Charys' Cotton Emergency Response Division Deploys Teams into Storm Impacted Areas
ATLANTA--May 20, 2007--Charys Holding Company, Inc. ("Charys") announced today that its subsidiary Cotton Companies ("Cotton"), a disaster recovery group of companies specializing in fire and water damage restoration services, has deployed resources from its Emergency Response Division into several areas impacted by recent storm and fire events. Crews are actively engaged on new emergency remediation projects, the initial stage of restoration efforts following a disaster.
On Thursday May 10, 2007, Cotton dispatched crews that arrived in El Reno, Oklahoma and began work the same day. Cotton received contracts totaling $1.3 million in revenue with work in Virginia, Tennessee, Austin, Texas, and Arizona. Nationwide, Cotton has members of its Emergency Response Division in North Carolina, Florida, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, Chicago, Atlanta, Orlando, Houston, Denver, and Phoenix.
The Emergency Response Division utilizes Cotton's team of highly trained professionals whose mission is to be positioned in advance in high probability areas where first responder services are critical. The Emergency response Team identifies and evaluates potential damage exposure and critical restoration projects and prioritizes possible actions in concert with local officials.
Pete Bell, Cotton CEO said, "After the devastation of a natural disaster, the victims and communities affected by these events need a quick response from a reliable company to insure that they will have a minimal amount of business disruption. Due to our planning and quick response time, our crews were able to get to the area fast and begin the task at hand. As an industry leader with a solid reputation for providing quality service quickly, we are hoping to secure reconstruction projects in addition to this remediation work."
"Planning and experience are two of the most important elements of meeting the needs of clients in a disastrous event," explained Michael Brown, former Under Secretary of Homeland Security, a member of the Charys board of directors and consultant to Cotton. "The Emergency Response Division combines the expertise of veteran managers and the planning and coordination capabilities that are critical in any emergency situation. It is truly a pleasure to work with a team of such skilled professionals who are committed to the highest quality of service to protect or restore their client's business operations if and when disaster strikes. The division is now 'state of the art'; fully functional with centralized command post operations and field deployed resources with strong leadership ability."
Pete Bell added, "As the next hurricane season approaches, Cotton has aggressively begun the expansion of its Preferred Customer Program, showing corporations and businesses the importance of preplanning for disaster recovery. Additionally, Cotton has started a significant business development effort in the public sector, showcasing its abilities and capacity to state and local governments, taking advantage of its GSA approvals. After recent disasters shareholders and business owners should be asking their management if they have continuity of operations plans which enable the business to get back to business as quickly as possible after a disaster. Cotton is exhibiting to companies the impact they can have on their bottom line by getting back to business after a disaster."
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon Charys' current expectations and speak only as of the date hereof. Actual results may differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors and uncertainties, including uncertainties as to the nature of the industry, including changing customer demand, the impact of competitive products and pricing, dependence on existing management and general economic conditions. Charys' Annual Report on Form 10-KSB, recent and forthcoming Quarterly Reports on Form 10-QSB, recent Current Reports on Form 8-K and other SEC filings discuss some of the important risk factors that may affect Charys' business, results of operations and financial condition. Management undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.
About Cotton Companies
Cotton is a disaster recovery group of companies specializing in fire and water restoration services ranging from initial project assessment and planning, through catastrophe management reconstruction, restoration and environmental remediation. For more information, visit www.cottoncompanies.com
About Charys Holding Company, Inc.
Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Charys is a publicly traded company providing infrastructure services in two primary markets. In the restoration and reconstruction markets, Charys services include emergency planning and coordination, response to catastrophic losses, reconstruction and restoration and environmental restoration. In the wireless communications and data infrastructure markets, Charys provides an array of services including engineering, program management, construction, installation and maintenance, tower services, radio and advanced technology implementation and integration services to large service providers and other business enterprises.