Pittsburgh, PA (November 21, 2006). James C. Bly, Jr., Chairman & CEO of Source Companies, LLC and the Co-Chairman of the Business Growth Alliance, LLC (BGA), addressed the Paramount Planning Group during their annual meeting in St. Louis, MO. Mr. Bly, a nationally recognized expert on business owner wealth planning, was a keynote speaker and presented the topic of The Three Cornerstones for Business Owner Wealth Planning. During his thirty-year career, Mr. Bly has personally advised the principal owners of hundreds of medium-sized businesses in a wide range of industries on numerous business growth, corporate finance or inter-generational business transfer transactions.

Mr. Bly focused on how Paramount Planning Group members could better approach wealth planning for their clients, whose primary personal wealth creating engine is a middle market business they own, by focusing on the “Three Cornerstones of Planning for Business Owners.” He identified the three cornerstones as: (i) having a viable growth strategy for the business, (ii) balancing the capital needs of a growing business with the periodic liquidity needs of its shareholders and (iii) perfecting governance, control and performance measurement as the business evolves and grows. Mr. Bly explained how BGA’s growth advisory and investment banking services are designed specifically for the needs of their business owner clients and were designed to support the wealth planning process for business owners.

During his presentation, Mr. Bly shared practical examples of how his firm, Source Companies, and other BGA member firms, work collaboratively with financial advisors to help business owners increase the value of their businesses. Mr. Bly also explained how advisors could more effectively gain and retain new business owner clients by distinguishing their practices through vertical market knowledge, such as developing a more robust understanding of the planning needs of high net worth clients who have a significant portion of their personal net worth reflected in the value of their business interests.

Mr. Bly said, “As Paramount Planning Group includes many of the very best financial services professionals in the United States, I was honored to have been chosen to speak at their annual members meeting. It is my hope that the information I presented at the Conference will help Paramount members to have an expanded view of the types of planning solutions, which are available to high net worth business owners. In most cases, the business owner’s wealth, status and legacy options are tied to the success or failure of their business.” Mr. Bly added, “Source, as a member of BGA, is positioned to offer customized solutions to help Paramount’s business owner clients with achieving excellent planning results related to building and sustaining business value and transferring or harvesting business value.”

Al Papa, the Chairman and CEO of Cambridge Financial Services, Troy, Michigan, and the Managing Director of Paramount Planning Group, said, “Mr. Bly brought to us a tremendous perspective on the subject of wealth planning for business owners based upon his many years of practical experience and successful results from representing business owning clients.”

ABOUT SOURCE COMPANIES, LLC

Mr. Bly is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Source Companies, LLC (Source), which is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Source is a founding member of Business Growth Alliance, LLC. Under Mr. Bly’s leadership, Source has pioneered operating a multi-disciplinary professional practice that provides services related to the strategic growth, capital formation, owner liquidity, and business transition needs of privately owned businesses and their owners. Source specializes in providing such services to family-owned and other closely held, medium sized businesses.

ABOUT BGA

Business Growth Alliance, LLC (BGA) is a National Network of seasoned, professional services firms, which are dedicated to providing growth advisory and investment banking services to middle market and family-owned companies and their principals. In addition to their core growth advisory and investment banking services, BGA Member Firms collaborate to address the strategic growth, capital formation, owner liquidity, and governance needs of such businesses and their owners. The eight Founding Affiliate Members of BGA include: de Visscher & Co., Source Companies, LLC, yet2.com, The Pursuit Group, Tenzing Consulting, Value Defined Middle Market, LLC, Asher Training, and US China Business Solutions Inc. More information concerning BGA can be found on its website: www.bgallc.net.

To Contact BGA:
Manning J. O’Connor II, Executive Director
Business Growth Alliance, LLC
1606 Carmody Court
Blaymore 1, Suite 300
Sewickley, PA 15143
Telephone (724)-933-6650
Fax (724) 933-6099
email: moconnor@bgallc.net
www.bgallc.net