FILED PURSUANT TO RULE 425
FILED BY VULCAN MATERIALS COMPANY
PURSUANT TO RULE 425 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
AND DEEMED FILED PURSUANT TO RULE 14a-12
UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
SUBJECT COMPANY: FLORIDA ROCK INDUSTRIES, INC.
COMMISSION FILE NO. 001-07159
VULCAN MATERIALS COMPANY EMPLOYEE CALL
February 20, 2007
Corporate Speaker
|
|
Don James Vulcan Materials Chairman and CEO |
PRESENTATION
Operator: Good morning, and welcome to the Vulcan Materials Employee Conference Call.
[OPERATOR INSTRUCTIONS]
I would now like to turn the presentation over to Mr. Don James, Chairman and CEO of
Vulcan Materials. Sir, you may begin.
Don James: Good morning, it sounds like we all work for a different company than we do,
doesnt it? Thanks for joining me. As I mentioned in my email yesterday, we are delighted to
be acquiring Florida Rock, one of the nations leading producers of construction aggregates,
cement, concrete and concrete products in the Southeast and the mid Atlantic States. And
although we have been extraordinarily busy over the last few days, and are going to be busy
meeting with investors over the next few days, I did want to have an opportunity to speak to
you personally and as quickly as possible about what we think is very exciting news.
Our acquisition of Florida Rock is an important milestone in our companys history. Hopefully it
positions us for even greater success as a company going forward. It will significantly enhance
our strategic position and long-term growth opportunities, by broadening our regional exposure
and greatly expanding our presence in the fast-growing Florida market. Florida Rock has
strong positions in some of the most attractive construction materials markets in the US, and its
quarries and its downstream businesses and distribution facilities are well located within these
markets.
In addition to strengthening our business overall, this transaction is about growth, and we believe
there will be enhanced long-term opportunities for our employees as a result of a more robust
combined organization. We will be able to serve our customers even more effectively through
more sources of supply and strategically positioned quarries, plants and distribution centers.
One of the reasons were excited about Florida Rock is that they share our values and
management philosophy. They have a culture we feel is very similar to ours and its focused on
dedication, excellence and customer service, and we think they are an ideal fit for our
organization. To put this transaction in perspective, 50 years ago this year Vulcan Materials
company was newly formed as a public company on the New York Stock Exchange.
From its beginnings Vulcan embarked on a program of strategic acquisitions designed to grow
the business for the benefit of our shareholders. Throughout our half century history we have
continued along this path of strategic growth. Im delighted that were continuing this tradition
of
strategic growth with the largest acquisition in our 50-year history, and I hope all of you share
my enthusiasm.
As part of the transaction, Florida Rocks President and CEO, John Baker, will be joining our
Board of Directors. And Thom Baker, Florida Rocks Vice President, Cement and Aggregates,
will become President of our new Florida Rock division headquartered in Jacksonville, where
he will oversee our consolidated operations in the State of Florida. Florida Rocks remaining
operations will be integrated into the existing Vulcan divisions where theyre located.
While the combination with Florida Rock is still subject to customary regulatory and shareholder
approvals, we expect the transaction to close in mid year 2007. Until then Florida Rock and
Vulcan remain independent companies and all interactions with Florida Rock and its employees
must be governed by the same policies that apply to our interactions with any other competitor.
We are very fortunate that with both CalMat and Florida Rock we were able to announce
agreements regarding these acquisitions without suffering the extremely adverse consequences
of leaks, which in either case would have very likely killed the deals. I know you all understand
how important it is that none of us spreads rumors about potential strategic deals that Vulcan
may be involved in.
As many of you already know, there are often times when Vulcan is involved in potential
acquisitions or other transactions, even following a public announcement we have to be mindful
that we should all be discreet about what we say about the potential transaction.
At this point, one of the most important things we can all do at this time is to stay focused on
our
jobs, because we have to continue to perform well. And Im counting on all of you to continue
to serve our customers well. I want to thank you for your continued dedication and
commitment, your hard work in building Vulcan Materials has made this exciting growth
opportunity possible. Following this webcast, Florida Rock CEO, John Baker, and I will be
hitting the road to meet with a number of our major investors.
You may learn more about the details of the acquisition by logging onto the Vulcan website
where there will be additional information. Wayne Houston tells me I should tell you to do that
today and stay focused during work. So thank you again for what you are doing to help make
this a great company. We are excited about this prospect. If we all pull in the same direction at
the same time at the same speed, this will continue to be a great company. Thank you, very
much.
Operator:
Thank you for your participation in todays conference. This
concludes the presentation, you may now disconnect. Good day.
Important Information
This document may be deemed to be solicitation material in respect of the proposed
transaction. In connection with the proposed transaction, a registration statement on Form S-4 will
be filed with the SEC. SHAREHOLDERS OF FLORIDA ROCK ARE ENCOURAGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION
STATEMENT AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC, INCLUDING THE PROXY
STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS THAT WILL BE PART OF THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT, BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. The final proxy statement/prospectus will be
mailed to shareholders of Florida Rock. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain the
documents free of charge at the SECs website, www.sec.gov, from www.vulcanfloridarock.com,
www.vulcanmaterials.com or www.flarock.com.
Vulcan Materials, Florida Rock and their respective directors and executive officers and other
members of management and employees may be deemed to participate in the solicitation of proxies in
respect of the proposed transaction. Information regarding Vulcan Materials directors and
executive officers is available in Vulcan Materials proxy statement for its 2006 annual meeting of
shareholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 13, 2006, and information regarding Florida
Rocks directors and executive officers is available in Florida Rocks proxy statement for its 2007
annual meeting of shareholders, which was filed with the SEC on December 7, 2006. Additional
information regarding the interests of such potential participants will be included in the proxy
statement/prospectus and the other relevant documents filed with the SEC when they become
available.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain matters discussed in this document, including expectations regarding future performance of
Florida Rock and Vulcan Materials, contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks,
assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those
projected. These risks, assumptions, and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those
associated with general economic and business conditions; changes in interest rates; the timing and
amount of federal, state and local funding for infrastructure; changes in the level of spending for
residential and private nonresidential construction; the highly competitive nature of the
construction materials industry; pricing; weather and other natural phenomena; energy costs; cost
of hydrocarbon-based raw materials; increasing healthcare costs; the timing and amount of any
future payments to be received by Vulcan Materials under two earn-outs contained in the agreement
for the divestiture of Vulcan Materials Chemicals business; the ability to successfully integrate
acquisitions quickly and in a cost-effective manner and achieve anticipated profitability and
synergies; and other risks, assumptions and uncertainties detailed from time to time in either
companys SEC reports, including each companys report on Form 10-K for the year. There can be no
assurance that the transaction described above will be consummated. Forward-looking statements
speak only as of the date hereof, and each company assumes no obligation to update such statements.