(FORT SMITH, Ark., May 18, 2006) — ABF U-Pack Moving®, a service of ABF Freight System, Inc.®, is sponsoring Shane Bertsch during the 2006 PGA Tour. Bertsch, a PGA professional since 1994, rejoined the PGA Tour this year after finishing eighth on the 2005 Nationwide Tour money list. His best finish after 15 events this year is seventh at the BellSouth Classic in Duluth, Ga.
"This sponsorship will help to build brand recognition for U-Pack® while strengthening relationships with customers who cherish the game of golf," said ABF® Vice President of Market Development Jim Ingram. "Like ABF, Shane Bertsch always strives for excellence in every endeavor. Before he turned his full attention to golf, for example, he had a promising junior tennis career that included matches against Andre Agassi. We're proud to support such an all-around competitor. We wish him the best of luck on the Tour."
A native of Denver, Bertsch is a 1994 graduate of Texas A&M University. He plays out of Glenmoore Country Club in Englewood, Colo. He and his wife Monica have one child, Brianna Dakota.
Introduced in 1997, ABF U-Pack Moving combines the economy of rental truck moving with the convenience of full-service moving. U-Pack has been a choice of do-it-yourself movers, as well as corporate, institutional and military relocation specialists. U-Pack is a safe, dependable and hassle-free moving option. For a typical U-Pack move, ABF delivers a 28-foot trailer or ReloCubeTM to the customer's home. The customer has two business days to load. Then ABF drives and delivers the trailer or ReloCube to the destination, where the customer has two days to unload before ABF retrieves it. Customers can obtain moving quotes, make reservations, and track their goods online at upack.com. Named the Best Institutional Services Web site for 2005 by the Web Marketing Association, upack.com has thousands of visitors each month.
Established in 1923, ABF is one of North America's oldest and most reputable motor carriers. Recognized as a benchmark for safety, security, technology and freight-handling standards, ABF has a distinguished record of service. In four of the past five years, ABF has earned either the Excellence in Claims/Loss Prevention Award, the Excellence in Security Award, or both from the American Trucking Associations Safety and Loss Prevention Management Council. ABF is the only carrier to have earned both awards in the same year, which it achieved in 2005 and 2001. ABF also was recognized by CIO magazine for innovative excellence in information technology, earning the 2005 CIO Enterprise Value Award for the transportation industry as well as a spot on the CIO Top 100 Companies list in both 2005 and 2004.
ABF operates an extensive network of customer service centers and distribution facilities strategically located throughout North America. Through this network, ABF provides comprehensive shipping services to all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, Guam and Puerto Rico. Globally, the carrier serves 250 ports in more than 130 countries. ABF is certified as an Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) carrier by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, as well as a Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) and Free and Secure Trade (FAST) carrier to and from Canada. Via its TimeKeeper® service, ABF provides guaranteed service for expedited or time-definite shipments.
ABF is the largest subsidiary of Arkansas Best Corporation (Nasdaq: ABFS).
For more information on ABF U-Pack Moving services visit upack.com.
Contact: Mr. Danny Loe, director of marketing & public relations
Telephone: (479) 785-8803
