Benchmark Execs Put Social Responsibility into Action

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. October 14, 2008

HOUSTON, TX, April 22, 2008. Recently, 175 Benchmark Hospitality Sales, Marketing, and Home Office executives, along with the company's General Managers, gathered during Benchmark's National Sales Educational Conference for an afternoon of helping a community become a better place. The conference was held at Benchmark's New Jersey property, The Heldrich, located in downtown New Brunswick -- a city that is in the midst of a highly successful downtown revitalization program. The Heldrich opened last year and is a major anchor to New Brunswick's remarkable renaissance.

The initiative, which was part of Benchmark's Hometown Hospitality Caring For Our Communities programming in effect since 2004, is in keeping with a growing national trend toward corporate socially responsible activities to enhance the quality of life for employees, their families and for local communities. Given the number of people gathered at the conference - and therefore, the number of "Helping Hands," Benchmark and The Heldrich team wanted to do something beneficial for the community that has become so important to the company. In addition to operating The Heldrich, Benchmark's northeast regional office has recently relocated to New Brunswick.

"Our national sales force gathered at The Heldrich for a few days of learning, coming together as a sales team, and to celebrate the successes of the past year." said Eric Terry, Benchmark's vice president sales and marketing. "Whenever we do so, we try to reach out to the local community where we are gathering to help with special projects they need accomplished but for one reason or another have been unable to complete. New Brunswick responded with five needs."

Benchmark Hospitality International executives prepare in front of The Heldrich to

help New Brunswick, New Jersey, with five important Hometown Hospitality

projects to benefit the community.

The Benchmark Hospitality International team put on work gloves, divided into five teams, and went to work to help the New Brunswick community with five projects:

Project #1 Elijah's Promise Soup Kitchen -- where a Benchmark team constructed new shelving for food goods for this remarkable program that helps so many people, and properly stocked food products on each new shelf, organized by food type.

Project #2 Elijah's Promise Headquarters -- where a classroom was painted, along with a stairwell and hallway, and the sidewalk area was cleaned and organized.

Project #3 Elijah's Promise Clothes Line -- where shelving was assembled, clothing items were sorted, folded and neatly placed on the new shelves.

Project #4 State Theatre - New Brunswick's renowned theatre and performing arts center, where the third floor storage area was cleared, cleaned and reorganized.

Project #5 New Brunswick Puerto Rican Council Warehouse -- where the offices of this important New Brunswick program were painted, ceiling tiles repaired and replaced, and the sidewalk area was cleaned and organized.

Commenting on the Benchmark Hometown Hospitality initiative was State Theatre President & CEO Wes Brustad. "We hope to renovate the third floor space in the future and we are very grateful to Benchmark Hospitality and The Heldrich for their volunteer work in bringing us one step closer." Mr. Brustad continued with, "It was amazing to walk into this debris-filled space and see all these helpers cleaning it up with a vengeance. This is corporate community social responsibility at its very best."