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Sweet’s Announces New Building Product Catalog for Facility Managers and Owners

Product Information Targets Facility Purchasers Directly

NEW YORK, November 17, 2000 - Sweet's, the construction industry's premier product marketplace and a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies' (NYSE: MHP) Construction Information Group, today announced it will publish a new catalog listing building products and services specifically designed for facility managers actively involved in modernization, expansion and new construction.

The first edition of the catalogs will be distributed in December 2000 to approximately 25,000 facility management professionals that maintain in-house planning & design departments. Initially, it will include over 500 building products and services contained in 2800 pages. For distribution of the catalogs, Sweet's partnered with the International Facilities Managers Association (IFMA) and other professional associations and will provide copies to qualified owners, public and private.

The catalog will also be available to owners that use independent contract design firms, yet maintain control of selection, specification and purchasing of products and services required for their projects.

"The facilities owners community is a priority audience for building product manufacturers. As Sweet's continues to expand its leading position as the construction industry's product marketplace, we feel that this is one of the strongest new offerings we will announce this year," said Howard Mager, senior vice president and general manager of Sweet's.

Facility managers and owners annually spend in excess of $40 billion on new construction, renovation and repair of existing facilities with a full 83 percent citing printed catalogs as their primary source for product information, according to a recent study by Hase Schannen Research. The new catalog will offer building product manufacturers and service providers a vehicle to reach a new audience.

Sweet's will verify, through the qualification process, the annual renovation and new construction activity, dollars spent, and square footage controlled by this community of facility managers. From initial estimates, the average recipient is responsible for 36 facilities and manages an annual budget of $14 million.

About Sweet's
As the construction community's leading aggregator of building product information, Sweet's designs and organizes all of the building industry's content types to satisfy the needs of both manufacturers and construction professionals -- architects, engineers, specifiers, facility managers, building owners, interior designers and contractors. Sweet's catalogs are available in print, on CD and on the web via www.construction.com.

About the McGraw-Hill Companies
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, BusinessWeek and McGraw-Hill Education. The corporation has more than 400 offices in 32 countries. Sales in 1999 were $4.0 billion. Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com.

Contacts:
William Jordan
The McGraw-Hill Companies
(212) 512-3640
william_jordan@mcgraw-hill.com

John Puccio
Ruder Finn
212-593-6389
puccioj@ruderfinn.com

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