Mills & Partners and Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst Complete Recapitalization of Courtesy Corporation

St. Louis, July 28, 1999 - Mills & Partners together with Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst announced that they have reached a definitive agreement to partner with the owners of Courtesy Corporation (the "Company") to recapitalize the Company. Co-founded by Walter J. Kreiseder and Gerald J. Sommers in 1972, privately held Courtesy is a leading, fully integrated custom designer, manufacturer and marketer of precision injection molded plastic components, closures and dispensing systems. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

With sales of approximately $200 million, Courtesy provides products and services to a well-established customer base in the medical device and pharmaceutical products industries as well as the consumer, food and beverage industries. The Company offers total product solutions, including product concept development, design, precision mold, construction, production and value-added assembly services. Headquartered in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, Courtesy has more than 1,600 employees located in six manufacturing facilities in Illinois, South Carolina and Wisconsin.

James N. Mills, Chairman of Mills & Partners, said: "With this transaction, we believe we have partnered with the leading company in the injection molding business. Courtesy's state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, in addition to the Company's unsurpassed dedication to customer service, provide an outstanding platform for growth."

Jack D. Furst, a Partner and Managing Director of Hicks Muse, said; "We are tremendously excited about the opportunity to partner with such accomplished entrepreneurs. We believe that the leadership and vision of Wally Kreiseder and Jerry Sommers, coupled with the financial backing of our firm and the managerial excellence of Mills & Partners, should provide a compelling opportunity to build upon a world-class platform. We are happy to be partners in Courtesy's future."

Mills & Partners, Inc., founded in 1985 by Mr. Mills has participated in the acquisition and subsequent operation of several commercial and industrial companies controlled by Hicks, Muse. Mills & Partners currently manages various Hicks Muse portfolio companies with total revenues of approximately $2 billion.

Since its formation in 1989, Hicks Muse has completed or currently has pending more than 300 transactions with a total capital value in excess of $36 billion. Headquartered in Dallas, the firm also has offices in New York, London, Mexico City and Buenos Aires.