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January 17, 2007

American Red Cross Chapter and Grainger Partner for Disaster Response; Sprint Joins Efforts

More than 40 Grainger and Sprint Employee Volunteers Participate in Disaster Preparedness Simulation

Kansas City, Mo. (January 13, 2007) – Grainger, (NYSE: GWW), North America’s leading distributor of facilities maintenance supplies and the National Founding Sponsor of the Ready When the Time Comes program, today launched the program locally in Kansas City together with the American Red Cross Greater Kansas City Chapter. The Ready When the Time Comes program is a unique partnership between the Red Cross and local businesses to ensure their communities are prepared to respond, at a moment’s notice, when disaster strikes. Today’s launch also included Kansas City-based Sprint who joined the effort as the local lead sponsor of the program.

"The employees here today from Grainger and Sprint represent the best in corporate America,” said Matt Meyer, Chief Executive Officer, American Red Cross Greater Kansas City Chapter. “Their example and inspiration have led to a significant increase in our local volunteer base, one which will greatly impact the service we can provide to the Kansas City community in the event of a disaster.”

As part of the launch more than 40 employee volunteers from Grainger and Sprint participated in a simulated shelter preparedness drill executed by the American Red Cross Greater Kansas City Chapter as a training exercise. The 1-1/2 hour simulation included training the volunteers on how to set up and staff a shelter for displaced victims during a disaster. Volunteers practiced mock registration procedures, the set up of cots and distribution of bedding, as well as food preparation and distribution.

The Greater Kansas City Red Cross Chapter is the first to launch the Ready When the Time Comes volunteer program as part of the national rollout. This new disaster preparedness program enables the American Red Cross to recruit and train volunteers from local companies and organizations so they can be mobilized quickly. Program volunteers receive free, specialized training in critical disaster response, such as shelter operations, mass care, community response center, and damage assessment. In the event of a local, large-scale disaster, the Red Cross can count on Ready When the Time Comes corporate partners to support their local efforts. The goal for the Greater Kansas City Chapter is to recruit and train 100 volunteers for this program through partnerships with local corporations.

“Grainger has been committed to helping its neighbors in Kansas City get the supplies they need to respond, recover and rebuild when disasters strike for 70 years,” said Kevin Peters, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain, Grainger. “Our sponsorship of Ready When the Time Comes adds the commitment of Grainger employees to that effort. We are pleased to partner with the American Red Cross Greater Kansas City Chapter in launching the program locally and welcome the employees of Sprint to the program, whom we look forward to working with in providing much needed assistance to Kansas City area residents and businesses in times of crisis.”

“Giving back to the community is a core value at Sprint, and at no time is this more evident than during a disaster,” said Debby Ballard, Director of Community Relations for Sprint. “Our employees know this and were only too eager to assist with this important project. By preparing for such emergencies in advance, our employees know they will be there to offer crucial support when Kansas City needs it most.”

Grainger is the lead sponsor of the program in Chicago, where it was originally established by the Chicago Chapter of the American Red Cross. Grainger was also the first company to sponsor the program in Denver and South Florida. The program is designed to bring together the resources of local businesses to create pools of trained volunteers ready to assist when disasters strike. The program will rollout in 16 cities across the country over the next two years.

Grainger’s strong heritage of helping communities respond to disasters dates back to the company’s inception nearly 80 years ago. In addition to the $1 million gift for the Ready When the Time Comes program, Grainger sponsored the 2005 Volunteer Administration Institute, an annual training event for the several hundred American Red Cross Chapter volunteer managers and gave more than $1 million in supplies and cash to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. Grainger also received the American Red Cross Circle of Humanitarian Award in 2005 and 2006 for its disaster relief efforts throughout the United States. In 2006, Richard L. Keyser, CEO, was honored with American Red Cross of Greater Chicago’s Heritage Award for his commitment to disaster preparedness and relief.

About Grainger
W. W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW), with sales of $5 billion, is the leading broad line supplier of facilities maintenance products serving businesses and institutions throughout North America. Through its network of nearly 600 branches, 17 distribution centers and multiple Web sites, Grainger helps customers save time and money by providing them with the right products to keep their facilities running. For more information on Grainger, go to http://www.grainger.com

About the Red Cross
The American Red Cross Greater Kansas City Chapter serves more than 1.5 million people in a five-county area with disaster preparedness and relief programs, health and safety training and blood collection and distribution. All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. With the help of our dedicated volunteers, we ensure that as the community changes, so will the programs and services that we provide. To learn more about Red Cross programs, sign up for classes, volunteer, or make a donation, please call (816) 931-8400.

About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two robust wireless networks serving more than 51 million customers at the end of third quarter 2006; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international walkie-talkie capabilities; and an award-winning and global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com

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