July 06, 2009

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...

2009 Advantage Business Conference draws enthusiastic crowd to New Orleans.

The 11th Annual S.P. Richards Advantage Business Conference (ABC), held from Jun 24th – 27th, drew an upbeat crowd to New Orleans, Louisiana determined to Make the Good Times Roll. Attendees enjoyed a host of top-notch educational seminars and one of the USA’s largest Office Products Vendor Expositions that showcased over 220 exhibitors displaying the best in new office products, services, equipment and technology. In addition, entertainment and networking events made for an exciting and productive week.

Vicki Giefer, VP of Marketing for St. Paul, Minnesota based S&T Office Products commented on this year’s event, “The conference gave me interesting insight into our economy and reinforcement that there is a recovery on the horizon. It provided motivation for our sales force, some time with our fabulous manufacturers, and a chance to network with other dealers. The entertainment was fantastic, the local talent was amazing! “

Chip Millican, VP of Office Products for Peleman Industries, makers of the unique Unibind binding system added, “The 2009 Advantage Business Conference demonstrated once again that the health of the independent dealer is as strong as ever and that successful dealers continue to find value in such an event by coming back year after year. Our CEO, Brigitte Peleman-Vantieghem, was very impressed with the quality of the dealers in attendance and stated that the ABC was one of the best shows she has ever attended. We wrote more than 60 orders at our booth this year and we strongly believe this event will be a real springboard for us in the second half of 2009.”

“To say our expectations were exceeded would be quite an understatement”, said Jim O’Brien, Senior Vice President Marketing. Dealer attendance matched any of our very successful prior experiences. And given current market conditions, this speaks volumes about the determination of the independent dealer and the value of our program. It was very gratifying.”

The dates and location of next year’s conference were also announced as the ABC will be traveling to the world famous and beautifully renovated Fontainebleau Resort in Miami Beach, Florida from June 23 -27, 2010.

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 43 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 2008 revenues of $11.0 billion.