November
16, 2005 Steven F.
Nicola
Chief
Financial Officer, Secretary &
Treasurer
412:442-8262
MATTHEWS
INTERNATIONAL
ANNOUNCES
NEW DIRECTOR
PITTSBURGH,
PA, November 16, 2005 -- Matthews International Corporation (NASDAQ NNM: MATW)
announced today that Joseph C. Bartolacci, President and Chief Operating Officer
of Matthews, was elected to the Matthews Board of Directors.
Mr.
Bartolacci is a graduate of St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. He also received
a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of
Law.
Mr.
Bartolacci joined Matthews in 1997 as General Counsel. In 1999, he became
President of Caggiati, S.p.A., the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary in Parma,
Italy. In 2000, Mr. Bartolacci also assumed responsibility for Matthews’
European graphics operations. He returned to North America in December 2003 and
became Executive Vice President and President, York Casket Division. Mr.
Bartolacci was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of Matthews
effective September 1, 2005.
Matthews
International Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a
designer, manufacturer and marketer principally of memorialization products and
brand solutions. Memorialization products consist primarily of bronze memorials
and memorialization products, caskets and cremation equipment for the cemetery
and funeral home industries. Brand solutions include graphics imaging products
and services, merchandising solutions, and marking products. The Company’s
products and services include cast bronze memorials and other memorialization
products; caskets; cast and etched architectural products; cremation equipment
and cremation-related products; mausoleums; printing plates, pre-press services,
and imaging systems for the corrugated and primary packaging industries; marking
equipment and consumables for identifying various consumer and industrial
products, components and containers; and merchandising display systems and
marketing and design services.