62,500 square feet of production space and 7,000 square feet of office space to the plant, bringing the total size to 101,700 sq. ft. The current expansion is designed to allow for an additional 100,000 square feet of future growth. More than 150 people attended a groundbreaking ceremony today at the plant, located at 300 East Boundary Street in Chapin. Several local and state dignitaries attended, including U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson and U.S. Senate candidate Jim DeMint. "The FB Johnston Group means a lot to me personally," Congressman Wilson said. "For more than 30 years, the company has created new jobs for the people of South Carolina. This latest expansion is another sign of the great collaboration among economic development agencies in the region." Over the next five years, the company expects to double in size, which will require an additional 125 to 150 employees. "Today, we are expanding for many of the same reasons we had when we originally relocated the company here in 1969," said FB Johnston Company Chairman and CEO Fred Johnston, II. "Those included a very strong local workforce, along with an outstanding quality of life. Local, county and state officials also have been very aggressive in retaining companies like ours and allowing us to remain a low-cost producer in the global economy." As part of the expansion, the privately held company announced in April that it will move its manufacturing operations from Hillsborough, NC, to Chapin beginning in late 2004. The Hillsborough plant will remain operational through the end of 2004, when the consolidation is complete. "FB Johnston Group is offering jobs at the Chapin facility to all employees in North Carolina who are interested," said President and Chief Operating Officer Jim O'Rourke. "We currently employ 75 in Hillsborough and 95 in Chapin." "Our employees are the key to our current and future success," O'Rourke added. "One of our main goals is to be one of the best companies to work for in the state of South Carolina."