ATLANTA, August 8, 2005 - James Powers has joined Duff & Phelps, LLC, a national investment banking and financial advisory firm, as a managing director in the firm's Atlanta office. Powers brings more than 15 years of corporate financial advisory experience to Duff & Phelps, and has provided services to clients for a variety of purposes, including fairness opinions for corporate transactions; solvency opinions; valuation analyses for leveraged and unleveraged ESOPs and advisory services related to the sale, merger and divestiture of privately held companies and public and private company subsidiaries. Powers also provides valuation and financial analyses for estate planning, litigation support, financial reporting (FASB Statements 141 and 142) and corporate tax purposes.

Prior to joining Duff & Phelps, Powers held senior positions at two national valuation and financial advisory firms. Additionally, he was previously employed in the financial advisory groups of BDO Seidman, LLP and Ernst & Young, LLP, as well as NationsBank (now Bank of America).

Powers earned his B.A. in economics from Georgia State University and an M.B.A. in finance at Georgia State University's J. Mack Robinson Graduate School of Business. He is actively involved in the Atlanta Chapter of the American Society of Appraisers and is a former officer of the Atlanta Chapter, as well as being a candidate for the designation of Accredited Senior Appraiser (ASA) bestowed by the American Society of Appraisers. Powers is also a professional member of the ESOP Association and the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO), and frequently speaks on valuation topics at events sponsored by both of these organizations. In 2005, Powers was elected to the board of directors of Prevent Blindness Georgia, an affiliate of Prevent Blindness America, a non-profit organization that provides free vision screening tests to preschool children and elderly patients.

Duff & Phelps is a national investment banking and financial advisory firm focused on providing merger and acquisition, private placement, valuation, financial opinion and restructuring services to middle-market companies. Since 1932, Duff & Phelps has been committed to delivering independent advice and service of exceptional quality to a broad range of public and private companies. Duff & Phelps has offices in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco and Atlanta. More information on Duff & Phelps can be found at www.duffllc.com.