General Carbide President Mona Pappafava-Ray Named 2010 Pacesetter Award Winner

Greensburg, PA, October 21, 2010

Mona Pappafava-Ray, president of General Carbide Corporation, was recently named a 2010 Pacesetter by SmartBusiness Pittsburgh, taking top honors in the mid-sized company category. The award ceremony took place at the 24th Annual St. Barnabas CEO Leadership Conference near Pittsburgh. One of the featured speakers was Gen. Michael V. Hayden, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency. SmartBusiness Pittsburgh is a management journal providing insight, advice and strategy for C-level executives and fast-growth, middle-market and large companies.

“The Pacesetter Award reflects the strong commitment of our management team and workforce to make sure the company weathered the recession and was positioned for future growth,” says Ms. Pappavava-Ray. “Because of their loyalty, I felt good about continuing to invest in the business and prepare for opportunities that have been steadily increasing since the fourth quarter of 2009. If we had adopted a short-term outlook during the difficult times, our rebound from the downturn would have taken much longer than it did.”

Each year, General Carbide puts $1 million into capital expansion. This past year, the company also implemented Lean manufacturing techniques to improve efficiency and enhance profitability.

“The result of our Lean program is stronger, healthier organization that is capable of driving new growth with fewer resources,” says Ms. Pappafava-Ray. “In combination with our superior technical capabilities, Lean is making us more competitive than ever.”

About General Carbide

General Carbide manufactures more than 50 grades of tungsten carbide tooling for a variety of cutting and metal forming applications, including: ammunition manufacturing tooling, blanks for boring bars, can-making, electronic stamping die manufactur¬ing, fastener tooling, powder metal/com¬paction, steel and wire manufactur¬ing, general industrial wear parts for industries such as concrete and roof tile, metalforming, oil and gas components, rotary cutting dies, and tooling for stamping. The company sells its products throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia. As a woman-owned business, General Carbide achieved certification in 2008 from the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). The company was established more than 40 years ago and is headquartered in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh.

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