Compass Minerals' North American Salt Division Expands Safe Step(R) Brand to Create a Family of Consumer Deicing Products

May 4, 2009

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May. 4, 2009-- North American Salt Company, a subsidiary of Compass Minerals (NYSE: CMP), has announced the creation of a complete family of Safe Step deicing products for residential use.

The new line of ice-melting products offers a broad range of capabilities and performance for consumers contending with winter conditions. Each product is rated as good, better or best in terms of ice melting capability, gentleness to the environment and overall performance to make it easy for consumers to decide which Safe Step product is best suited for their specific needs.

“Our new line of residential ice melters is designed specifically for consumer convenience in clearing walkways and driveways of snow and ice during all types of winter weather,” said Jerry Bucan, vice president and general manager of consumer and industrial. “Safe Step is a brand that has a 25-year history of customer satisfaction. With this introduction, the Safe Step family of products will be the broadest line of branded consumer deicing products available in the United States.”

The Safe Step line features six unique products and a new, user-friendly package design that spells out each product’s use and unique benefit:

  • Safe Step Standard 3300 Rock Salt, which uses a unique screening process for improved spreading and more efficient melting than other rock salt products.
  • Safe Step Power 4300 Dual Blend, a combination of salt and magnesium chloride that inhibits corrosion.
  • Safe Step Power 5300 Max Blend, a blend of magnesium chloride and calcium chloride to resist refreezing.
  • Safe Step Power 6300 Enviro-Blend, a patent-pending formulation that combines magnesium chloride and potassium chloride into a product that is gentler for people, pets, and lawns. This new, enhanced formulation replaces the original Safe Step product.
  • Safe Step Extreme 7300 Calcium Chloride, which offers the lowest melting temperature available.
  • Safe Step Extreme 8300 Magnesium Chloride, the fastest-acting premium ice melter.

Safe Step ice melters will be available in multiple package sizes – including 8- to 12-pound jugs and 10- to 20-pound bags – to make them easy for consumers to handle and apply. Every package displays the Safe Step Performance Meter, a handy and simple graphic that shows which product works best based on various winter conditions.

The new line of products will be available nationwide from North American Salt Company for the 2009-2010 winter season, and consumers can find Safe Step products in their local hardware, home supply and grocery stores and other select retail outlets starting in fall 2009.

About North American Salt Company

North American Salt Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Compass Minerals, sells salt and other minerals to customers throughout the United States. The company’s products include mined rock salt for highway and consumer deicing, and high-grade branded and private label mineral products for consumer and industrial uses.

About Compass Minerals

Based in the Kansas City metropolitan area, Compass Minerals is a leading producer of minerals, including salt, sulfate of potash specialty fertilizer and magnesium chloride. The company provides highway deicing salt to customers in North America and the United Kingdom and specialty fertilizer to growers worldwide. Compass Minerals also produces consumer deicing and water conditioning products, ingredients used in consumer and commercial foods, and other mineral-based products for consumer, agricultural and industrial applications. Compass Minerals also provides records management services to businesses throughout the U.K.

Source: Compass Minerals

Compass Minerals
Peggy Landon, 913-344-9315
Director of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications

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