Corporate Backgrounder

Today

Integrated Paving Concepts Inc. (IPC) is fast becoming the recognized world leader in decorative asphalt solutions.

StreetPrint® is the company's proprietary technology, created to produce beautiful, longer-lasting and more cost-efficient paving solutions. StreetPrint has a broad distribution network of 750 contractors, who install StreetPrint products for government, commercial and residential projects in over 35 countries around the world.

StreetPrint's breakthrough technology and application process produces realistic brick, slate and stone effects using asphalt as its base StreetBond coatings fortify the asphalt and extend its life. The resulting structural properties and resilience of StreetPrint applications are consistent with asphalt found on public roadways.

StreetPrint is safe for pedestrians, because of its seamless installation. The continuous surface creates little or no chance of it buckling due to weather or shifting due to traffic or mechanical cleaning. StreetPrint's broad market appeal is due to the product's competitive cost, durability, fast installation, and long-term ease of maintenance.

History

Concept Development Solution and StreetPrint

StreetPrint was conceived and developed in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada in 1990. The inspiration came from a housing developer's desire for an affordable decorative pavement that was fast to install.

The developer tried various forms of decorative paving, mostly concrete stamping. As an economical option to brick, stamped concrete was expensive and slow to install.

The objective was to create a decorative paving solution which could be installed at a reasonable cost, by moderately-trained labor, within construction timetables. To meet the criteria, the developer recognized that selection of the foundation substrate would have to be a conventional paving product that could be altered in the application process. Asphalt was chosen as the substrate, as it is recognized for its cost-effectiveness similar to conventional paving. The developers experimented with imprinting methods, release agents and color coatings which resulted in a variety of test applications.

The test applications proved promising – template imprinting worked well – the coatings adhered successfully. The labor skill and effort required to complete the application was well within projections. Cost of the application proved to be substantially less than brick and stamped concrete. Most importantly, the application proved to be an extremely close replica of hand-laid brick.

Integrated Paving Concepts Inc. concentrated on the development and testing of application methods, tools and template designs, and coloring methodology and materials between 1991 and 1993. The company concluded that StreetPrint was ready for market in 1993.

Market Introduction

In March 1993, StreetPrint was first exhibited to the asphalt paving industry and the public at CONEXPO '93 in Las Vegas. Beginning that year, the company established a network of licensed StreetPrint Applicators in North America, and in September 1994, Japan's Nippon Hodo Co. Ltd. became the first StreetPrint distributor outside of North America. Nippon Hodo is one of the world's largest asphalt producers and contractors, and has exclusive StreetPrint distribution rights in Japan.

StreetPrint was introduced to the European market at BAU '95 in Munich, Germany. BAU is the world's largest International Trade Fair for Building Materials, Building Systems, and Building Renovation. Europe's highly skilled and capable asphalt industry enables an easy introduction to the process. StreetPrint's fast and efficient installation time and cost-effectiveness attracted the market to StreetPrint. The most active markets in Europe are Italy, Spain, France, Greece, The Netherlands, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

In addition to Japan and Europe, StreetPrint is represented in Australia, New Zealand, China and the ASEAN region. The most active markets are Australia, China, including Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. Other countries and regions where StreetPrint has distributors are the Caribbean, Central America, South America and the Middle East.

Now, StreetPrint is actively distributed by over 750 licensed applicators for commercial, government and residential projects in more than 35 countries worldwide.

Financial Developments

Founded in 1992, Integrated Paving Concepts Inc. began trading its shares through the Vancouver Stock Exchange in 1994. It later moved to the Toronto Stock Exchange, where its shares traded under the symbol IPA. Trimin Capital, a Toronto Stock Exchange management company, became a major financial partner through a major share acquisition in 1998. Trimin continues to contribute its expertise through active and involved participation in the company.

Growing the Market for StreetPrint

StreetPrint has focused on developing its Applicators' capabilities to install the most demanding commercial and government projects. A comprehensive training and certification program was implemented in 1998. The company now boasts a strong network of committed, highly-competent licensed Applicators, and StreetPrint is positioned to leverage this capability through aggressive growth strategy. More than 55 million square feet of StreetPrint has been applied in commercial, government and residential applications worldwide, for a market value of over $300 million.

