BALTIMORE, MD – October 1, 2009 – Matrix Capital Markets Group, Inc.’s Energy and Multi-Site Retail Group (EMR) announced today that it will now formally offer Strategic Planning and Corporate Valuation consulting services in addition to the other investment banking services it currently provides. These services are designed to assist petroleum marketers and convenience store companies with their long range financial planning. Matrix has always provided these services upon request, but has decided to formalize the offering due to increased demand. Matrix already provides merger and acquisition advisory and execution expertise for both sell-side and buy-side transactions and capital raising and corporate restructuring services.

Matrix’s Strategic Planning and Corporate Valuation services team will be led by Spencer P. Cavalier, a Director at Matrix. Mr. Cavalier is a CFA Charterholder and designated as an Accredited Senior Appraiser (ASA) in business valuation with the American Society of Appraisers. In addition to Mr. Cavalier, Cedric Fortemps, Vice President, Matt Murphy, Associate, and Vance Saunders, Associate will also be providing expertise in this area. Mr. Fortemps and Mr. Murphy also hold the very prestigious CFA designation, and Mr. Saunders is a CPA. Matrix’s EMR Group offers its clients over 100 years of combined investment banking and operational experience and has completed over 50 M&A transactions in the petroleum marketing and convenience store industry.

For companies that may be considering a transaction in the next few years, Matrix’s Strategic Planning services will aid shareholders in maximizing future equity value. In most cases, this involves positioning the business in the most appealing way to potential buyers prior to a sale. Matrix will conduct an external assessment of the business to ensure that the client is focusing on the key drivers that will increase exit price and identify weaknesses a buyer would highlight during the due diligence process. Strategic planning includes valuation, a growth strategy, an operational improvement plan, and an assessment of how different buyers will value the business and position it accordingly. Matrix will identify and value potential synergies for buyers as well as identify risk factors and recommend ways to manage and reduce these risks so that they do not reduce the future transaction value.

Matrix will provide business valuation services to companies and their underlying securities, including common equity, partnership and limited liability company interests, convertible and preferred securities, options, warrants, and debt instruments. Both informal and formal valuations are provided for the following purposes: long and short-term corporate planning, solvency and capital adequacy opinions, fairness opinions, buy-sell agreements, financial acquisition/divestiture, strategic acquisition/divestiture, take private transactions, estate and gift tax planning, and estate settlement. The Firm’s valuation work is supported by extensive transactional and operational experience, allowing it to assess complex transactions.

Tom Kelso, Managing Director and Principal at Matrix remarked, “These services are a natural extension of our long-term commitment to assisting petroleum marketers and convenience store companies build and realize substantial value for their companies. Having three CFA Charterholders, a person with valuation certifications and a CPA all on one dedicated team is highly unusual in the world of middle-market investment banking. We are very pleased to offer their expertise to our clients.”

About Matrix’s Energy & Multi-Site Retail Group
Matrix’s Energy and Multi-Site Retail Group is recognized as the national leader in providing transactional advisory services to companies in the downstream energy and multi-site retail sectors. Team members are dedicated to these sectors and draw upon complementary experiences to provide advisory services to complete sophisticated merger and acquisition transactions, private debt and equity raises, corporate restructurings, and corporate valuation and long term planning engagements. Matrix’s dedicated group has successfully advised on over 50 transactions in these sectors.

About Matrix Capital Markets Group
Matrix Capital Markets Group is a leading middle-market investment bank headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. Since 1988, Matrix has focused on providing merger & acquisition and financial advisory services for corporate and privately-held companies, including sales and divestitures, Staged Liquidity Transactions®, management buyouts, and debt & equity placements.