October 06, 2008

S.P. Richards Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Genuine Parts Company (GPC:NYSE) and leading wholesale distributor of business and office supplies, announced today...

Rick Toppin named S.P. Richards Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing

Rick Toppin has joined S.P. Richards Company in the role of Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing. He will assume responsibility of the organization’s overall sales and marketing activities, as well as operating oversight for SPR Canada. Toppin most recently served as President of the Central Region for Corporate Express and prior to that, as President of Corporate Express Canada.

Prior to joining Corporate Express in 1999, Toppin spent nineteen years with Moore Corporation, progressing through a number of sales, marketing, and general management roles.

Commenting on the addition of Toppin to S.P. Richards’ Senior Management team, Chairman Wayne Beacham said, "We are very excited to have Rick joining our team. Rick’s experience, his drive and his passion will be a great fit for the organization and will serve our customers and vendor partners well."

Toppin added, "I look forward to joining the S.P. Richards team. Working together, we will continue to accelerate our focus on bringing innovative solutions to each of our valued customer segments."

Toppin is a graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College and holds an MBA in General Management from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.

S.P. Richards Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Genuine Parts Company (GPC: NYSE), distributes a wide spectrum of business products to office products resellers throughout the U.S. and Canada. These products include consumable office supplies, office furniture, computer supplies, consumer electronics, cleaning and breakroom supplies from all of the major industry manufacturers. S.P. Richards Company markets several private label lines under the brand names of Lorell, Integra, Sparco, Genuine Joe, Nature Saver, Compucessory, and Elite Image. The company operates 45 Distribution Centers in the United States and Canada.

Genuine Parts Company is a distributor of automotive replacement parts in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The Company also distributes industrial replacement parts in the U.S. and Canada through its Motion Industries subsidiary. S. P. Richards Company, the Office Products Group, distributes business products nationwide in the U.S. and in Canada. The Electrical/Electronic Group, EIS, Inc., distributes electrical and electronic components throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Genuine Parts Company had 2007 revenues of $10.8 billion.