Los Angeles, California - May 20, 2009 - Martin S. McDermut, CPA and CFS (Certified Fraud Specialist) and Managing Director of Avant Advisory Group (www.AvantAdvisory.com/) with offices located in Los Angeles, Newport Beach, and Santa Barbara, California, and a global practice, has recently been awarded the advanced Certified Merger & Acquisitions Advisor (CM&AA) Credential. This certification has become the recognized "Gold Standard" for middle market corporate financial advisors.

The premiere designation is jointly awarded by the Alliance of Merger & Acquisition Advisors and Loyola University Chicago to corporate advisory professionals who are accredited experts in one or more professional fields (i.e., CPA, attorney, CTP, CFE, CFS, etc.), plus investment bankers and intermediaries. These experts have achieved mastery and knowledge of middle market merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions. Those who successfully complete the intensive program and certification exam are awarded the advanced professional credential of Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor. Topics covered in this program include:

• An Overview of the Private Capital Marketplace

• Dynamics of an M&A Engagement & Practice Management

• Buy- and Sell-Side Representation; Traditional Investment Banking

• Business Valuation and M&A Standards, Accounting, Finance

• Traditional Valuation and Transactional Valuation Methodology

• Other M&A Legal and Tax Issues

• Acquisition and Growth Financing

• Review and Examination for Credentialing

In addition to the CM&AA, Marty McDermut is a certified public accountant and former partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers. He also holds the Certified Fraud Specialist credential. Accordingly, he has the requisite expertise for performing strategic, operational, and forensics due diligence required in M&A transactions. As a former CFO of large troubled companies, he has the requisite skills to assist in troubled company situations, particularly relating to such acquisitions. McDermut leads the firms CFO and C-Suite services, which provides interim and transition senior executives to companies which have the need for accessing such senior level experience and expertise. To learn more about McDermut, his capabilities, and client accomplishments, please refer to http://www.AvantAdvisory.com/bio_Martin_Mcdermut.php

About Avant Advisory Group

Avant Advisory is a professional consulting firm with offices in Los Angeles, Newport Beach, and Santa Barbara, California. The firm is comprised of highly skilled strategic, operating, and financial executives. Avant's consultants have decades of combined business, executive, and consulting experience and thousands of successful case studies. Its professionals come from some of the most prestigious consulting firms and companies.

Avant Advisory Group specializes in:

• Mergers, acquisitions, and capital transactions

• C-Suite executive and interim management: CFO, CRO, COO, CEO, and board of directors

• Turnarounds, restructurings, insolvency, and bankruptcy for companies in crisis

• Forensics, fraud investigations, and litigation support

Clients include public, middle-market, and emerging-growth companies across the country. Their management teams, investors, capital providers, and other professionals, including attorneys, trustees, receivers, creditor committees, secured lenders, and other parties in interest, all benefit from the firm's services.

Avant Advisory Group's mission is to leverage trust and confidence in its services, create value, and enhance each client's success. The firm accomplishes this by helping clients improve profits, EBITDA, cash flows, and asset management. There is also no stronger advocate for each client than Avant whether it is by its merger and acquisition advisory services, turnaround, restructuring, and crisis management expertise, its profitability and operational improvement capabilities, or its forensics and litigation support services. To learn more about Avant Advisory Group, please refer to www.AvantAdvisory.com/ or call James F. Davidson, CTP, CPA/CFF, CM&AA at (714) 924 7888.

About The Alliance of Merger & Acquisition Advisors (AM&AA)

The AM&AA is the premiere international association serving the educational and transaction support needs of the middle market M&A profession. Its members are practicing M&A professionals providing a wide variety of essential advisory and transaction support services. Members of AM&AA represent sellers and buyers of businesses generally ranging from at least $5 to $500 million or more in transaction value. Their services include seller representation, buyer representation, due diligence, accounting, financing, business valuation, tax planning, legal, strategic advisory, and many other transaction services. After many years of research, AM&AA members have identified "best practice" leaders in organizing a comprehensive educational framework in mergers and acquisitions. For more information, call (877) 844-2535 or go to http://www.amaaonline.com/cmaa

About Loyola's Executive Education Program

Loyola University Chicago's Executive Education program provides high quality executive and management development programs on a professional development and customized basis. The CM&AA program is recognized as the primary benchmark of professional competency for the overall body of knowledge related to corporate financial advisory and transaction services for privately held companies. Training is innovative, rigorous, and challenging. CM&AA designation attests to mastery of the M&A body of knowledge and the commitment to staying abreast of new developments in the field. For more information, please visit Loyola University's Web site at www.luc.edu/exec-ed/.

Media Contact:

James F Davidson CTP, CFE, CPA/CFF, CM&AA

Managing Director

Avant Advisory Group

Newport Beach, CA

949 417 5708

JDavidson@AvantAdvisory.com