Scura, Rise & Partners, LLC

George E. Thomas, Jr. Joins Scura, Rise & Partners LLC As a Partner of the Firm

New York, NY April 30, 2009. Scura Rise & Partners LLC announced today that George E. Thomas, Jr. has joined the firm as a partner. Mr. Thomas who previously was a Managing Director at CapRio Management, a New York based advisory firm. At CapRio, Mr. Thomas was responsible for the firm’s private equity investing and managed all portfolio investments. Additionally, over his twenty year professional career, Mr. Thomas has held a series of positions in banking, equity trading, and asset management with Citigroup, State Street Global Advisors, Nomura Securities International and General Electric in New York, Boston and Tokyo, Japan.

“George has had a varied and interesting career” said Paul V. Scura, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Scura Rise. “His eclectic professional experiences will serve our clients well and will add several new dimensions to the firm’s capabilities.” As an adjunct to Mr. Thomas becoming a partner of the firm, SRP will also create a new firm, Eglington Partners, which will be owned 51% by Mr. Thomas and 49% by Scura Rise. Eglington Partners, a minority-owned business will specialize in private and public advisory work that will utilize SRP’s resources and experience.

“I am very excited about joining SRP” said Mr. Thomas. “Working side by side with the firm’s senior partners will broaden my professional skill set. The firm’s high touch, high feel approach to serving its clients is congruent with the way I like to do business and it is well suited for what the market wants from investment bankers in today’s challenging times.”

Scura, Rise & Partners LLC is an investment banking boutique located in Rockefeller Center in New York City that specializes in providing financial advice and assists companies in raising capital (www.scurarise.com).