CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif., August 20, 2009 – Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company, a leading manufacturer of dry freight vans, reefers, flatbeds, and Tautliner® curtainsided trailers, is pleased to announce the reopening of Southern States Utility Trailer in Richland, Mississippi. In April 2008, tornadoes and thunderstorms swept through central Mississippi damaging the entire Southern States Utility Trailer facility. After a year of rebuilding, the Utility Dealership is now open. “We have provided the South with trailers, parts, and service for more than 26 years. After assessing the structural damages, the contractors and I decided it would be best to demolish the entire facility and rebuild with significant improvements,” said Percy Thornton, Southern States Utility President. “Our new facility includes office space totaling more than 15,000 square feet, a 5,000 square-foot parts showroom, and a 12,000 square-foot parts warehouse that contains over 800 pallet positions. As a tremendous benefit to Southern States Utility and our customers, the new parts warehouse is now large enough to hold the dealership’s entire inventory.” Southern States Utility’s new 30,000 square-foot shop includes a customer lounge, 10 trailer service bays, a “quick-repair” bay, a service office, six new refrigeration bays, and a concrete parking lot accommodating up to 300 trailers. The entire area is enclosed with a high security fence and automated gate for maximum security. The new state-of-the-art facility is now one of the largest full-service Utility Trailer Dealership in the South. Southern States Utility Trailer offers both owner-operators and fleets the complete Utility solution; including the durable, fuel efficient 4000D-X® Composite dry van, the market leading 3000R® refrigerated trailer, the reliable and rugged Tautliner® curtainsided trailer, and the aluminum/steel design of the light weight 4000A™ flatbed. Southern States Utility Trailer Sales, Inc. is located at 550 Highway 40 South in Richland, Mississippi. They may be contacted at (800)844-9100. To find out more about Southern States Utility Trailer, visit: www.ssutility.com or for information about Utility Trailer Manufacturing’s other dealership locations in North America, visit: www.utilitytrailer.com.