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Wellman, Inc. and Holofiber Enterprises, Inc.
Announce New Venture: Hologenix, LLC
To Manufacture and Market Holofiber –
An Innovative Smart Fiber Engineered to Optimize the Human Body
CHARLOTTE, NC (February 1, 2003) – Wellman,
Inc. (NYSE: WLM) and Holofiber Enterprises, Inc. announced the formation
of Hologenix, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company that will
be the entity used by the parties to manufacture and market Holofiber,
a responsive textile that works with the body’s own energy system
to increase oxygen levels, build strength, and accelerate muscle recovery
in the human body. Wellman, Inc., a leading manufacturer of man-made
fibers, and Holofiber Enterprises, Inc., a company engaged in leading
edge research and development have been in active discussions and
product development and testing for over one year.
Holofiber is a proprietary textile that responds to energy generated
by the body, as well as utilizing ambient environmental energy, thus
allowing the body to tap normally unused resources to activate and
improve vital physiological processes. Preliminary medical studies
using products made with Holofiber and a controlled non-Holofiber
product indicate measurably increased oxygen levels observed and recorded
in the body and blood while wearing the Holofiber products.
Building on early reviews, Hologenix recently sponsored a formal clinical
study on diabetic patients at a major U.S. government hospital. Early
results suggest findings that may have a significant impact on the
medical and consumer performance wear and active sportswear markets.
Hologenix expects that these important clinical findings will be published
in the near future.
Robert Klein, co-founder and chairman of Holofiber Enterprises, noted,
“Holofiber is an incredible product with infinite potential.
It has unparalleled possibilities in the marketplace. To get there,
we looked for a special kind of partner, one that was a trusted and
respected player in the fiber industry as well as an innovative marketer.
Through our work with Wellman and the formation of Hologenix, this
exciting product will be a great success story.”
Cliff Christenson, president of Wellman, Inc. observed, “Wellman’s
fiber strategy is to produce differentiated, proprietary fiber products
that bring demonstrable benefits to value-sensitive customers. The
formation of Hologenix enables us to bring to market an exciting new
product that exemplifies this strategy.”
Hologenix has named Jim Ciccone, of Wellman, as Operations Manager
overseeing the manufacturing, sales and marketing of this product.
The board of directors includes Cliff Christenson and Don Cartwright
of Wellman and Robert Klein and David Horinek of Holofiber.
Hologenix plans to introduce a wide array of yarns containing Holofiber.
Wellman’s family of performance fibers runs the gamut from high-touch
aesthetics to high-tech performance with: Sensura®, Spunnaire,
ComFortrel Plus‚, ComFortrel XP® and Ultura® -- all
of which will complement the performance attributes of Holofiber.
At a press conference on February 1, 2003 at the Outdoor Retailer
Show in Salt Lake City, Utah, Hologenix will announce its marketing
plans and exciting customer partnerships. Subsequently, there will
be additional events and promotions aimed at initial Holofiber targets:
the medical, consumer medical, performance wear and active sportswear
markets.
About Holofiber
Holofiber is a responsive material for textiles and other uses; and
is not an additive or coating applied by spraying or dipping. Its
properties do not wash out or leach out of the fabric. All of the
Holofiber materials are incorporated into the fiber (becoming part
of the fiber) and are non-toxic and biologically benign. Full background
product information is available upon request.
About Wellman
Wellman, Inc. manufactures and markets high-quality polyester products,
including Fortrel® brand polyester fibers, and PermaClear®
and EcoClear® brand PET (polyethylene terephthalate) packaging
resins. The world’s largest PET plastic recycler, Wellman utilizes
a significant amount of recycled raw materials in its manufacturing
operations.
For more information, please contact:
Judith Langan
Director of Communications
Wellman, Inc.
T: 212.813.3857
E: Judith.langan@wellmaninc.com
Jessica Murphy
Account Executive
SAVVY Partners, Inc.
T: 212.813.3838
E:Jessica@savvypartnersinc.com
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