ELLISON UNVEILS ITS EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS IN IRELAND

Ellison's Efforts Underscore Commitment to International Sales and Support

LAKE FOREST, Calif. (January 20, 2005) - Ellison, the leading manufacturer of hand operated die-cutting equipment and the creative force behind the Ellison® and Sizzix® brands, recently undertook the next step in its global outreach strategy with the opening of its Ireland office on January 1, 2005. Located in West Cork, Ireland, the office will serve as the center for customer service, finance, as well as marketing and sales in Europe. Ellison has also secured a fully stocked warehouse in Wales for easy fulfillment of the growing UK market. The moves are part of Ellison’s increasing commitment to the European market and mark the first step in the company’s plan to become a full-service distributor of arts and crafts products and supplies in the market.

“Europe is still a relatively untapped market for Ellison and we’re excited that we now have the ability to grow our products exponentially, while focusing on the needs of our European clients at the local level,” said Lisa Corcoran, CEO of Ellison.

Joining the Ellison European Team, Tim O’Mahony will serve as Director, reporting to Reed Feist, who operates from Ellison’s USA corporate headquarters in California. O'Mahony will be responsible for the finance function along with set-up of Ellison’s policies and procedures for European operations and sales. He joins the company from a post at the global power-generation firm InterGen and brings a diverse background in accounting, finance and general management to Ellison.

As Operations Manager, Mary Buckley will report to O’Mahony and handle marketing activities, procedural set-up and overall operations of the Ellison European presence. She has a broad educational background encompassing business, language and human resources, along with experience in software development and manufacturing.

The new office is situated in the West Cork Technology Park, which offers advanced telecommunications infrastructure and an abundance of skilled labour from the surrounding community. Ellison plans to make key additions to staffing throughout 2005.

About Ellison Corporate
Since 1977, Ellison has been the leader in die-cutting innovation and product development. Ellison manufacturers and distributes the Prestige™ line of professional die-cutting machines and over 8,000 dies. Ellison is also the manufacturer, distributor and retailer of Sizzix® consumer die-cutting equipment and ancillary products. Ellison empowers people to express their personal and professional creativity using its innovative products and is committed to continuing this tradition for generations to come. More information can be found at corp.ellison.com.