)

Case No.

04-2242 1

-

SVK

(Jointly Administered)

)

RECEIVED

CLERKS OFFICE

IN THE

FOR THE

MAY

10

2OU~

STATE OF

ILUNOIS

In re:

Pollution Control Board

FV Steel

and Wire Company,

et al.,1

Debtors.

C~

~

NOTICE

OF

(A) COMMENCEMENT OF CHAPTER

11

BANKRUPTCY CASES

AND

(B) MEETING OF CREDITORS

A.

COMMENCEMENT

OF CASES

On

February

26,

2004 (the “Petition

Date”),

each of the

debtors

and

debtors

in

possession

in the above-

captioned chapter

11

cases (collectively,

the “Debtors”)

filed voluntary petitions

for relief under chapter II of title

11

of the

United

States

Code,

11

U.S.C.

§~

101

through

1330

(the

“Bankruptcy Code”)

in

the

United

States

Bankruptcy

Court

for

the

Eastern

District

of

Wisconsin,

517

B.

Wisconsin

Ave., Milwaukee,

WI

53202

(the

“Bankruptcy Court”).

Orders

for relief have been entered

in each

case

(collectively,

the “Chapter

11

Cases”).

Each

Debtor, with its respective case

number and federal tax identification nurnhcr,

is

as follows:

~it

ii~r

ii

FV Steel and Wire Company

04-2242l-SVK

39-0784626

KeystoneConsolidated Industries, Inc.

04-22422-SVK

37-03

64250

DcSoto Environmental

Managcment, Inc.

04-22423-SVK

36-3973226

J.L. Prescott Company

04-22424-SVK

22-1208340

ShermanWire Company

04-22425-SVK

36-1899490

ShermanWire ofCaIdwell, Inc.

04-22426-SVK

75-2195768

DOCUMENTS

FILED

IN THESE CASES.

You will

not receive notice of all

documents filed

in these

Chapter

11

Cases.

All documents are available

(i) for inspection at the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court,

U.S.

Courthouse,

517

E.

Wisconsin Avenue,

Room

126, Milwaukee,

WI

53202,

Phone:

(414)

297-3291

(“the Clerk’s

Office”);

and (ii)

on

the Debtors’

private

website

maintained by

Kurtzman Carson

Consultants

LLC

(“KCC”)

at

http://www.kccllc.net/keystone

(the

“Debtors’

Private

Website”),

phone:

866-381-9100.

The

Debtors’

Private

Website shall contain information, deadlines in these Chapter

11

Cases and certain other documents relating to these

Chapter

11

Cases.

NOTE:

The staffof the Clerk’s Office,

the Debtors. KCC and any of the Debtors’

professionals

areprohibitedby law from

giving legal advice.

PURPOSE

OF

CHAPTER

11

FILING.

Chapter

11

of the Bankruptcy Code enables a

debtor to

operate while in

bankruptcy

and to reorganize pursuant to a plan.

A

plan

is not

effective

unless approved by

a bankruptcy

court at

a

confirmation

hearing.

Creditors will

be

given notice concerning any plan or notice in

the event

these

Chapter

11

Cases are dismissed or converted to another chapter of the Bankruptcy Code.

Each Debtorwill remain

in possession

of its property and will

continue to operate its business unless a trustee is appointed.

CREDITORS

MAY NOT

TAKE

CERTAIN ACTIONS.

A creditor is

anyone to

whom a

debtor owes

money or

property.

Under the Bankruptcy Code,

the Debtors

are granted certain protection against

creditors holding claims or

equity interests which arose prior to the Petition

Date.

Common

examples of prohibited actions by creditors

whose

claims arose prior to the Petition Date are contacting a debtorto demand repayment, taking action aga

taclehtnr to

collect money owed

to

creditors

or

to

take property of a

debtor and

starting

or continuing

foreclosure actions

or

The Debtors are the

following

entities:

FV

Steel

and Wire Company,

Keystone Consolidated Industries, Inc.,

DeSoto

Environmental

Management,

Inc., J.L.

Prescott Company,

Sherman Wire Company

f/k/a

DeSoto, Inc.

and Sherman Wire of Caldwell, Inc.

