ORLANDO, FL - April 15, 2003 - Four elementary schools have been selected to receive a total of over 100 trees as part of ZOM's annual Arbor Day tree-planting celebration. ZOM, a unique real estate development and property management company, will plant trees on school property in return for the school's promise to care for and enjoy the trees. The schools include Lakemont Elementary School in Winter Park, Schwarzkopf Elementary School in Tampa, Hollywood Central Elementary School in Hollywood and River Eves Elementary School in Georgia.

Students and teachers will participate along with ZOM volunteers in the schoolyard planting celebration. The festivities will include interactive discussions about the importance of trees to our planet's ecosystem and instruction on tree planting and care. The Orlando celebration will also include a "Birds of Prey" presentation by the Florida Audubon Society to further teach the importance of conservation / preservation. According to Lynn Anello, ZOM's Central Florida Arbor Day chairperson, "The schools are selected based upon the need for shade trees and landscaping on school grounds, and the enthusiastic encouragement from the school's principal."

This represents the eighth year that ZOM has celebrated Arbor Day by planting trees in schoolyards. The Orlando celebration will take place on April 21 at Lakemont Elementary School while other celebrations will continue throughout the month in other communities where ZOM does business including Tampa, South Florida, and Atlanta.

Steve Patterson, President and CEO, explains, "Striving towards preservation of the environment is important to all of us at ZOM and our efforts have been recognized in the past at the multifamily industry's most competitive and coveted national awards competition, the Pillars of the Industry Awards." ZOM has twice been honored by the prestigious Pillars of the Industry Awards for excelling in environmental preservation. According to Patterson, "ZOM always strives to plant more trees than it removes through its development activities, and schoolyards seem to be an ideal place to plant those trees and set positive civic and environmental examples."