Kuwait City, Kuwait - June 19, 2011 - The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) in Kuwait held an Open House 'meet and greet' at its offices on June 6th 2011 in celebration of its office launch. The event witnessed an impressive turnout as Dow welcomed over 150 guests to its first open house with high profile attendance including ambassadors, business leaders, community partners and government representatives.

Markus Wildi, Vice President of Corporate Development in Kuwait and President of Dow Middle East, and Jamel Attal, Dow's Managing Director in Kuwait, hosted the distinguished guests who all extended their congratulations and good wishes to Dow. Kuwait's various government bodies and state owned industry representatives were well represented, including important members from the private sector.

Key stakeholders, such as U.S. Ambassador Deborah Jones and Austrian Ambassador Marian Wrba were also present to usher in the new era of Dow's presence in Kuwait.

"We were very pleased and honored to welcome our guests to the new Dow Kuwait office, their presence helped to bring the new office to life!  We are looking forward to this exciting next chapter of Dow's relationship with Kuwait, and continuing to drive Dow's business in this fascinating and progressive region," said Jamel Attal, Managing Director, Dow Kuwait. "This new milestone for Dow in Kuwait demonstrates our unwavering commitment towards our existing partnerships and investments in the country.  The presence of our new office will bring us closer to our partners and help build long lasting relationships of mutual benefit for Kuwait and Dow."

For 15 years, Dow and Petrochemical Industries Company K.S.C. (PIC) of Kuwait have shared one successful milestone after another, partnering on six industry-leading joint ventures. As the largest foreign investor, and the largest private employer of Kuwaiti nationals through its joint ventures in the petrochemicals industry in Kuwait, Dow has consistently promoted the country's economic development and prosperity.

-Ends- 

About Dow
Dow (NYSE: Dow) combines the power of science and technology with the "Human Element" to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2010, Dow had annual sales of $53.7 billion and employed approximately 50,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 188 sites in 35 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.

About Dow in Kuwait
For 15 years, Dow and Petrochemical Industries Company K.S.C. (PIC) of Kuwait have shared one successful milestone after another, partnering on six industry-leading joint ventures: EQUATE Petrochemical Company, MEGlobal, Equipolymers, EQUATE Marketing Company, The Kuwait Olefins Company (TKOC), and The Kuwait Styrene Company (TKSC). As the largest foreign investor, and the largest private employer of Kuwaiti nationals, through its JVs, in the petrochemicals industry in Kuwait, Dow has consistently promoted economic development and prosperity. Dow and PIC's joint ventures combine Dow's strong existing asset base, technology position and market presence. Dow's partnership with Kuwait's noted NGO, LoYAC is in line with Dow's commitment to the communities in which it operates. LoYAC is noted in Kuwait for its inspired, innovative youth education and activities program, such as Dow's sole partnership of the F1 Schools Challenge, support of LoYAC's award winning Drama Club and other youth developmental programs in Kuwait and abroad.

About Dow in the Middle East
Dow has a longstanding relationship with the Middle East beginning with the establishment of manufacturing and commercial facilities in the United Arab Emirates more than 30 years ago. Since then, Dow has established a solid presence in the Middle East petrochemicals industry, partnering with leading regional companies to set up state-of-the-art petrochemical complexes across the region. For 15 years, Dow and Petrochemical Industries Company K.S.C. (PIC) of Kuwait have shared one successful milestone after another, partnering on six industry-leading joint ventures. Saudi Aramco and Dow are in the formation process of a joint venture to build, own and operate a world-scale integrated chemicals complex in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. From the entrepreneurship initiatives of Young Arab Leaders to the new Dow Middle East and Africa R&D Center at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, Dow actively supports the social and economic aspirations of the communities where it operates. For more information about Dow in the Middle East, please visit: www.dowmiddleeast.com

For editorial information:
Sager Albenali
The Dow Chemical Company
t +965.229.7944
Albenali@dow.com

Nisreen Sarryeh
Weber Shandwick
t +971.4.321.0077
dow@ws-mena.com

© Press Release 2011