Release Details

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Forest Products, Inc. (Nasdaq: UFPI) today announced that one of its wholly owned subsidiaries agreed with Kevco Manufacturing, L.P. ("Kevco") to acquire certain assets of Kevco's Sunbelt Wood Components Division. The assets include component- manufacturing facilities in North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Arizona, which serve the manufactured housing and industrial markets. The transaction, which requires bankruptcy court approval, is expected to be completed by the middle of April 2001.

William G. Currie, UFPI's chief executive officer stated, "The manufactured housing industry is going through difficult times right now, but it will recover, and when it does, this acquisition will make us an even stronger supplier. The addition of these facilities will enable us to make more efficient use of our assets to serve not only the manufactured housing customers, but also the industrial and Do-It-Yourself (D-I-Y) markets."

"Since Kevco's bankruptcy filing, there has been tremendous concern about their ability to continue supplying the manufactured housing market," said Michael B. Glenn, Universal's President. "We want our customers to know we are committed to supply their needs through these difficult market conditions."

Universal Forest Products® markets, manufactures, and engineers products for D-I-Y retail home centers, structural lumber products for the manufactured housing industry, engineered wood components for the site-built construction market and specialty wood packaging for various industries. For information about Universal Forest Products® on the Internet, please contact the company's investor relations web site at www.ufpi.com , or call 1-888-Buy-UFPI.

Included in this report are certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of the Company's management as well as on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company at the time such statements were made. Actual results could differ materially from those included in such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainty. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are the following: Adverse lumber market trends, competitive activity, negative economic trends, government regulations, and weather. These risk factors and additional information are included in the company's reports on Form 10K and 10Q on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. SOURCE Universal Forest Products, Inc.

CONTACT: Charles R. Felix, Sr. V.P. Development and Investor Relations, or Michael R. Cole, Chief Financial Officer, both of Universal Forest Products, Inc., 616-364-6161; or Matthew Della Croce, Vice President, 212-453-2316, or Pat McCoy, Managing Supervisor, 212-453-2272, both of Fleishman Hillard, for Universal Forest Products, Inc./