March 28, 2007

	Aga Foodservice Equipment Honored by Dept. of Energy and EPA As A 2007 ENERGY STAR® Manufacturing Partner Of The Year For Further Information, Contact, Lisa Hosey, Marketing Coordinator AGA Foodservice Equipment (856) 428-4200; l.hosey@victory-refrig.com     AFE companies are recognized for products' outstanding energy efficiency for second year in a row at gala awards banquet in Washington DC; Aga Foodservice Group's Iain Whyte calls for expansion of ENERGY STAR program in acceptance speech.     Cherry Hill, NJ, March 2007 - During a banquet held at Washington's historic Shoreham Hotel on the evening of March 21st, the federal Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency recognized the Aga Foodservice Equipment division of the Aga Foodservice Group as an ENERGY STAR® 2007 Manufacturing Partner of the Year. With AFE's Victory Refrigeration having earned a 2006 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award, this makes the division's companies both the only two-time ENERGY STAR award winners among foodservice equipment manufacturers and the only foodservice equipment makers ever to be honored during ENERGY STAR's 18-year history.     AFE was in select company at this prestigious event, as other Partner of the Year award recipients included Lennox Engineering, Ford Motor Company, Home Depot, Whirlpool Corporation and Raytheon Co.     "These ENERGY STAR award winners are helping to spread the word that getting the most out of our energy dollars just makes sense," EPA Administrator Stephen Jackson commented during the banquet. He added that ENERGY STAR Partners are "improving the nation's energy and environmental outlook and providing the next generation with a brighter, more healthful future."     Aga Foodservice Equipment was represented by Aga Foodservice US President Iain Whyte and Victory's Director of Engineering Jeff Bauman, Manufacturing Engineer John McGill and Lab technician Al Frazier, who ooversees all of the company's ENERGY STAR qualification testing. Whyte accepted the 2007 Manufacturing Partner of the Year award on behalf of all of his AFE colleagues and brought the audience to applause with several of his remarks.     Specifically, Whyte called on "those in the room who have the authority and influence to consider allocating funds to create more ENERGY STAR categories for foodservice equipment. As support for my request, I would ask you to note that one foodservice kitchen on average consumes the same amount of energy as 29 residential homes. And we have some 1 million foodservices now in operation in the U.S." He also asked event attendees to support "new legislation that mandates ENERGY STAR qualification as the entry level for product approval in any market sector that is covered by Federal legislation for safety and sanitation."     Aga Foodservice Equipment will continue to qualify more models in all available ENERGY STAR Categories and maintain its commitment to marketing the ENERGY STAR message and benefits.     For a complete transcript of Whyte's remarks, see below.         Acceptance Speech by Iain Whyte at ENERGY STAR awards banquet, March 21, 2007, Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC     I would like to thank the Department of Energy and the EPA for recognizing the efforts of our company, which does business in an industry segment that is lagging behind other appliance sectors when it comes to promoting energy efficient products through a legislative framework.     For many years, Aga Foodservice Equipment has been ploughing a lone furrow in the Foodservice Equipment sector, developing, engineering and promoting ENERGY STAR-qualified and energy-efficient products that help our customer base lower the cost of operating their businesses and reduce demands on the environment.     We operate in an industry sector in which we have over 200 product categories, but only 4 currently have a defined ENERGY STAR standard. For those in the room who have the authority and influence, I would ask you to consider allocating more funds to create more ENERGY STAR categories for foodservice equipment. As support for my request, I would ask you to note that: 1 foodservice kitchen on average consumes the same amount of energy as 29 residential homes. And we have some 1 million foodservices now in operation in the U.S.     Given these statistics, could we not go one step further and bring in legislation that mandates ENERGY STAR qualification as the entry level for product approval in any market sector that is covered by Federal legislation for safety and sanitation? I think we should.     Is it unreasonable to think in today's global environment that a product to be sold should be mandated to be safe, clean and energy efficient? I think not.     Working within the ENERGY STAR program has created an advantage for our business. It has enabled Aga Foodservice Equipment to be recognized as a brand leader in energy efficient foodservice products. This has allowed to make educational presentations to the major QSR and Casual Dining chains, which are now becoming more receptive to measuring the life-cycle cost of a product, rather than just its initial purchase price. Being able to apply the ENERGY STAR logo to our products and include it in our marketing material is giving us tremendous creditability because we can tie our product claims to a nationally recognized standard.     This has been reflective in our sales growth over the last two years, which have been above our industry trends.     On a final point I would like to thank my colleagues and co-workers at Aga Foodservice Equipment, who enthusiastically and diligently work every day to keep us in a leadership position when it comes to developing, engineering and marketing our energy-efficient products. Without their application of knowledge and skill, we would not be receiving this prestigious award.