WASHINGTON - Former Congressman John Kasich, who as chairman of the House Budget Committee was the chief architect of the plan that balanced the federal budget for the first time in decades, will be the keynote speaker at the National Paint & Coatings Association's 2003 Annual Meeting.

The Annual Meeting is scheduled for Oct. 8-10 in Orlando, FL.

Kasich, who served nine terms as a congressman from Ohio, also has been a television personality, businessman and author. In Congress, he was the chairman of a committee that overhauled the welfare system, and he also spearheaded defense reform and campaigned against wasteful government spending. He earned a reputation as an effective builder of coalitions that included both Republicans and Democrats, the NPCA said in announcing his selection as the keynote speaker.

Kasich currently is an investment-banking managing director at Lehman Brothers, and also is host of Fox News channel's "From the Heartland with John Kasich," a program in which he takes a weekly look at news from around the nation and world. He is a frequent contributor to other Fox News shows and has hosted "Heroes with John Kasich," which highlighted the lives and accomplishments of individuals who have done extraordinary things to improve their communities or the lives of others. Kasich's book, "Courage is Contagious," is a New York Times best seller.

Kasich also is chairman of the New Century Project, a national grassroots organization that seeks to elect leaders who believe in the power of the individual.

For more information on the NPCA's 2003 Annual Meeting, contact Dorothy Brawner at 202/462.6272, e-mail dbrawner@paint.org, or visit the NPCA website located at www.paint.org/meetings/annual reg.htm.