Sunbelt Raises $5,000 for Scholarships

CLEVELAND, OH, July 26, 2006 – Sunbelt® franchisees contributed $5,000 to the Edward T. Pendarvis Scholarship Fund. Donations were collected through a reverse raffle that was recently held at Sunbelt’s Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado.

“The scholarship fund has been established to benefit our franchisees and their families,” stated John Davies, Sunbelt CEO. “With the rising cost of an education, we understand that every little bit helps.”

The Edward T. Pendarvis Scholarship fund was established in 2006 to honor Ed Pendarvis, who founded Sunbelt in 1978. Franchisees’ children and grandchildren in any paid-for school or program, at any grade level, can submit an application.

“With the help of our franchisees, the scholarship fund is off to a great start,” stated Ed Pendarvis. “This program will make a positive impact on our children’s education.”

Sunbelt specializes in helping individuals and companies buy and sell businesses in all four areas of the private business market: Main Street, Franchise Sales, Franchise Resales and Mergers & Acquisitions. Sunbelt is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Merrymeeting®, Inc. (MMI), a Cleveland-based investment firm specializing in the acquisition and development of franchised brands. MMI currently operates four franchise systems with more than 1,200 franchised locations worldwide. To learn more, please visit either www.sunbeltnetwork.com or www.merrymtg.com.