For Immediate Release

Public Relations Division
Public Affairs Department
1170 Eighth Avenue
Bethlehem, PA 18016-7699
(610) 694-3711 - Phone
(610) 694-1509 - Fax

BETHLEHEM, Pa., December 21, 1998 -- Two Bethlehem Steel Corporation departments have been recognized by leading trade publications for innovative and effective performance.

Bethlehem's purchasing and transportation department was one of only six companies named as one of the best places to work for procurement professionals in the United States by Purchasing magazine in its December 10 issue.

A rigorous screening process was used by Purchasing to make the final selections. Over several months, Purchasing queried readers, members of the magazine's editorial board, purchasing recruitment professionals and other sources about what makes a company a good place to work and what companies meet those criteria effectively. Furthermore, candidate companies went through an intense multi-step screening process. In addition to Bethlehem, the other companies recognized are Chrysler, Texas Instruments, Harley Davidson, IBM and American Express.

Bethlehem Steel's information technology department was named by Informationweek magazine to its top 500 for 1998, and Computerworld put Bethlehem among its 1998 "Premier 100" IT user operations in the country.

In its mid-September issue, Informationweek, with a circulation of 350,000, said its top 500 IT operations were selected as being among those in companies that "demonstrate a pattern of technological, procedural, and organizational innovation." Bethlehem was the top ranked steel company by Informationweek.

Computerworld, in a mid-November special supplement to its regular edition, said that its Premier selections, as determined by 1,000 of the nation's IT managers, looked at most-effective-users, "based on their focus on business needs, ability to finish most projects on time and on budget, effective communication between departments and targeted use of technology." Winners were selected by a group of information technology peers who were asked to recommend candidates for the Premier 100 list.

Expressing his satisfaction with these recognitions, Curtis H. Barnette, chairman and chief executive officer, said, "Bethlehem Steel is proud to have been honored by these prestigious publications. We are proud of the initiative exhibited by our employees to help Bethlehem achieve its Vision to Be the Premier Steel Company to the benefit of our employees, stockholders, customers and suppliers."