Smurfit-Stone Announces Key Appointments to Its Sales and Marketing Organization; Names Doug Keim Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President of Innovation

CHICAGO, Jan. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation has made key appointments to its sales and marketing organization that will allow the company to unlock the value of its manufacturing and service expertise, enable its customers to grow their businesses and profits, and help structure Smurfit-Stone for revenue growth in 2007.

  The appointments are as follows.

  --  Doug Keim has been named chief marketing officer and vice president of
      innovation.
  --  John Caplice has been named vice president of national sales.
  --  John Eaton has been named vice president of packaging solutions.
  --  George Moretti has been named vice president of sales for the
      corrugated container division.
  --  Tim Sullivan has been named vice president of display and graphics
      sales.

"We have created a more unified, centralized and focused sales and marketing organization," said Steve Klinger, Smurfit-Stone president and chief operating officer. "These appointments significantly bolster the company's sales and marketing capabilities, create an organization that will be able to provide unparalleled service to customers, and is a major step toward completing Smurfit-Stone's realignment and strengthening our industry-leading position."

Keim will be responsible for all areas of Smurfit-Stone's marketing and business development efforts including research and innovation, product management, market research, marketing analytics, packaging systems, design services, and advertising. Most recently, Keim served as vice president, insights & innovations for Dixie Retail & Food Service, part of Georgia- Pacific's North American Consumer Products division. Prior to that, he was director of marketing and business development for Georgia-Pacific's containerboard and packaging groups.

"Doug brings great marketing experience and excellent leadership skills to our company," Klinger said. "He understands how to design and implement an efficient and effective marketing organization that provides our customers with the industry's most value-added products and services, as well as maximum levels of service to a sales organization. He will help us to profitably grow sales."

Caplice will be responsible for leading the day-to-day activities of Smurfit-Stone's national accounts sales team. Most recently, Caplice served as interim vice president of marketing. Prior to that, he served as a vice president in the marketing group. He joined the company in 2001 as director of corporate sales for the corrugated container division.

Eaton will be responsible for Smurfit-Stone's packaging consulting and packaging services groups, such as META Systems(R) and the packaging systems group in Orlando, respectively. Most recently, Eaton developed and managed the U.S. packaging operations for Unisource. Prior to that, Eaton worked for Piedmont National, where he helped recast the company from a single operation to a leading regional packaging equipment distributor in the Southeast.

Moretti has been named vice president of sales for the corrugated container division. He has 34 years of sales and marketing experience in the corrugated container industry and will be responsible for driving profitability and sales excellence among targeted area sales teams. Most recently, Moretti served as vice president of corrugated packaging and displays for Unisource. Prior to that, he was area vice president of Unisource's northeast paper packaging group.

Sullivan will be responsible for Smurfit-Stone's award-winning display group and graphics operations. Most recently, Sullivan served as director of national account sales for Georgia-Pacific's containerboard and packaging business. Prior to that, he was director of sales and marketing for Color- Box, a Chesapeake Corporation and Georgia-Pacific joint venture.

"Talent management is critical to our ongoing success," Klinger said. "Our ability to continue to attract top talent from outside Smurfit-Stone and combine it with the top performers we already have inside the company will accelerate our transformation, and is critical to achieving our goal of becoming the safest and most profitable company in our industry."

Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation's (NASDAQ: SSCC) innovative packaging solutions help its customers to grow their businesses and profits. As North America's premier packaging company, Smurfit-Stone is the industry's leading integrated manufacturer of paperboard and paper-based packaging. Smurfit- Stone also is one of the world's largest paper recyclers. The company has led the industry in safety performance every year since 2001 and conducts its business in compliance with the environmental, health and safety principles of the American Forest & Paper Association. Smurfit-Stone operates approximately 180 facilities and employs approximately 25,200 people.