Houston, TX - January 17, 2006

The Dow Chemical Company announced today that Jeff Wooster has been named Senior Value Chain Manager, Food and Specialty Packaging for Plastics.  Wooster will be primarily responsible for developing strategic business relationships and expanding business opportunities for Dow's innovative portfolio in the packaging industry.

Wooster is widely recognized in the food industry for his contributions to the development of new technology for flexible packaging applications such as fresh-cut produce. He holds 42 U.S. and international patents.

"Jeff will continue working with our customers to understand their needs and identify areas where Dow's innovative portfolio can be applied to open up new opportunities," said Tomas Fernandez, North America Group Leader, Flexible Packaging and Films, in the Plastics business of The Dow Chemical Company. "He is highly regarded in the industry for his forward-thinking approach, and we are confident that he will build on Dow's strength and value in the Food and Specialty Packaging areas."

In line with Dow's ongoing commitment to outstanding service, Wooster will conduct customer technical training sessions and consulations.  He will apply his unique knowledge of industry trends to support product development efforts.

Prior to his new position, Wooster served as the Applications Technology Leader for Food and Specialty Packaging.  He joined Dow in 1988 in the Polyolefins Research area before moving to Technical Service and Development in 1993.  He has been a member of the Food and Specialty Packaging team since 1995, and has served as part of the market management team for three years. Wooster holds a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from Iowa State University.

About The Dow Chemical Company
Dow is a leader in science and technology, providing innovative chemical, plastic and agricultural products and services to many essential consumer markets. With annual sales of $40 billion, Dow serves customers in 175 countries and a wide range of markets that are vital to human progress: food, transportation, health and medicine, personal and home care, and building and construction, among others. Committed to the principles of sustainable development, Dow and its 43,000 employees seek to balance economic, environmental and social responsibilities. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted.

For Editorial Information:

Michelle Kirchman
The Dow Chemical Company
(989) 636-0784

Simon Dibb
Porter Novelli
(978) 475-3004