Don Barden Honored by Junior Achievement

19 April 2006

DETROIT, Michigan –- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Junior Achievement of Southeastern Michigan (JA) will honor Don Barden, Richard E. Dauch and Robert Thompson at its 14th Annual Southeastern Michigan Business Hall of Fame event on Thursday, May 11 at the Detroit Yacht Club. The Business Hall of Fame honor is awarded to business leaders within the community who continuously contribute to the prosperity of the community and serve as inspirational role models for today's youth. The event is open to the public; tables as well as individual seats are available for purchase by contacting Blythe Spitsbergen at (313) 962-5685.

Don Barden is chairman and CEO of Barden Companies, Inc., the Majestic Star Casino, Waycor Development Company and Namibia, Africa-based Barden International, Inc. His Detroit-based conglomerate operates in the casino, real estate development and entertainment industries. In 1994, Barden sold his successfully built, owned and operated cable television system, Barden cablevision, to Comcast Cable in excess of $100 million. With a business career spanning more than 40 years, Barden is recognized as one of the top African-American entrepreneurs in the country. He has guided Barden Companies and its affiliates from earnings of $600,000 to 2005 revenues of $519 million, making it one of the largest African-American-owned businesses in the country.

Richard E. Dauch, co-founder, chairman of the board and CEO of American Axle & Manufacturing has contributed to the automotive industry for 42 years. Dauch has held positions with General Motors, Volkswagen of America and Chrysler Corporation. He co-founded American Axle & Manufacturing in 1994, and since then, the organization has become one of the top 40 automotive suppliers in the world. In addition to being a six-time Automotive News All- Star, Dauch has received numerous awards for his work in the industry including the Detroit Regional Chamber's World Trader of the Year, The Detroit News' Michiganian of the Year and the Automotive Hall of Fame's Industry Leader of the Year.

Robert Thompson has helped lead the paving industry for more than 47 years. In 1959 he co-founded the Thompson-McCully Co., a contract road paving company, which grew to the largest asphalt company in Michigan. Thompson sold the company in 1999 to Oldcastle Materials for $461 million. He shared nearly one-third of the sale with his employees by giving bonuses up to $1 million to loyal company employees and set up annuity accounts for others who are still years away from retirement. Also, with $100 million from the sale of the Thompson-McCully Company, Thompson founded the Thompson Foundation with his wife Ellen. Thompson is president of the Michigan Road Builders Association, the National Center for Asphalt Technology, and president and CEO of the Michigan Asphalt Paving Association. He also has received some of the industry's highest honors including the Asphalt Institute Roll of Honor, NAPA Man of the Year, Michigan Road Builders Lifetime Achievement Award and Engineering News-Record's Award of excellence.

"We are proud to induct three outstanding leaders into Junior Achievement's Southeastern Michigan Business Hall of Fame," said Lynn Feldhouse, president and chief executive officer, Junior Achievement of Southeast Michigan. "Their powerful knowledge and determination in the business world make them excellent role models for our future leaders."

Junior Achievement is the world's largest and fastest growing organization dedicated to educating young people about business, economics and free enterprise. Through age-appropriate curricula, JA programs begin at the elementary school level, teaching children how they can impact the world around them as individuals, workers and consumers. JA programs continue through the middle and high school grades, preparing students for additional key economic and workforce issues they will face in the future. In Southeastern Michigan, more than 1,600 JA volunteers reach out to 45,000 students throughout 10 counties in the metropolitan areas of Detroit and Flint.