C.H. Heist: Other News Release










                          PRESS RELEASE




For Immediate Release

January 8, 1997
Clearwater, Florida

C.H. Heist Corp. headquartered in Clearwater, Florida announced that the
company's staffing subsidiary, Ablest Service Corp., which had planned to do a
spin-off and consummate an initial public offering, will delay the spin-off and
initial public offering until later this year. The conditions in the stock
market for an initial public offering of the size contemplated became
unfavorable and therefore the company, based on the advice of investment
bankers, decided to delay these plans until later in 1997.

C.H. Heist, President of the company, said: "Ablest will continue to
aggressively pursue acquisitions and open new offices in strategic markets
where the company currently does not have a presence. This should provide the
critical mass necessary to complete an initial public offering on the terms
originally contemplated."

Ablest is a temporary staffing company with 30 offices,  all company owned, in
the midwestern and southeastern United States. It specializes in supplying
clerical, light industrial and information technology staffing to a wide
variety of organizations.

C.H. Heist Corp. provides industrial services including cleaning, insulation
and maintenance for a wide range of U.S. and Canadian industries.



Ends.