HOUSTON, March 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- North American Profiles Group (NAPG), a subsidiary of Westlake Chemical Corporation (NYSE: WLK), was chosen as the manufacturer of the PVC profiles used for the vertical and horizontal posts used to construct the 7,503 gates for The Gates, the artwork recently displayed in New York's Central Park.

The saffron colored gates made of 5" x 5" square PVC lineals with free flowing fabric panels were the work of artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The project used over 750,000 pounds of PVC profiles produced at NAPG's Holmes, New York facilities. The inherent virtues of PVC components were of significant importance to the project. PVC offered the sturdiness and rigidity needed for the 16' high gates at less cost and weight than traditional metal options and did not need to be painted as the colorant was added in the extrusion process. Perhaps most significantly, now that the project has drawn to a close, the PVC profiles are now being industrially recycled -- one of the major reasons Vince Davenport, Chief Engineer and Director of Construction, chose this product for the Gates.

On most days NAPG is producing PVC components for windows, decks and fencing at its facilities in Holmes, New York; Evansville, IN and Calgary, AB. The company sells and markets over 100 million pounds of these components annually to residential and industrial customers in North America.

Westlake Chemical Corporation is a manufacturer and supplier of petrochemicals, polymers and fabricated products with headquarters in Houston, Texas. The company's range of products includes: ethylene, polyethylene, styrene, vinyl intermediates, PVC and PVC pipe, windows and fence. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.westlakechemical.com .

Contact: D. R. Hansen - media
Ruth I. Dreessen - investors
(both at 713-960-9111)
SOURCE Westlake Chemical Corporation
CONTACT: media, D. R. Hansen, or investors, Ruth I. Dreessen, both of
Westlake Chemical Corporation, +1-713-960-9111
Web site: http://www.westlakechemical.com
(WLK)