National Hispanic Corporate Achievers Awards to be Presented to Rafael M. Garcia and Victor Manuel Franco

Two of the prestigious National Hispanic Corporate Achievers Awards will be presented to Rafael García, senior manager, external affairs, Philip Morris Management Corp., and Victor Manuel Franco, community affairs manager, Miller Brewing Company, at a ceremony on Friday, June 1, 2001, at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Mr. García and Mr. Franco will be among other prominent Hispanic professionals from Fortune 500 companies who will be acknowledged for their achievements in corporate America.

For the past 15 consecutive years, the National Hispanic Corporate Achievers has served as the time and place for major corporations to gather and recognize the accomplishments of their top employees of Hispanic descent. It is the most prestigious event program of its kind in the nation.

“We are very proud that two of our employees, Rafael and Victor, are being recognized as Hispanic Corporate Achievers. They are both great assets to the company,” said Shuanise Washington, vice president, external affairs at Philip Morris. “They are true role models for many of our employees. In particular, for Rafael’s recent work in helping to establish the Hispanic Employees Council in our New York City headquarters, and Victor’s role in introducing TOOLS FOR SUCCESS, a unique scholarship program within Miller Brewing Company.”

Mr. García is responsible for directing Philip Morris’ national outreach to the Hispanic American and American Indian communities, Humanitarian Aid worldwide and a number of proprietary programs in the overall External Affairs portfolio. With more than 20 years experience in the consumer packaged goods industry, his tenure at Philip Morris Management Corp. began in 1999. Prior to that, he worked as supervisor of Corporate Relations for Miller Brewing Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 1996 to 1999. The preceding seven years, he held several positions of increasing responsibility with RJ Reynolds in the Pacific Northwest. From 1978 to 1988, Mr. García served in various capacities in the grocery/supermarket industry in Northern California.

An active member and leader of the Hispanic community, Mr. García serves in various capacities with the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association, the Texas Association of Mexican-American Chamber of Commerce and the National Hispanic Corporate Council.

As community affairs manager for the Miller Brewing Company in Los Angeles, Mr. Franco is the official company spokesperson and develops and implements all public relations and advertising campaigns, monitors government affairs issues and develops strategies to address any issues critical to Miller. Mr. Franco also administers the corporate sponsorship program for non-profit community service agencies and oversees and directs the grants and contributions program for the Philip Morris/Miller Brewing Company Foundation.

In April of 1992, Mr. Franco introduced TOOLS FOR SUCCESS, the nation’s first and only scholarship program that provides technical school graduates with scholarships in the form of the tools that are necessary to enter the workforce immediately upon graduation. This program arose from Mr. Franco’s research and input from trade school administrators, educators and students, which indicated that many technical school graduates cannot afford the average $3,000 cost of the specialized tools necessary to practice their trades. Today, TOOLS FOR SUCCESS is a national program for Miller Brewing Company and has been expanded beyond Los Angeles to 14 cities across the country. Over $2 million in scholarships have been awarded – in Los Angeles alone and 300 graduates have received scholarships in the program, with a 92 percent employment rate.

In the past, Mr. Franco has been honored as, among numerous other awards and memberships, a recipient of the 1990 Miller Brewing Company President’s Award – the highest award received by a Miller employee in light of his achievements and professionalism in the industry – and the highly coveted Abram Friedman Award from the California Council for Adult Education in 1994.

For more information about the National Hispanic Corporate Achievers and the awards, please visit their website, www.hispanicachievers.com.

The Philip Morris family of companies is the world’s largest producer and marketer of consumer packaged goods. Philip Morris Companies Inc. has five principal operating companies: Kraft Foods Inc., Miller Brewing Company, Philip Morris International, Philip Morris USA and Philip Morris Capital Corp. To learn more about Philip Morris, please visit www.philipmorris.com.

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