News Release - Bently Nevada Begins Move to New Headquarters

Bently Nevada Begins Move to New Headquarters

For more information:
Lane Swensen
Corporate Editor
Bently Nevada Corporation
1617 Water Street
Minden, NV 89423
Phone: 775-782-3611
Fax: 775-782-9337
E-mail: lane.swensen@bently.com

MINDEN, NEVADA, 11 January 2000 - Bently Nevada, the world's leading supplier of instrumentation, software, and services for managing and protecting machinery, has begun a phased relocation to the company's new headquarters off Buckeye and Orchard roads, next to the Douglas campus of Western Nevada Community College. When completed, the relocation will involve some 900 local employees and consolidate the company's entire Minden operations. Despite the major logistical effort involved, there are no plans for the company to shut down during the relocation.

The impressive new headquarters stands in considerable contrast to the company's simple beginnings in a garage in the mid-1950s and also to the historic Minden Creamery building where the company has been located since 1971. The 283,000 square-foot building employs a host of energy-saving and advanced communications technologies. Concern over the possibility of earthquakes and floods has strongly influenced the building's construction and its location. The Carson Valley is considered a Zone 3 seismic region, second only to Zone 4 regions such as the Bay Area. The new building even exceeds Zone 4 requirements by 25% and is engineered to withstand a seismic event of 8.0 on the Richter scale. In addition, there is sufficient back-up electrical generating capacity to run the entire operation indefinitely. The building is intentionally located on property approximately 30 feet higher than the surrounding land to ensure that the entire operation is well above the 500-year flood plain and the effects of the Carson River, Buckeye Creek, and Pinenut Creek. According to Donald E. Bently, founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Bently Nevada Corporation, "This is a very nice, well-engineered building. It is an investment in the future."

An initial group of roughly 50 Software Engineering personnel have been moved from the 1998-renovated historic wool warehouse at the corner of U.S. 395 and Buckeye Road (the vacated office space at that location will then be available for lease 15 February¹). Following the initial group, Phase I will formally begin 14 January for Manufacturing and Materials. The bottom floor, the majority of which has been specifically designed for manufacturing efficiency, will be occupied from the center out, minimizing impact on established work centers as new ones move in. Phase II will follow in later February and will include Metals and Plastics Manufacturing. Beginning 20 March, Phase III will bring personnel from the company's Transducer building. Other phases of the relocation are to be determined and will continue well into 2000. Official ceremonies and a formal open house for employees and the community will take place around mid-year.

1. Leasing details can be obtained by contacting Gary Mikulich, Plant Engineering Manager at Bently Nevada.

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