Veber Partners advised M-Cutter Comapny's sale to Advanced American Diving Service.

Portland, Oregon – August 16, 1999 – Veber Partners served as exclusive financial advisor to M-Cutter Company, which was acquired by Advanced American Diving Service, Inc. As the Company’s sole advisor, Veber Partners assisted in structuring and negotiating the transaction on behalf of its owners, Mike and Cheryl Cutter. Gayle Veber, Managing Partner of Veber Partners said, "After a nationwide search for a partner for M-Cutter, we were happy to find a buyer right here in Portland. This business combination will provide the local marine industrial community with a larger and stronger entity to serve them."

M-Cutter Company, headquartered in Vancouver, Washington, has been in business since 1986. The Company has earned a reputation for completing difficult marine and industrial projects on a 24-hour schedule. Their customer list includes companies such as Cargill, Inc., United Grain, The Port of Vancouver, The Port of Portland, Oregon Steel Mills, Thompson Metal Fab., Inc., Oregon Iron Works and James River Corp. The Company’s founder, Mike Cutter, will remain as General Superintendent of Operations until December of 2000.

Founded in 1983, Advanced American Diving Service, Inc., which is headquartered in Oregon City, Oregon, is a leading provider of marine construction and diving services for the Pacific Northwest. AAD provides turnkey solutions for projects requiring an experienced contractor and in-depth knowledge of the marine industry. Recent projects include the $15 million Lower Granite Dam Behavioral Guidance Structure for the Corps of Engineers, the $14 million Terminal 2 Reconstruction for the Port of Vancouver and the $5 million East Bank Floating Walkway for the Portland Development Commission. Dee Burch, Treasurer of AAD said, "We will maintain the client base of both companies while enlarging and improving our capabilities. This will be a win-win situation for our customers, our employees and the marine industrial community."

Veber Partners, LLC was founded in 1994 and its client list includes such companies as Fine Arts Graphics, Inc., American Ecology Corp., Cascade Microtech, CBW Inc., Elmer’s Restaurants, Northwest Software, Northwest Supermarket Holdings, Trout Lake Farm, Reddick Hydraulic, International Composites Corporation, Physician Partners, Sunset Fuel, Surgitech, Boyds Coffee, WaferTech and Harry’s Fresh Foods. The firm is one of the premier private investment banking firms in the Pacific Northwest which focuses on mergers and acquisitions, private placements, fairness opinions, valuations and other financial advisory services. Visit Veber Partners on the World Wide Web at http://www.veber.com.