Jeff Hooke Joins FOCUS’ Washington, DC Office as a Managing Director Charge of Valuations

Washington, D.C. (May 27, 2009) – FOCUS LLC, a national middle market investment banking firm providing merger, acquisition, divestiture and corporate finance services, is pleased to announce that Jeff Hooke has joined the Washington, D.C. office as a managing director. Hooke will head up the corporate valuations practice at FOCUS.

“Jeff is a nationally recognized expert on corporate valuation and brings more than 30 years of valuation, investment banking and private equity experience to FOCUS. Having a corporate valuations department at FOCUS will add a new level of service we can provide our clients,” said Doug Rodgers, CEO and managing partner of FOCUS.

Prior to joining FOCUS, Mr. Hooke founded Hooke Associates, LLC, an investment banking and corporate valuation consulting firm that worked with public companies, private enterprises, family-owned businesses, private equity funds, accounting firms and law firms.

Earlier, Mr. Hooke was a private investment executive at Emerging Markets Partnership, a large $5 billion private equity fund specializing in developing countries, and at the International Finance Corporation, a $20 billion World Bank affiliate. He was also an investment banker at two major Wall Street firms, Lehman Brothers and Schroder Wertheim.

Mr. Hooke holds an MBA from the Wharton School and a B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania.

About FOCUS LLC

FOCUS LLC provides a range of middle market investment banking services with an emphasis on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and corporate finance. FOCUS is headquartered in Washington, D.C. with regional offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. FOCUS specializes in business units with transactions or revenues in the $5-300 million range, serving entrepreneurs, corporate owners and various types of investors across a broad range of industries, throughout the U.S. and worldwide. FOCUS bankers are seasoned operating and financial executives with extensive transaction experience. Securities transactions conducted by Wm. H. Murphy & Co., Inc. registered Broker Dealer member FINRA/SIPC. For more information on FOCUS, visit www.focusbankers.com.

Kahla Cooper is the Director of Marketing at FOCUS. In this role, Ms. Cooper designs and implements the overall marketing strategy. Ms. Cooper works with each industry team leader to define programs in order to promote and brand FOCUS’ suite of capabilities.