Park Electrochemical Corp. Announces Election of Senior Vice President in Charge of Asian Business Unit

Lake Success, New York, August 12, 2002….Park Electrochemical Corp. (NYSE – PKE) announced the election of Gary M. Watson to the position of Senior Vice President of Park Electrochemical Corp. in charge of its Asian Business Unit. Mr. Watson currently serves as Senior Vice President, Engineering and Technology of Park, and he will continue in that capacity as well. The company’s Asian Business Unit includes the following subsidiaries of the company: Nelco Products (Wuxi) Co., Ltd. located in Wuxi (China); Nelco Products Sdn. Bhd. located in Malaysia; and Nelco Products Pte. Ltd. located in Singapore. (Nelco Singapore is the company’s principal resource and location for manufacturing technology development.) Mr. Watson was also elected as the Managing Director of each of those subsidiaries. Mr. Watson will be located in Singapore, and in his positions as Senior Vice President, Asian Business Unit and Senior Vice President, Engineering and Technology of Park Electrochemical Corp., he will continue to report to Brian E. Shore, Park’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

Michael A. Hehl, who had been Vice President of Park Electrochemical Corp. in charge of the company’s Asian Business Unit, will continue in the company’s employ as Executive Director of Corporate Development – Asia. Mr. Hehl will also continue to report to Brian E. Shore.

Prior to his joining Park Electrochemical Corp. in June 2000, Mr. Watson had held senior engineering, technology, research, project management and operations positions at Weyerhaeuser Company, St. Regis Corporation, Boise Cascade Corporation and Fort James Corporation. Mr. Watson received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Western Washington University in 1969, a Master of Science degree in paper science from the Institute of Paper Science at Georgia Institute of Technology in 1972 and a Ph.D. in chemical physics from the Institute of Paper Science at Georgia Institute of Technology in 1974.

Brian Shore, Park’s President and CEO, said, “I am very pleased that Gary Watson has agreed to take on the leadership role for our highly important Asian business unit. Gary is taking on this new position at a very pivotal point for our company in Asia, as we begin to ramp up our new manufacturing development efforts in Singapore and as we intensify our efforts to grow our business in Asia and particularly in China. I am also very pleased that Mike Hehl will serve as Executive Director of Corporate Development – Asia. Mike is a very experienced, strategically oriented businessman who will bring a lot to the table for our company in this new role. I am looking forward to continuing to work closely with Gary and Mike in their new roles within our company.”

Park Electrochemical Corp. is a leading global designer and producer of electronic materials used to fabricate complex multilayer printed circuit boards and interconnection systems. Park specializes in advanced materials for high layer count circuit boards and high speed digital broadband telecommunications, internet and networking applications. Park’s electronic materials business operates through fully integrated business units in Asia, Europe and North America. The Company’s manufacturing facilities are located in Singapore, China, Germany, France, England, Connecticut, New York, Arizona and California. Park’s electronic materials business operates under the “Nelco” name.