McLean, VA, September 14, 2004 - The McLean Group is pleased to announce the sale of its South Dakota client, Horizons, an aerial mapping company headquartered in South Dakota, to EarthData, headquartered in Washington D.C. With 246 employees in offices throughout the US, a fleet of twelve aircraft, and over a dozen state-of-the-art airborne sensing systems, the union of these two companies creates one of the largest and most technologically advanced mapping, remote sensing, and GIS organizations in the industry.

The McLean Group was successful in recognizing a fit between the two companies and in driving the deal to a satisfactory close. The M&A firm assisted both management teams in evaluating, negotiating, and executing the transaction by providing guidelines and by using its technical expertise to achieve both companies' goals. EarthData Chairman Brian Logan said, "The joining of EarthData and Horizons enables us to expand our domestic and international reach, offer a wider array of services, and increase production capacity and flexibility," adding that the investment in Horizons, with its Midwest locations, fulfills EarthData's long-term goal of having a world-class mapping presence in the central US. Jim Spell, chairman of Horizons for the past 35 years, is equally positive. "EarthData and Horizons have worked together successfully for the past 16 years," explained Spell, who retired and sold his majority ownership share to Logan. "Joining forces permanently is a natural result of this long-term partnership and the synergies that already exist between our staff and production operations."

Although EarthData and Horizons will continue to operate as separate entities for the near-term, both companies will begin to integrate business development efforts and increase efficiencies through greater collaboration among production operations. "Both EarthData and Horizons have reputations among their respective clients for first-class service; each has a deeply committed and talented workforce; and, each has a long record of strong financial performance," said Miglarese, who joined EarthData in April 2004. "Larry and I, with our respective management teams, look forward to bringing the best of EarthData and Horizons together for the mutual benefit of our clients and our employees."

About The McLean Group
The McLean Group LLC is a private investment bank providing merger and acquisition, business valuation, capital formation, executive advisory and litigation support services. Its focus is on serving middle-market businesses generating between $5 million and $300 million in revenues. While it has a generalist practice, the firm has developed particular expertise and domain knowledge in the IT services, technology, government-contracting, and travel and hospitability sectors.

About EarthData
EarthData is an airborne data collection, mapping, and GIS services organization that provides clients with customized products, services, and GIS applications to support a wide range of land-use, resource management, and engineering activities. With its fleet of aircraft, the company collects aerial photography, uses an airborne laser system (lidar) and imaging radar (GeoSAR) to produce 3D terrain models, and develops or deploys other remote sensing technologies to detect thermal and multispectral information about the earth's surface. EarthData offices in Florida, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington, DC, use this data to create and supply photogrammetric, lidar, radar, and digital orthophoto mapping and GIS applications and services. (www.earthdata.com)

About Horizons
Horizons, Inc., has provided high-quality photogrammetric mapping services since 1968. Based in Rapid City, South Dakota, with an office in Minnesota, Horizons serves public- and private-sector clients in government, mining, oil and gas, and engineering, among other vertical markets. Capabilities include a large aircraft fleet configured for aerial acquisition of imagery, lidar, and other sensors; data processing for the creation of orthophoto, topographic/planimetric maps; and GIS services. A staff of more than eighty professionals includes engineers, ASPRS-certified photogrammetrists, aviation experts, computer programmers, and other technical and administrative staff. (www.horizonsinc.com)