Proclamations Praise SAFTI FIRST® for Fire and Life Safety

SAFTI FIRST®/O’Keeffe’s Inc nominated as “Mid-size Business Employer of the Year”

Media Contact:
Diana San Diego
888.653.3333 ext. 756
dianas@safti.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SAFTI FIRST® RECOGNIZED BY CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO AND MERCED FOR CONTRIBUTIONS IN FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY AND LOCAL COMMUNITY

California and San Francisco mark SAFTI FIRST®’s 25 years of innovations in fire and life safety with state and citywide proclamations;
City of Merced, CA names SAFTI FIRST®/O’Keeffe’s Inc as “Mid-size Business Employer of the Year”

SAN FRANCISCO (April 21, 2008) – SAFTI FIRST®, a leading manufacturer of fire rated glazing and framing, recently received proclamations from the State of California and the City of San Francisco for the company’s 25-year history of advancing fire and life safety through innovative fire rated glazing and framing systems.  This prestigious honor is now part of public record, with California State Assemblyman Mark Leno recognizing SAFTI FIRST®’s Silver Anniversary and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom officially designating December 31 as “SAFTI FIRST® Day” in San Francisco.

A few examples of the many first-to-market achievements in the USA noted in the proclamations are:

• SuperLite I-W, the first wired glass product meeting the maximum CPSC Cat. II safety standard
• SuperLite I-XL, first monolithic, specialty tempered glazing that reduces dangerous radiant heat and meeting the CPSC Cat.II safety requirements (for use in 45-60 minute applications with AHJ approval)
• SuperLite II-XL and SAFTIfire GPX Framing, the first fire resistive glazed transparent wall system manufactured in the USA passing ASTM E119, the stringent wall standard

These proclamations also recognized William O’Keeffe, President and CEO of SAFTI FIRST®, for dedicating himself and his company to keeping traditional wired glass (non-safety) from being used in unsafe applications such as schools and gymnasiums, where most documented wired glass injuries have occurred.  This commitment resulted in successful code changes during the 2003 IBC code cycle and the ongoing effort to develop products that exceed previously accepted levels of impact resistance and fire safety.

In addition, the City of Merced named SAFTI FIRST® and its parent company O’Keeffe’s Inc. as “Mid-size Business Employer of the Year” during the 9th Annual Merced Success Breakfast last March 25, 2008.  To accommodate the growing business, SAFTI FIRST®/O’Keeffe’s moved the manufacturing plant form San Francisco to Merced in 1997.  Since then, the Merced facility has provided skilled job opportunities to local residents and streamlined its operations by investing in state-of-the-art, computer-aided manufacturing equipment.  Last Christmas, SAFTI FIRST®/O’Keeffe’s employees raised over $10,000 to purchase bicycles for the school children attending the four elementary schools near the manufacturing facility.

“We are extremely proud to be a US and California based manufacturer,” says William O’Keeffe.  “To receive such accolades from the state and cities where we’ve flourished is a tremendous honor.   This is an exciting time for us. We look forward to serving the construction industry and our local communities well past another twenty-five years by continuing to offer innovative products that go beyond basic performance requirements.”

For more information, please visit www.safti.com or call 888.653.3333.

About SAFTI FIRST®

Founded in 1982, SAFTI FIRST® Fire Rated Glazing Solutions (www.safti.com) has been serving the architectural and building communities and the recognized leader in manufacturing fire rated glass and framing for over 25 years.  As the premier source for fire-rated glazing, SAFTI FIRST® was the first to introduce transparent fire rated walls to the U.S. market. Our SuperLite™ product line, fire rated from 20 minutes to three hours, includes fire-retardant filled glass units, safety ceramics, safety wired glass and SuperLite I-XL, a patented breakthrough fire protective  product that significantly reduces radiant heat transfer (AHJ approval necessary in some areas).  SuperLite™ products can protect against noise, attack, impact, bullets, blast, hurricane and UV rays and is available in any custom architectural make-up, including enhanced energy performance.  SAFTIfire GPX Framing is fire rated from 20 minutes to 2 hours.  Our products are manufactured in the U.S. with fast lead times.  For more information, call 888.653.3333.

SAFTI FIRST® is a division of O’Keeffe’s, Inc. (www.okeeffes.com), leading manufacturer of aluminum access ladders, custom skylights and other architectural building products for over 60 years.  Headquartered in San Francisco, O’Keeffe’s, Inc., holds numerous patents and is involved in high-profile projects such as Genentech Hall at the University of California, San Francisco and the Museum of Modern Art.

Media interested in photos, interviews or other information should contact Diana San Diego at 888.653.3333 ext. 225 or dianas@safti.com.