For immediate release

CHICAGO, IL (March 2007) — In response to client demand, earlier this year Graycor Blasting Co. Inc. added grit blasting to its portfolio of services, reintroducing an industrial cleaning method used in the 1920s when the company was known as Chicago Concrete Breaking Co. Back then, sand was commonly used as an abrasive material to clean or prepare concrete and other surfaces for paint or welding treatments.

Similarly, grit blasting is an abrasive cleaning method widely used today in the power and steel industries as preparation for repair. Typical applications include removing fly ash from collecting plates and wires of electrostatic precipitators; removing slag and scale buildup from boiler walls and pendants, as well as duct work and hoppers; and preparing surfaces for painting, re-coating, welding repair and tube replacement. Depending on the surface material being cleaned, and the desired end result, different types of grit blasting media are used including sand, walnut shells, dry ice and Black BeautyTM, a crushed slag material.

“Several of our clients in the power industry asked if we could provide the same quality of service in grit blasting as we provide with our explosives cleaning. For us, it was a natural fit to add to the services we currently provide,” said Jeff Smith, senior vice president, Graycor Blasting. The company currently offers explosives cleaning, both on- and off-line, and industrial cleaning with high-pressure water and vacuum.

“Grit blasting is an excellent dry cleaning method for situations that require abrasives to achieve the desired level of cleaning or surface preparation,” explained Smith. “For cleaning instances when water is not the best option, such as in electrostatic precipitators, grit blasting is the preferred method for cleaning,” he added.

Smith further explained that although grit blasting is typically performed during maintenance outages, Graycor Blasting is able to handle emergencies.

About the Graycor Companies

The Graycor companies– Graycor Industrial Constructors Inc., Graycor Construction Company Inc., Graycor Blasting Company Inc., and Graycor International – provide a wide variety of industrial and commercial construction services, as well as industrial maintenance technologies, across North America. As a top ranking industry leader with annual revenues in excess of $600 million, Graycor commits to safe working environments, demands excellence and rewards passion. Established in 1921, Graycor employs more than 1,500 construction specialists at the Chicago headquarters, regional offices and project locations across the United States, Canada and Mexico. For more information on the Graycor family of companies, visit www.graycor.com or call 1-800-455-0440.