Albemarle employees' efforts to build, maintain and preserve wildlife habitats achieve national certification

BATON ROUGE, La., Nov. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The efforts of employees from Albemarle Corporation ALB, a leading provider of innovative and sustainable specialty chemical solutions, to build, maintain and preserve wildlife habitats achieved national recognition at the 25^th Annual Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) Symposium. Together with the WHC, employees at multiple Albemarle sites have created wildlife habitat and conservation programs on the company's properties to provide a tangible benefit to the natural ecosystems.

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Albemarle's manufacturing sites in Orangeburg, South Carolina; Tyrone, Pennsylvania and Magnolia, Arkansas received Corporate Lands for Learning recertification from the WHC for their efforts in wildlife habitat conservation. This designation recognizes the learning opportunities created by the sites' commitment to environmental conservation and efforts to increase native biodiversity. Due to the strength of their programs, each site was certified for three years, the maximum time possible.

The three sites are also Wildlife at Work certified, which provides structure for corporate-driven cooperative efforts between management, employees and community members to create, conserve and restore wildlife habitats on corporate lands. This year, the Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Project at Albemarle's Process Development Center (PDC) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana achieved Wildlife at Work certification for the first time, making it the fourth Albemarle location to attain this designation. The newly created habitat at the PDC provides space for native pond cypress trees along a lake shoreline located adjacent to the site, as well as native wildflowers and grasses.

As a specialty chemicals company, Albemarle recognizes that as its global presence increases, so does its responsibility for protecting the environment for future generations. "We are pleased to know that the commitment of our employees to better the planet and protect the areas where we live and work has been recognized by such a commendable organization," commented Niomi Krzystowczyk, Albemarle Division Vice President, Health, Safety and Environmental.  "Our employees dedicate their talents and countless hours enhancing these areas, and it is truly an honor for their work to be recognized."

Originally certified in 2008, Orangeburg's site includes 135 acres of natural, wooded area where visitors have the opportunity to use a learning center and trail system to learn about local wildlife. The increased wildlife presence also affords the site a low maintenance way to manage the pond areas. This year, the site was selected as the winner of a special award for their pollinator garden efforts.

In Tyrone, the Albemarle Nature Trail – a 3/4-mile loop through a 50-acre section of forest, open meadow and wetlands formed by a beaver dam on Cook Hollow Creek – is home to a wide variety of animal and plant species and has been a WHC-certified Corporate Wildlife Habitat since 2008.

Located on 2,300 acres in southwest Arkansas, Albemarle's Magnolia sites include approximately 200 acres of land dedicated to wildlife habitat programs in the form of artificial marshes and wetlands. This site's efforts have been certified by the WHC since 2006.

The Wildlife Habitat Council is a nonprofit, non-lobbying 501(c)(3) group of corporations, conservation organizations, and individuals dedicated to restoring and enhancing wildlife habitat. For more information, visit WHC online at www.wildlifehc.org.

About Albemarle

Albemarle Corporation, headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is a leading global developer, manufacturer, and marketer of highly-engineered specialty chemicals for consumer electronics, petroleum refining, utilities, packaging, construction, automotive/transportation, pharmaceuticals, crop protection, food-safety and custom chemistry services. The Company is committed to global sustainability and is advancing its eco-practices and solutions in its three business segments, Polymer Solutions, Catalysts and Fine Chemistry. Corporate Responsibility Magazine selected Albemarle to its prestigious "100 Best Corporate Citizens" list for 2010, 2011 and 2013.  Albemarle employs approximately 4,200 people and serves customers in approximately 100 countries. Albemarle regularly posts information to www.albemarle.com, including notification of events, news, financial performance, investor presentations and webcasts, Regulation G reconciliations, SEC filings, and other information regarding the Company, its businesses and the markets we serve.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding Albemarle Corporation's business that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K.

SOURCE Albemarle Corporation