Irish Firm Carpeting Native American Casino

Belfast, Ireland, April 17, 2008--Ulster Carpets this week rolled out the carpet for a tribe of native Americans.

The tribe members were visiting the Portadown factory to watch the first carpets come off the finishing line in a $1 million order for a casino they are building on their reservation in the Midwest.

The $300 million Downstream Casino Resort and Hotel sited on land that borders Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas, is being built by the Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma.

The casino is due to open on July 5 while the opening of the 12-story hotel is planned for the fall.

Speaking during the visit to the Portadown factory Mickey Brown, casino project manager, said: "The design concept was created by Ulster Carpets after seeing our company logo.

"We are impressed that the culture of the tribe will be reflected in the flooring throughout the development and we are really pleased with how the designs have come out."

Family-owned Ulster Carpets, which was founded in 1938, has grown to become a world-renowned top quality carpet manufacturer.

The company, which employs around 400 people at the main production site in Portadown, supplies carpets to numerous venues across the world including hotels, casinos and palaces.