Los Angeles, California, July 8, 2009 –Thomas Stamatis, finance executive and management consultant, has joined the CFO and C-Suite, mergers and acquisitions, and turnaround practices of Avant Advisory Group (www.AvantAdvisory.com), a premier management consulting firm with a national practice. Mr. Stamatis is a seasoned executive with over thirty years experience ranging from Fortune 100 to privately-held entrepreneurial companies in high-technology and homeland security devices, information technology services, environmental technologies, consumer products, food and beverage distribution, and manufacturing. He is expert in strategic planning, deal structuring, short- and long- term cash flow modeling, financial planning and analysis, business plan preparation, and financing. He is also knowledgeable about merger and acquisition transactions, system implementations, inventory control, cash management, banking, auditor coordination, risk management, financial reporting, and internal controls.

Avant Advisory Group is a leading professional services firm specializing in performance improvement, turnaround management, and business advisory services. Avant Advisory provides strategic, operational, and financial expertise with its CFO and C-Suite services, which are geared to help clients reduce costs, increase profitability, and improve cash flows. "Tom is acutely aware of the needs of emerging growth, middle market, and private companies as they cope with their challenges in these current economic times," said Jim Davidson, managing director of Avant Advisory Group. "His ability to troubleshoot for cost savings and quickly provide profit and cash flows solutions to challenged businesses is his greatest strength. He brings another dimension of expertise learned throughout his Fortune 100 financial and strategic experience. He'll be a great resource as a transitional CFO to those companies who cannot afford to fill that position on a full time basis. We're pleased to include Tom as another Avant Advisory team professional."

Tom holds a master of business administration with emphasis in finance from the University of Tennessee and a bachelor of science in business administration from the University of Bridgeport. To learn more about Mr. Stamatis, his capabilities, and client accomplishments, please refer to: http://www.AvantAdvisory.com/bio_Thomas_Stamatis.php.

About Avant Advisory Group

Avant Advisory is a professional services 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:

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

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

• Mergers, acquisitions, and capital transactions

• 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, creditor committees, secured lenders, and other parties in interest, all benefit from the firm's services. Whether serving in interim management or advisory roles, Avant Advisory draws on its deep operational financial and operational experience to provide comprehensive services across the investment lifecycle. Front-end due diligence and acquisition support, portfolio company evaluation, turnaround management, and exit advisory are only a few of these 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 forensics and litigation support services, turnaround, restructuring, and crisis management expertise, merger and acquisition advisory services, or its profitability and operational improvement capabilities.

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.

Media Contact:

Martin S. McDermut, CPA, CM&AA, CFS

Managing Director

Avant Advisory Group

Los Angeles, CA

213) 943 1308

MMcDermut@AvantAdvisory.com