SARASOTA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On a day only Florida could create – bright, balmy and beautiful – more than 120 volunteers arrived yesterday at the Jordan’s Crossing Habitat for Humanity development in Sarasota to install 600 new Lookout Clear Storm panels made with GE’s Lexan1 sheet. The storm panels, hardware, volunteer time and project support were donated by GE Plastics and the Calhoun, Ga.-based Lookout Shutters Inc. In four hours, volunteers from GE, Lookout Shutters and Habitat Sarasota demonstrated first-hand how easy it is to put up the clear panels – and how attractive they are when placed on a home. “Yesterday we saw the spirit and commitment that Habitat for Humanity communities inspire,” says Darrell Hughes, general manager of global Specialty Film & Sheet Business, GE Plastics. “GE and Lookout Shutters have been eager to launch “Project Clear Haven” to help the new homeowners of Habitat Sarasota secure their homes from the damage of storms in the Gulf region. This was the perfect product for Jordan’s Crossing – the strength, durability, and clarity of GE’s signature Lexan sheet with the innovation of Lookout Shutter’s Clear Storm Panel.” Jordan’s Crossing is one housing development located in an area where the Sarasota affiliate of Habitat for Humanity – one of the largest and most progressive in the country – has already built more than 170 homes and has plans to build another 500 homes in five years. GE selected the neighborhood because the Gulf Coast experiences high-intensity storms and hurricanes, making the storm panels not just a luxury, but a necessity. “There’s certainly impact when two strong organizations come together for a humanitarian project, and GE Plastics and Habitat for Humanity are two powerful brands,” says Mike Jacobson, executive director of Habitat for Humanity in Sarasota. “Habitat builds the homes for our families who need them, and it’s much more meaningful if we can help make these homes and their residents more secure.” Interest grows in the east, southeast “Our wide distributor network along the east coast and southeast is reporting high interest in the Lookout Clear Storm Panels made from GE’s Lexan sheet,” says Wayne Trundle, president of Lookout Shutters. “We hear repeatedly that consumers are unhappy within the claustrophobic environment of a home boarded up with metal panels or plywood. The clear storm panels solve that and they’re virtually indestructible since they’re made with GE’s Lexan sheet.” The Lookout Clear Storm Panels made with GE’s Lexan sheet meet the Florida building code and code approvals for high-velocity hurricane zone, Miami-Dade, ICC and TDI.” Lookout Shutters is a family-owned business that manufactures the Clear Storm panels with GE’s Lexan sheet and moves them through an extensive distribution and installation network in time for the hurricane season. The Lookout Clear Storm Panel made with GE’s Lexan sheet comes with a 10-year limited written warranty. For more information on how to purchase the Lookout Clear Storm Panel made with GE’s Lexan sheet, visit www.gestormprotection.com, www.lookoutshuttersinc.com, or call 877-200-0234. About Lookout Shutters, Inc. Lookout Shutters (www.lookoutshuttersinc.com) Inc. is a family-owned business that was started in 2000 in Calhoun, Ga. The company is recognized as a leader in the hurricane-protection industry, developing high-end products that protect windows and doors from storm damage. Lookout Shutters services dealers in Florida, as far north as Connecticut and around the coast to Texas. The company manufactures a wide variety of storm shutters for residential and commercial properties, including the Lookout Clear Storm panels made from Lexan1 sheet. About Habitat for Humanity International Habitat for Humanity International (www.habitat.org) is an ecumenical Christian ministry that welcomes to its work all people dedicated to the cause of eliminating poverty housing. Since its founding in Americus, Ga., in 1976, Habitat has built more than 200,000 houses in nearly 100 countries, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than one million people. The Sarasota affiliate, now one of the largest in the U.S., was created in 1986 and has built more than 170 homes since its inception. With its current planning and partnerships, Habitat Sarasota is planning to build 500 homes in the next five years. About GE Plastics GE Plastics (www.geplastics.com) is a global supplier of plastic resins widely used in automotive, healthcare, consumer electronics, transportation, performance packaging, building & construction, telecommunications, and optical media applications. The company manufactures and compounds polycarbonate, ABS, SAN, ASA, PPE, PC/ABS, PBT and PEI resins, as well as the LNP1 line of high-performance specialty compounds. GE Plastics, Specialty Film & Sheet, manufactures high-performance Lexan1 sheet and film products used in thousands of demanding applications worldwide. In addition, GE Plastics’ dedicated Automotive organization is an experienced, world-wide competitor, offering leading plastics solutions for five key automotive segments: body panels and glazing; under the hood applications; component; structures and interiors; and lighting. 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