DALLAS –- The Elcor Corp. board of directors has elected fellow director Thomas D. Karol as president and chief executive officer, to succeed Harold K. Work, effective March 26. Work, 67, will continue with the company as board chairman for a transition period before retiring.

“Over the last few years, we have had a good opportunity to observe Mr. Karol's leadership skills and passion for excellence,” Work said. “As a member of Elcor's Board, he has actively contributed to the company's success and is well informed about the opportunities and challenges the company faces. We believe he is well prepared and enthusiastic about leading Elcor's success in the years ahead.”

“Elcor is an excellent company with strong growth opportunities in both its core roofing products business and its electronics manufacturing services business,” Karol said. “I look forward to leading the management team to achieve the company's growth objectives, thereby enhancing shareholder values in the years ahead.”

Appointed to Elcor's board of directors in November 1998, Karol, 42, has served as president of the Brinkman Hard Surfaces Division of Beaulieu of America since it purchased control of Pro Group Holdings Inc. in December 1999. He had also served as CEO of Pro Group Holdings, a privately owned company that manufactured carpet and distributed various flooring products through its Hollytex and LDBrinkman subsidiaries.

LDBrinkman & Co., based in Lewisville, Texas, was the largest distributor of flooring products in the country, servicing the Southwest, Midwest and the West Coast through 35 service centers. Brinkman was also a leading importer and marketer of ceramic tile.

Elcor, through its subsidiaries, manufactures roofing products and industrial products, and provides electronics manufacturing services. The company's roofing products facilities are located in Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Shafter, Calif.; Myerstown, Pa.; Dallas and Ennis, Texas. Its electronics manufacturing services facilities are located in Canton, Ga.; Dallas and Lufkin, Texas; and its industrial products facilities are located in Midland, Texas and Cleveland.