The company has stepped up the pace for demand creation to bring its decorative paving solutions to a broader audience. The marketing and sales department has expanded and its goal is to create a more widespread awareness of the company, its products and technologies. Through the expansion of its Engineering Services Center, Engineering Services Representatives assist end users and specifiers of decorative paving projects. Demand creation activities are focused on Landscape Architects, Civil Engineers, Architects and Planners, and end-users/customers such as governments and developers.

Strategic Relationships

IPC places emphasis on product leadership. It has actively pursued strategic relationships with key suppliers to leverage its product development capabilities.

IPC partners with world-leading technology companies such as Rohm and Haas of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who recognized IPC as a strategic account in the late 1990s. It is the world leader in acrylic technology, and recognized the market potential for StreetPrint. United Coatings of Spokane, Washington, has been a key partner since IPC began. Soframap, a recognized European leader in coating manufacturing and colorant technology for coatings, recently became a supplier and partner in research/product development.

Employees and Representatives

People make a major difference and contribution at IPC. The head office is located in Surrey, British Columbia, and the company has a major North American presence with Area Managers located throughout the marketplace. In addition, the company has a network of over 750 Licensed Applicators in 35 countries world-wide. Combined, IPC's employees and representatives are in tune with market requirements.

The goal of the company is to provide solutions for the decorative asphalt industry. Each member of the IPC team brings a particular educational background and quality of work experience that compliments the rest of the team. Collectively, they pass on hundreds of years of expertise and understanding the industry, turning problems into solutions.

IPC's team includes engineers, chemists, designers, trainers, customer service and marketing specialists. Industry representation is across the board: science and research, engineering, construction, the trades, landscape design, paving, telecommunication, administration, computer technology and finance. The company works with outside consulting experts as required, creating an unbeatable combination.

IPC has the right team in place to carry it to the next level: to be recognized as the world leader in decorative asphalt solutions.

New Products

Over the past three years the company has accelerated its product innovation and development activities. The result is a new family of IPC decorative asphalt surfacing systems and process equipment. These innovations provide a new platform on which the company's accelerated growth is firmly based.

New surfacing systems that combine the benefits of a cement-modified acrylic base coating with an epoxy-modified acrylic surface layer substantially increases the durability of StreetPrint installations, broadening the market opportunity.

IPC's revolutionary reciprocating heating process gives operators exceptional control of the reheating process. The design of the reheat machines – SR-120, SR-60, SR-35 and SR-20 – is critical in ensuring the reliable and efficient asphalt process developed for IPC's products. This technology has facilitated the development of decorative thermoplastic products such as LogoTherm and DuraTherm.

Patents

The company received patents from the U.S. Patent Office in June 1993. The patents covered both the process of imprinting asphalt and the apparatus created to complete the process. Since then, patents have been issued for StreetPrint in many countries around the world. Patents are pending on a variety of new product developments, and in 2003, were received for the company's new decorative thermoplastic products.

Strategic Review

IPC's brands are built on hard-earned image and reputation. Established as the world leader in the decorative asphalt industry, with a world-wide network of licensed applicators capable of installing its leading-edge products, Integrated Paving Concepts Inc. conducted a strategic review during 2002. The review was aimed at leveraging IPC's position to achieve rapid growth over the next ten years.

The outcome is a clear vision, and a highly-focused team. The company's employees are working together with its applicator, distributor and supplier partners to substantially increase the company's growth rate and fully develop the company's potential.

Contact Information:

Integrated Paving Concepts Inc.
Mr. Clark G. Quintin
President and CEO
102-17957 55th Avenue
Surrey, BC Canada V3S 6C4
Toll free 1-888-581-2299
www.integratedpaving.com

United States Mailing Address
PMB 48, 936 Peace Portal Drive
Blaine, WA 98230-4040

Media Contact:

Toll Free 1-888-581-2299

E-Mail: pr@streetprint.com