Paul S. Speranza, Jr. Elected Vice Chairman of U.S. Chamber of Commerce

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The United States Chamber of Commerce board of directors elected Paul S. Speranza, Jr. vice chairman for 2006. Speranza is Vice Chairman, General Counsel, and Secretary of Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.

"Paul brings an excellent combination of both business and leadership experience to this position," said Chamber President and CEO Tom Donohue. "He will be a highly effective spokesperson for the Chamber."

As vice chairman, Speranza will address state and local chambers, associations, and other business groups to advance pro-growth policies and programs, as well as advise senior Chamber staff on a wide range of topics.

Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is a 71-store supermarket chain with stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, and Maryland. The company employs 35,000 workers and generates more than $4 billion in annual sales. The family-owned company, founded in 1916, is recognized as an industry leader and innovator. For the last nine years, Wegmans has been on FORTUNE magazine's list of the "100 Best Companies to Work For." Last year, it was ranked first and this year second.

Speranza joined Wegmans in 1976 and is responsible for legal, government relations, and tax and labor relations matters, among other duties. He is a former Chamber regional vice chairman (East) and currently serves as chairman of the chamber's Tax Committee and Employee Benefits Committee. He's a member of the board of the Business Council of New York State, where he also serves as vice chairman of its Finance Committee, co-chairman of the Transition Committee, and as a member of the Executive and Policy Committee. He serves on the board of directors and executive committee of the Rochester Business Alliance (the Rochester chamber of commerce), and also chairs its Community Issues/Business Advocacy Committee. He is a member of the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance Taxpayer Advisory Council. He is active in numerous business, civic, and professional organizations and is a frequent speaker on business, legal, and civic topics.

Speranza is a graduate of Syracuse University (B.S. 1969); University of San Francisco (J.D. 1971); and New York University (LL.M. in Taxation 1972). He is a member of the bars of California, New York, Pennsylvania, the Tax Court, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

The U.S. Chamber is the world's largest business federation representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector and region.

www.uschamber.com

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