American Woodmark Celebrates Opening of New Manufacturing Facility in

    Business Editors

    CUMBERLAND, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 5, 2005--Just five months following the official groundbreaking ceremony for its 15th manufacturing facility, American Woodmark Corporation (AWC) (NASDAQ: AMWD), a leading supplier of kitchen cabinetry to the new home construction and remodeling industry, is marking the opening today of its new 250,000 square-foot manufacturing plant in Allegany County, Md. Maryland Lt. Governor Michael S. Steele and a number of state and county officials attended a ribbon cutting ceremony held at the plant.
    The facility, located in the newly developed Barton Business Park, will provide the additional manufacturing capacity needed to support American Woodmark's continued growth. The plant will assemble wood cabinet components received from other AWC plants and ship completed cabinets to customers located in the Northeast and Midwest regions of the United States.
    Additionally, the Company recently announced the acquisition of a 37-acre site in the Keysers Ridge Industrial Park situated west of Grantsville, Md., to build a future lumber drying and milling operation in Garrett County, Md. The Company plans to begin site preparation immediately and will be investing in the site over the next 12 months to build and equip the factory. Exact timing of factory construction will be determined later this year.
    "The rapid development of the new Allegany facility, along with the recent announcement of the Garrett County acquisition, is a testament of our commitment to aggressively investing in American Woodmark across all channels. The new Allegany County facility will play an important role in increasing our manufacturing capacity and allow us to better manage the strategic growth of the Company," said Jake Gosa, Chairman and CEO, American Woodmark Corporation. "We look forward to continuing our working relationship with the State of Maryland and the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development and thank everyone who helped to make this happen."
    "This is a tremendous win for Allegany County and the State of Maryland," said Lt. Governor Steele. "American Woodmark is a well-respected and growing company, and we are extremely pleased they have chosen Allegany County as the site for their new facility. Their decision to expand here is a real testament to the quality of life, business climate and skilled workforce offered by the State and Allegany County."
    The Allegany County Commissioners indicated that the project, which was generated by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED), is a perfect fit to the community's industrial heritage and its interest in attracting 21st century manufacturing. The County indicated that the successful attraction was based on a highly coordinated and competitive package of incentives offered by the State of Maryland, Allegany County and the Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO). MEDCO owns the land that makes up the Barton Business Park. The County also concurred with the Governor that the community's renowned, skilled work force, pro-business climate and quality of life were important issues in the decision.
    County Commissioner President, Jim Stakem, speaking on behalf of his colleagues, Commissioner Robert Hutcheson and Commissioner Barbara Roque, offered thanks to the many DBED, County and MEDCO staff and officials for their assistance in attracting this firm. He further offered a welcome to the Company and indicated that the County is anticipating a long relationship with American Woodmark.
    American Woodmark will begin production with 88 hourly and salaried employees and will grow at a steady pace up to a potential of 500 employees once the plant is fully developed in the next two to four years.

    American Woodmark Corporation, located in Winchester, Va., is the third largest manufacturer of kitchen and bath cabinets in the United States and Canada. Offering more than 230 cabinet lines in a wide variety of designs, materials and finishes, American Woodmark products are sold through a network of dealers and distributors and directly to home centers and major home builders. The Company, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, currently operates 15 manufacturing facilities in Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, as well as various service centers across the country. American Woodmark shares are traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol "AMWD." To find out more about American Woodmark, and view its vast array of cabinet styles, visit its Web site at www.americanwoodmark.com

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CONTACT: Gibbs & Soell, Inc. Audra Hession, 212-697-2600 ahession@gibbs-soell.com or American Woodmark Corporation Bryan Earl, 540-665-9104 bearl@woodmark.com

KEYWORD: MARYLAND INDUSTRY KEYWORD: REAL ESTATE BUILDING/CONSTRUCTION MANUFACTURING PRODUCT SOURCE: American Woodmark Corporation

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