PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Blount International, Inc. (NYSE: "BLT") ("Blount" or the "Company") announced today that David Dugan has been appointed to the newly created position of Director, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations.

Mr. Dugan previously served as Advertising and Marketing Research Manager for Blount's Forestry Lawn & Garden business. Prior to joining Blount in 2008, Mr. Dugan served in a similar corporate communication and investor relations role at Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, and he has more than 18 years of experience in communications, public affairs, marketing, and advertising fields.

Commenting on the organizational change, Mr. Collins stated, "We have increased the scope of our global business over the past two years, resulting in the need for enhanced communication internally and externally. We are fortunate to have someone of David's caliber available to serve as the primary contact for investor relations and to contribute substantially to external stakeholders' understanding of our company, direction, and performance."

Blount is a global manufacturer and marketer of replacement parts, equipment, and accessories for the forestry, lawn and garden; farm, ranch and agriculture; and construction markets, and is the market leader in manufacturing saw chain and guide bars for chainsaws. Blount sells its products in more than 115 countries around the world. For more information about Blount, please visit our website at http://www.blount.com.

Forward looking statements in this release, including without limitation the Company's "expectations," "beliefs," "indications," and their variants, as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, are based upon available information and upon assumptions that the Company believes are reasonable; however, these forward looking statements involve certain risks and should not be considered indicative of actual results that the Company may achieve in the future.

SOURCE Blount International, Inc.