YORKTON CONCRETE PRODUCTS LTD. RECEIVES POWER OF BUSINESS AWARD

Released on July 8, 2005

SaskPower is recognizing a valued SaskPower supplier by presenting it with a Power of Business Award. Minister responsible for SaskPower Frank Quennell, presented the award to Yorkton Concrete Products Ltd. at its operations in Yorkton. The firm makes ready-mixed concrete and pre-cast concrete products.

"Yorkton Concrete Products is a deserving recipient of this award, and in our province's Centennial Year," Quennell said. "The company and its employees reflect the dreams and determination to succeed that characterizes the people of this province."

"Yorkton Concrete Products exemplifies the ambition, enterprise and integrity found among approximately 5,000 Saskatchewan suppliers to the corporation last year," SaskPower Customer Services vice-president Judy May said. "Cost-effective and dependable suppliers enable SaskPower to fulfil its mission, which is to deliver power in a safe, reliable, cost-effective and environmentally responsible manner."

This is the 17th Power of Business award presented since 1999. The award to SaskPower suppliers recognizes outstanding examples of the talent, innovative thinking and entrepreneurial spirit required to build successful enterprises here at home.

Yorkton Concrete Products Ltd. was incorporated in 1961. In 1994 it expanded by purchasing the assets of Atlas Industries, which had supplied SaskPower since 1988.

Yorkton Concrete Products annually completes approximately $125,000 worth of work for SaskPower. Products include concrete streetlight standard bases, transformer-bearing pads and conductor weights.

"The SaskPower business supplies us with enough work to substantiate having a standard pre-cast crew here. From that, we can expand to other products," Yorkton Concrete Products president Guy Gendreau said.

In addition, the company purchases approximately 650 tonnes of flyash, a fine residue resulting from the combustion of pulverized coal at the Boundary Dam Generating Station, annually from SaskPower International, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Crown electrical utility. "The flyash lowers production costs meanwhile improving the concrete," Gendreau added.

SaskPower averages over 80 per cent of its purchases from local firms and over the last 22 years has purchased approximately $4.5 billion in goods and services from Saskatchewan suppliers.

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For More Information, Contact:

Larry Christie SaskPower Regina Phone: (888)536-0000 Cell: (306)536-2886

Guy Gendreau Yorkton Concrete Products Yorkton Phone: (306)782-2264