McConnell Jones Lanier & Murphy LLP Selected as Protege Firm by BWXT Y-12

Business Wire, May 4, 2007

HOUSTON -- McConnell Jones Lanier & Murphy LLP (MJLM) has been selected to participate in BWXT Y-12's Mentor Protege Program. BWXT Y-12 LLC, a limited liability enterprise of BWXT and Bechtel National Inc., manages and operates the Y-12 National Security Complex for the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration. The Y-12 facility produces and refurbishes weapons components, stores nuclear material, and prevents the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) Mentor Protege Program is designed to encourage DoE prime contractors to assist small disadvantaged firms certified by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) under Section 8(a) of the Small Business Act, which includes women-owned small businesses. MJLM is an 8(a) certified Small Disadvantaged Business headquartered in Houston, Texas, with a satellite location in Huntsville, Alabama.

The Mentor Protege Program will provide MJLM with business and technical capabilities intended to position the firm for long-term business relationships and business development opportunities with DoE prime contractors. The program also allows the mentor and protege to seek joint business development opportunities. "We are elated about entering into a strategic partnership with BWXT Y-12 that will be mutually beneficial to both of our organizations," said Sharon Murphy, partner with MJLM.

About McConnell Jones Lanier & Murphy LLP

The founding partners formed MJLM in March of 1999 by merging McConnell & Jones LLP, a public accounting firm formed in 1987, and Empirical Management Services, Inc., a boutique consulting firm formed in 1992. Both firms began as two-person businesses, and MJLM has since grown to 125 employees. MJLM's core competencies include business process improvement, accounting and financial support, project management, administrative support, and financial restructuring. Assurance services are provided by our affiliate McConnell & Jones LLP.