East Teak’s Matt Mladenka Earns U.S. Green Building Council’s “LEED Green Associate” Credential

Director of Sales and Marketing to Consult on LEED Credits for Projects

DALLAS — January 5, 2010 — Matt Mladenka, Director of Marketing and Sales for East Teak Fine Hardwoods, Inc., has recently passed the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Associate accreditation exam.

The accreditation will help Mladenka—who is the first person on East Teak's staff to earn the credential—to consult with architects, designers and contractors in applying potential LEED credits.

"As sustainable practices become increasingly important in the construction industry, it is imperative that our staff is knowledgeable not only about our green product line, but green building practices in general," said Mladenka. "The ability to discuss the entire building process, and understand how our products fit in with the integrated building design, is becoming an expected prerequisite from our customers."

The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) provides third-party professional credentials in green building practices. The GBCI has created the LEED Green Associate exam, which is comprised of 100 questions. Topics follow LEED categories, which include Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and Innovation in Design.

Wayne Rogers, President and CEO of East Teak, added: "Matt has a good knowledge of green building to begin with. The LEED Green Associate credential further demonstrates his expertise, and will allow us a consulting advantage that is in line with our priority to customer service. We are very proud of this achievement."

In addition, Mladenka oversees participation in GreenBuild as well as relationships with Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), the company's third-party auditor of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood. East Teak sells FSC-certified woods under Chain of Custody: SCS-COC-002289.

About East Teak Fine Hardwoods, Inc.

Founded in 1972, East Teak Fine Hardwoods, Inc. is the leading importer of high grade teak and other fine hardwood species used as decking, flooring, siding, mouldings and custom millwork in the construction of hotels, resorts, office buildings, luxury homes and yachts. From its facilities in South Carolina and Washington, East Teak serves the architectural, up-scale residential, commercial construction, hospitality and boating industries throughout mainland North America, the Caribbean and Hawaii. More information can be found at www.EastTeak.com, www.CertifiedHardwoods.com or http://blog.eastteak.com.