American Greetings Names Michael Goulder as Senior Vice President and Executive Operations Officer

CLEVELAND, Jan. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- American Greetings Corporation (NYSE: AM) announced today that it has appointed Michael Goulder to the new position of senior vice president and executive operations officer. Goulder will be responsible for heading the manufacturing, distribution, field sales operations and procurement functions. He comes to American Greetings with 14 years of supply chain experience at consulting firm Booz-Allen & Hamilton.

"Strengthening our supply chain is vital to ensuring customer satisfaction and greater success in the marketplace," said Jeffrey Weiss, executive vice president, North American Greeting Card Division. "As such, we are happy that we have found a seasoned professional to head our manufacturing, distribution, retail sales operations and procurement functions."

Goulder held a variety of positions at Booz-Allen & Hamilton from 1988 through 2002. His area of expertise is in developing and implementing strategies to improve the efficiency of operations, with an emphasis on supply chain management.

Goulder's industry experience centers on consumer products companies, particularly apparel, food and music wholesalers, pharmaceuticals, branded foods, tobacco, and candy manufacturers, many of whom are suppliers to the same major retailer partners as American Greetings. Prior to his tenure at Booz-Allen & Hamilton, Goulder worked in distribution and quality assurance capacities at IBM.

About American Greetings

American Greetings Corporation (NYSE: AM) is the world's largest publicly held creator, manufacturer and distributor of greeting cards and social expression products. Its staff of artists, designers and writers comprises one of the largest creative departments in the world and helps consumers "say it best" by supplying more than 15,000 greeting card designs to retail outlets in nearly every English-speaking country. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, American Greetings generates annual net sales of approximately $2 billion. For more
information on the Corporation, visit http://corporate.americangreetings.com/ on the World Wide Web.