A Texas family of four – whose new home stands dangerously close to their old termite-infested, hurricane-ravaged house – has won the “Most Endangered Studs Contest,” created by BASF to find and treat the property most vulnerable to termite damage in the United States.

Janet and Eddie Gallaway of Anahuac, Texas, will receive a termite treatment by BASF with Termidor® termiticide/insecticide – the nation’s No.1 defense against termites. The Gallaways were selected by people across America who voted on the saveastud.com Web site.

“This is really awesome!,” Janet Gallaway exclaimed upon hearing the news. “The termites have nearly taken over our old house and we’ve seen them swarming around our new house. We’ve been really worried that they’ll move in with us again.”

The Gallaways have endured a series of setbacks since moving onto the property in 2002. Just as they were settling into the original house – which was Janet’s childhood home and her inheritance when her parents passed away – the Gallaways discovered it was plagued by termites.

“We could see weak boards around the windows,” she explained. “My brother is a carpenter, so he came over and looked at the damage. He told us that if we removed one board, we’d have to take off another and another – that’s how far the termites had spread.”

At the time, Janet said, “We weren’t in a financial situation where we could do anything about the termite damage.”

Then Hurricane Rita hit in September 2005. “We had a little bit of damage, but we still were able to live in the house,” Janet recalled.

Hurricane Ike struck a more devastating blow in September 2008. Janet rode out the storm at work – she’s a police dispatcher for the nearby city of Mont Bellvieu, Texas. “When we came back to the house, it was a mess. Ike had shifted the house off its foundation, weakening the floors and the ceilings,” Janet said.

Janet, Eddie and their two daughters looked for another place to live, but couldn’t find housing in the area because so many other people had been dislocated. So the Gallaways stayed in their tattered, termite-infested home – and made plans to move out permanently.

Using money they’d managed to save, they began building a new house on the same lot. But the excitement about their home-to-be was overshadowed by their fears about the threat from termites from next door.

“I went looking online for information about termites, and I found the Most Endangered Studs Contest,” Janet said. “I instantly knew we had to enter.”

Contestants submitted essays, then a panel of BASF experts selected three semi-finalists. Janet wrote a short contest essay describing her family’s termite dilemma and mailed a picture of herself and Eddie in front of their nearly completed new house. Then came the good news: The Gallaways were one of three finalists chosen by a panel of BASF experts. With nearly 11,000 votes cast over a three-week period, the Gallaways received 54 percent of the votes, earning them the grand prize.

“The new home is obviously at very high risk for termite infestation because of its proximity to the old house,” said Dr. Bob Davis, Chief Entomologist with BASF. “The Termidor treatment and monitoring system will give the Gallaways peace of mind, allowing them to enjoy their new home for many years to come.”

About the Crop Protection Division

With sales of € 3.4 billion in 2008, BASF’s Crop Protection division is a leader in crop protection and a strong partner to the farming industry providing well-established and innovative fungicides, insecticides and herbicides. Farmers use these products and services to improve crop yields and crop quality. Other uses include public health, structural/urban pest control, turf and ornamental plants, vegetation management, and forestry. BASF aims to turn knowledge rapidly into market success. The vision of BASF’s Crop Protection division is to be the world’s leading innovator, optimizing agricultural production, improving nutrition, and thus enhancing the quality of life for a growing world population. Further information can be found on the web at http://agproducts.basf.us.

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BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 15,000 employees in North America, and had sales of approximately $17.5 billion in 2008. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, or to sign up to receive news releases by e-mail, visit www.basf.com/usa.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics and performance products to agricultural products, fine chemicals, as well as oil and gas. As a reliable partner, BASF helps its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges, such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF has approximately 97,000 employees and posted sales of more than €62 billion in 2008. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

Users must always read and follow label directions.

A Termidor® termiticide/insecticide application can only be performed by a licensed pest control professional.

Termidor is a registered trademark and the Termidor logo is a trademark of BASF. Termidor is not registered for termite use in the state of New York.

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