Sunbelt Founder Receives Prestigious Honors

CLEVELAND, OH, November 20, 2006 – Ed Pendarvis, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Sunbelt®, has been awarded two prestigious honors by the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA). Mr. Pendarvis was recently honored with the Tom West Award and as a Fellow of the IBBA during the IBBA’s Conference for Professional Development in Reno, Nevada.

“I am very pleased to be associated with a professional organization like the IBBA,” stated Ed Pendarvis. “Tom West is a great leader in the industry and it is a privilege to receive an award in his honor.”

Mr. Pendarvis received the Tom West award for exhibiting outstanding communication and promotions of the goals and ethics of business brokerage. This award is named after the IBBA’s founder and first president, Thomas L. West, who is credited with the Association’s early growth and development and the stature of the profession.

Ed was also named a Fellow of the IBBA after 10 years of continuous membership and numerous contributions to the Association. He has been a guest speaker at various IBBA conventions, as well as serving on the Board of Directors. Mr. Pendarvis has also earned the IBBA’s prestigious Certified Business Intermediary (CBI) designation.

Mr. Pendarvis has decades of experience in the sales and business environment. He had a successful career in real estate sales and development before founding Sunbelt in 1978. Throughout his career with Sunbelt, Ed has participated in or managed the sale of more than 1,000 businesses. He remains active with his alma mater, The Citadel, by serving as a member of The Citadel School of Business Administration Advisory Board. Mr. Pendarvis currently resides in the Charleston area with his wife Elaine.

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 www.sunbeltnetwork.com or www.merrymtg.com.