Kingsport, Tenn., June 19, 2012 - Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE:EMN) has received a Silver Stevie® Award in the 2012 American Business Awards in the category of Company of the Year - Chemicals. Winners of the 2012 Stevie Awards were announced at a gala event last evening in New York City. More than 500 nominees and their guests attended.

The American Business Awards are the nation's premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations - public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. 

"We are honored to be a Silver level winner in the Company of the Year - Chemicals category of the American Business Awards, and recognized among some of the nation's top companies," said Jim Rogers, Chairman and CEO. "2011 was a record year for Eastman, marked by many significant achievements, strong financial performance and growth through acquisitions and expansions. This recognition is a tribute to the dedication and hard work of Eastman men and women."

Eastman was one of a very few companies honorarily nominated for the award based on the company's achievements since the beginning of 2011, drawn from publicly available information. More than 3,000 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories, including Most Innovative Company of the Year, Management Team of the Year, Best New Product or Service of the Year, Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year, and Executive of the Year, among others.

Stevie Award winners were selected by more than 270 executives nationwide who participated in the judging process this year.

"We're delighted that the first of our two American Business Awards banquets honored so many deserving organizations and executives," said Michael Gallagher, president and founder of the Stevie Awards.  "It's gratifying and inspiring to have received so many remarkable entries for this year's competition.  We're looking forward to celebrating other Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie winners at our new tech awards ceremony in San Francisco on September 17".

Details about The American Business Awards and the lists of Stevie Award winners who were announced on June 18 are available at www.stevieawards.com/aba.