RAI Reynolds American (delisted)

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Dec. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (R.J. Reynolds) and Piedmont Triad Research Park (PTRP) today announced that R.J. Reynolds has completed the donation of 16 acres of property in downtown Winston-Salem to PTRP. The grant includes 10 acres that R.J. Reynolds originally agreed to donate in 2002 as well as six additional acres of buildings and property. The land being donated includes the original agreed-upon donation located on Vine Street, between Fourth and Seventh Streets, including two buildings, as well as a company parking lot located on the corner of Seventh and Linden Streets. The six-acre additional donation includes a building on the corner of Fifth Street and Patterson Avenue, as well as two company parking lots located on Seventh Street and Patterson Avenue. The donated property is currently not used by the company. The assessed value of the property is $12.4 million. "R.J. Reynolds has long been committed to local economic development," said Susan Ivey, chairman and chief executive officer of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and chief executive officer of Reynolds American Inc. "This donation will allow PTRP to move closer to realizing its vision of creating a vibrant life-sciences research and product development complex in downtown Winston- Salem, providing additional job opportunities and increasing our local economic base." R.J. Reynolds has also committed to donate to PTRP an additional 22 acres of land and property downtown at a future date to be determined. These properties are currently in use by R.J. Reynolds. A date for the future donation will be determined based on PTRP's needs for further expansion, as well as the operational needs of R.J. Reynolds. The company's downtown headquarters complex is not included the donations. "This significant gift is a tremendous boost to the long-term development of the Park," said Dr. Christopher H. Price, executive director of PTRP. "We appreciate the generosity of R.J. Reynolds in giving back to the community by providing PTRP assets on which to grow the Park and to attract new businesses into our area. We will now begin the process of formal studies of the buildings and associated land to determine the potential utility of the property within the Master Plan of the Park." R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, an indirect subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc. (NYSE:RAI), is the second-largest tobacco company in the United States, manufacturing about one of every three cigarettes sold in the country. The company's brands include five of the 10 best-selling U.S. cigarette brands: Camel, Kool, Winston, Salem and Doral. For more information, visit http://www.rjrt.com/. DATASOURCE: R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company CONTACT: Craig Fishel of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, +1-336-741-1674; or Nancy Johnston of Piedmont Triad Research Park, +1-336-716-8508 Web site: http://www.rjrt.com/

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