I~~III~II~II

IUIIU~

III flhIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH II

IU

0422422040416000000000002

---

repossessions. If unauthorized actions

are taken by

a creditor against a Debtor,

the Bankruptcy Court may penalize

that creditor

A creditor considering taking

action against

a Debtor or the Debtor

s property

should

review

section

362 of the Bankruptcy Code and may wish to seek legal advice

DISCHARGE

OF

DEBTS.

Confirmation

of a

plan may

result

in

a

discharge of the Debtors’

debts,

which

may

include

all

or part of a creditor’s

claim.

~

Section

1141(d)

of the Bahkruptcy Code.

A discharge means that you

may nevertry to collectthe debt from any of theDebtors, except as provided in the plan.

CASE MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES.

On February

27, 2004,

the Bankruptcy Court

entered

an

Order

Establishing

Certain

Notice,

Case

Management

and

Administrative

Procedures

(the

“Case

Management

Order”).

The

Case

Management

Order and

accompanying

case management procedures describe

notice,

service

and

other related procedures

that

apply

in

these

Chapter

11

Cases.

All parties

who

desire

to

participate in these Chapter

11

Cases must follow the procedures set forth

in the Case Management Order.

A copy

of

the

Case

Management

Order

may

be

obtained

(a)

by

accessing

the

Debtors’

Private

Website

at

http://www.kccllc.net/keystone;

(b)

by

contacting

KCC

at the address and phone

number

listed herein;

or (c) by

contacting the Clerk’s Office.

DEBTORS’

SCHEDULES.

The

Debtors

Schedules

of

Assets

and

Liabilities

will

be

a’ailable

for

examination

during

regular

business

hours

at

the

Clerk’s

Office

or

on

the

Debtors’

Private

Website,

http://www.kccllc.net/keystone after April 26, 2004.

B.

MEETING OF CREDITORS

DATE.

TIME AND

LOCATION OF

MEETING

OF

CREDITORS.

Pursuant to

section

341

of the

Bankruptcy

Code,

the United States Trustee for the Eastern District

of Wisconsin has set May

10, 2004

at 11:00 a.m., Room

428

of the

Federal

Courthouse,

517

East

Wisconsin

Avenue,

Milwaukee,

WI

53202

as the

date,

time

and

location for the meeting of creditors (the “341

Meeting”).

MEETING

OF

CREDITORS.

The Debtors’

representative,

as

specified

in

Rule

900 1(5) of the Federal

Rules of

Bankruptcy Procedure (the “Bankruptcy Rules”), is required to appear at the 341

Meeting for the purpose of being

examined under

oath.

Attendance

by

creditors

at the

341

Meeting

is

welcomed but

not

required.

At

the

341

Meeting,

the creditors may

examine the Debtors’

representative

and transact such

other

business

as

may properly

come before the 341

Meeting.

The 341

Meeting may be

continued

or

adjourned from time to

time by notice

at the

341

Meetingbut without further written notice to the creditors.

NAME.

ADDRESS

AND

TELEPHONE

NUMBER

OF

U.S.

TRUSTEE.

David W.

Asbach,

Assistant

United

States Trustee,

517

East

Wisconsin Avenue,

Milwaukee, WI

53202, Telephone:

(414)

297-4499, Facsimile: (414)

297-4478.

Dated: April

16,

2004

Respectfully submitted,

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

KIRKLAND & ELLIS LLP

WHYTE HIRSCHBOECK DUDEK S.C.

David L. Eaton

Bruce G. Arnold

Anne M. Huber

Daryl L. Diesing

Ryan

S. Nadick

Patrick B. Howell

Tasneem K. Goodman

555

E Wells Street, Suite 1900

200 East Randolph Drive

Milwaukee, WI

53202-3819

Chicago, Illinois 60601-6636

Co-Counsel for the Debtors and Debtors in Possession

Direct Inquiriesto:

Matt Mendia

Kurtzman Carson Consultants LLC

12910 Culver Blvd., Suite I

Los Angeles,

CA 90066

(866) 381-9100

E-mail:

keystonewebinfo~kccllc.com