New 'Smart Grid' Company Established to Serve Broad Energy Conservation Markets

AKRON, Ohio, and DENVER, Nov. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Intelligent Grid Solutions,
LLC (IGS), a new company that focuses on the energy conservation and
efficiency revolution in the U.S. and abroad, has begun offering services to
utility companies interested in pursuing smart grid enhancements.

Smart grid networks are built and operated over existing power lines and
distribution grids, thus creating new high speed communications networks that
touch all homes and businesses. IGS designs, builds and manages those
networks and applications for their electric utility clients.

"We are extremely pleased to be participating in the exciting smart grid arena
- IGS will fill an important void and offer true value-added services to
utilities seeking innovative ways to address their energy management
challenges," said John, P. Yeros, Chief Executive Officer of IGS.

In addition to its technological and management underpinnings, IGS also
focuses on creating technical services to support various implementations,
maintenance and communications for smart grid applications. Examples include:
Infrastructure development, including design work and consulting services;
managing and monitoring ongoing operational performance; and delivering both
businesses and consumers the very highest quality energy management services.

IGS offers a proprietary software product known as GridEYE that essentially
integrates all operating data/metrics into a single command and control
dashboard that displays customized information/feedback for IGS' utility
clients and network operators to use in managing their business more
effectively and efficiently.

Mr. Yeros, former Chairman & CEO of both Medix Resources, Inc. and MPC
Computers, Inc., both former AMEX firms, is joined by Jeffrey Schumacher, a
seasoned expert within the energy management domain who held past positions
with General Electric, IDACOMM, Power Grid Communications and Qwest
Communications, as IGS' new Executive Vice President & Chief Operating
Officer.

IGS is owned by FS Holdco, LLC, an entity comprised of FirstEnergy Corp (NYSE:
FE), First Communications, Inc. (AIM: FCOM), and two private investor groups.

In addition to Mr. Yeros, the IGS Board of Directors includes:

Mr. Tony C. Banks, Chairman of the Board at IGS, and vice president of Product
and Business Development at FirstEnergy Solutions Corp, FirstEnergy's
unregulated affiliate. Prior to joining FirstEnergy, Mr. Banks was a
consultant to utilities, energy service companies and energy technology firms.
From 2000 through 2002, he was president of RAI Ventures, Inc. and chairman
of the board of Optiron Corporation, which was an energy technology subsidiary
of Atlas America. From 1998 through 2000, he served as chief executive
officer and president of Atlas America, an oil & natural gas producer and
organizer of public and private limited partnerships. Mr. Banks began his
career with Consolidated Natural Gas Company, now Dominion Resources, Inc.,
where he held various positions, including treasurer and director of Strategic
Marketing Services for its unregulated subsidiary.

Dr. Jeffrey A. Eisenach, chairman of Empiris, LLC , an economics consulting
firm, and an Adjunct Professor at George Mason University Law School. With
more than 25 years of experience in the public policy realm, he has held
senior-level positions at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the
White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB); in these roles he also
testified before the U.S. Congress on several occasions. In addition to his
extensive practical experiences, Dr. Eisenach has authored or co-authored
eight books, including "The Digital Economy Fact Book;" has edited or
co-edited five other books, including "Communications Deregulation and FCC
Reform: What Comes Next?" and has written numerous articles for both
scholarly publications and popular vehicles such as The Wall Street Journal,
Forbes, Investor's Business Daily, The Washington Post and The Washington
Times. In 1993 Dr. Eisenach co-founded The Progress & Freedom Foundation, a
non-partisan, non-profit think tank focused on the high tech sector of the
economy, and, as its president from 1993-2002, he led many research efforts,
including projects evaluating communications regulations and FERC regulation
of the electricity segment of the market place. Former scholarly affiliations
also include The American Enterprise Institute, The Heritage Foundation and
The Hudson Institute while his governmental roles have included serving on the
Reagan-Bush Transition Team, the Federal Communications Commission, the
Virginia Governor's Commission on E-Communities, and the Virginia Attorney
General's Task Force on Identity Theft. Dr. Eisenach earned his Ph. D. in
Economics from the University of Virginia and a B. A. in Economics from
Claremont McKenna College.

Mr. Raymond Hexamer, currently CEO of First Communications, Inc. The former
CEO of SkyLAN, a provider of wireless Internet services, was also named one of
the nation's top five GMs and presidents by Radio Ink Magazine in 2002. Aside
from his numerous accomplishments in the communications arena, Mr. Hexamer is
also involved in several community boards and was the General Chairman of the
Professional Football Hall of Fame Festival in 2001. He holds a B.A. degree
in Business Administration from the University of Akron.

