The Board of Directors of Owens & Minor, Inc. announced today, following its regularly scheduled board meeting, that G. Gilmer Minor, III, (72), who has served as Chairman of the Board since 1994, will retire from the Board at the conclusion of the company's Annual Shareholders' Meeting on April 26, 2013. The Board is pleased to announce that Mr. Minor will assume the position of Chairman Emeritus. As part of its succession plan, the Board intends to appoint Craig R. Smith (61), President & Chief Executive Officer of Owens & Minor, to serve as Chairman of the Board, upon Mr. Minor's retirement. Mr. Smith, who joined Owens & Minor in 1989, has served as President & Chief Executive Officer since 2005, when he was also elected to the Board of Directors.

Mr. Minor, who joined the company in 1963 and served as its Chief Executive Officer from 1984 to 2005, served with distinction for more than 40 years in leading and managing the company's growth and operations until his retirement from the Company in 2005. Mr. Minor is widely respected for working tirelessly on behalf of Owens & Minor's customers, teammates, and shareholders, as well as his efforts on behalf of the communities served by the company.

"Through a combination of strong leadership and a keen understanding of the healthcare industry, Gil Minor has built a strategically focused company that remains true to its principles and culture of high integrity and customer focus in a rapidly changing marketplace," said James E. Rogers, Lead Director of the Owens & Minor Board of Directors. "The Board looks forward to honoring his service at the Annual Shareholders' Meeting and to his continuing counsel as Chairman Emeritus."

Owens & Minor, Inc., (NYSE: OMI) a FORTUNE 500 company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, is a leading national distributor of name-brand medical and surgical supplies and a healthcare supply-chain management company. Owens & Minor also offers global third-party logistics services to pharmaceutical, life-science, and medical-device manufacturers through its European business unit, Movianto, and through its U.S.-based service, OM HealthCare Logistics. With a diverse product and service offering and distribution centers throughout the United States, the company serves hospitals, integrated healthcare systems, alternate site locations, group purchasing organizations, healthcare suppliers, and the federal government. Owens & Minor also provides technology and consulting programs that improve inventory management and streamline logistics across the entire medical supply chain. For news releases, or for more information about Owens & Minor, visit the company website at www.owens-minor.com.

Owens & Minor, Inc.
Trudi Allcott, 804-723-7555
Director, Investor & Media Relations
truitt.allcott@owens-minor.com