The Honorable Mr. C. H. "Bud" Albright, J. D., immediate-past Under Secretary
of the Department of Energy where he was appointed by President Bush and
unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate. During his tenure in this official
role, with a $ 15 billion budget, he provided leadership for both energy and
environmental programs, including: Energy research and development;
demonstration and deployment; environmental clean-up; and radioactive waste
management. Earlier in his career, Mr. Albright was the Staff Director for
the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce where he
led efforts to address issues facing the telecommunications, energy,
environmental and health industries. Other governmental assignments included
the following: Deputy Associate Attorney General and Senior Special Assistant
to the Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Division at the U.S. Department
of Justice; Deputy General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development; Associate Counsel on the U.S. Senate Select Committee
investigating the Iran-Contra incident; Assistant United States Attorney in
the Eastern District of Virginia; and legislative and personal aide to Senator
Strom Thurmond early in his public service career. Mr. Albright has a B. A.
degree in History and Political Science from Presbyterian College in South
Carolina and a Juris Doctor degree from George Mason University School of Law.

The Honorable Dr. James C. Miller, Senior Expert at Empiris, LLC where he has
broad and deep governmental, private-sector and academic experiences.
Currently, he is a member of the Board of Governors for the U.S. Postal
Service where he was appointed by President Bush and confirmed by the U.S.
Senate in 2004 and served as Chairman from 2005-2008. In addition, he serves
as Senior Advisor to the international law firm of Husch Blackwell Sanders,
LLC and serves on the boards of four mutual funds and the Board of Clean
Energy Fuels, Inc. Dr. Miller is also a Distinguished Fellow at both the
Center for Study of Public Choice and the Mercatus Center at George Mason
University; Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University;
and board member of Americans for Prosperity. From 1985-1988 he was Director
of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and served in President
Reagan's Cabinet and the National Security Council as well during that time.
Previously, Dr. Miller was the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
from 1981-1985. Over the course of his distinguished career he has authored
more than 100 professional journal articles; has authored, co-authored and/or
edited nine books; and has testified in a wide variety of litigation and
regulatory matters. Dr. Miller has a B. A. in Economics from the University
of Georgia and a Ph. D. in Economics from the University of Virginia.

Mr. Peter M. Hayes, Manager of Public Affairs for the Salt River Project
(SRP), a water and power utility based in Phoenix, Arizona; in this capacity,
he directs the SRP's federal, state and local governmental relations functions
whereas from 1985-1991 he headed their Congressional and Federal relations
functions. In addition, Mr. Hayes serves on the Board of Trustees of the
Arizona Science Center in Phoenix and sits on the Board and Executive
Committee for the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. Prior to assuming his
current position, Mr. Hayes held several key governmental posts, including:
Worked on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. for Congressman John Rhodes, U.S.
House Minority Leader, in Arizona's First Congressional District; served as a
Legislative Assistant to Rhodes before becoming his campaign manager and
successfully gaining re-elections in 1978 and 1980; served as Special
Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Water and Science in the U.S.
Department of the Interior in the Reagan administration; served as the Deputy
Director of Congressional Liaison in the Office of the Secretary of the
Interior for both Secretaries William Clark and Donald Hodel; and served as
Chief of Staff for Arizona's Governor Fife Symington in 1992. Mr. Hayes has a
B. A. in Political Science from Arizona State University and has completed a
program for senior managers at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at
Harvard University.

About Intelligent Grid Solutions, LLC: IGS is a "smart grid" solutions
company that provides sophisticated energy management services to electrical
utilities seeking outside, specialized expertise in designing, building, and
managing their energy conservation strategies and tactics. IGS offers a wide
variety of consulting and management resources to electric utility firms that
want to improve their energy efficiencies and management practices; we serve
markets in the U.S. and abroad. Please visit www.IntelligentGridSolutions.com
or www.gridsrus.com for more detailed information on the products and services
the company offers.

Intelligent Grid Solutions, LLC
6471 East Radcliff Avenue
Englewood, CO 80111
1-877-889-GRID or 1-877-889-8743
www.intelligentgridsolutions.com
www.gridsrus.com

SOURCE Intelligent Grid Solutions, LLC

John P. Yeros, CEO, +1-303-883-0331, Barbara Coy, Dir. Corporate Services,
+1-303-589-1197, both of Intelligent Grid Solutions, LLC