NEW YORK, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Evercore Partners Inc. (NYSE: EVR) announced today that George R. Ackert has agreed to join the firm's Advisory business as a Senior Managing Director and will establish and lead Evercore's Transportation & Infrastructure Practice. Mr. Ackert, who will be based in New York, will also lead the development of Evercore's new Sports Advisory business. Mr. Ackert is an internationally recognized advisor to companies in the transportation and infrastructure space. Previously, he was the Global Head of Transportation & Infrastructure at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Prior to the merger, he ran the Gaming, Leisure & Transportation group at Merrill Lynch. At Merrill Lynch, Mr. Ackert advised on a number of important transactions, including the 2008 merger of Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines. "George is an outstanding banker who brings to Evercore broad experience and a wealth of relationships, having advised on some of the most significant and transformational deals across the transportation and infrastructure sector," said Roger Altman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Evercore Partners. "In bringing George to Evercore we are executing on our strategy of building out our team of M&A Advisory professionals with seasoned Wall Street talent who can help us further expand into industries where we see significant opportunity. We will continue to add industry expertise and new geographic reach as attractive opportunities arise." While at Merrill Lynch, Mr. Ackert also advised on a number of other significant transactions, including: the sale of the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad Corporation to Canadian Pacific Railway; the sale of Pegasus Aviation Finance Company by Oaktree Capital Management to Terra Firma; the SkyWest Airlines acquisition of ASA from Delta Air Lines; the sale of Spirit Airlines; and on private equity transactions for Hertz and PODs. George was also instrumental in the merger/IPO/Chapter 11 re-emergence of America West Airlines and US Airways, as well as the full recapitalization of AMERCO (U-Haul). "I am excited to join such a highly respected investment banking boutique like Evercore Partners and look forward to establishing and building the firm's Transportation & Infrastructure and Sports Advisory businesses," said Mr. Ackert. "Now more than ever, corporations are looking for sound, strategic independent advice and I feel my extensive experience can help clients achieve their business goals." Mr. Ackert, 39, began his career as an Associate Attorney in Mergers & Acquisitions and Structured Finance at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. He holds a J.D. with Honors from the University of Texas School of Law, a M.B.A. from Baylor University, as well as a B.B.A. with High Honors from the University of Texas at Austin. About Evercore Partners Evercore Partners is a leading investment banking boutique and investment management firm. Evercore's Advisory business counsels its clients on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings and other strategic transactions. Evercore's Investment Management business comprises private equity investing, institutional asset management and wealth management. Evercore serves a diverse set of clients around the world from its offices in New York, San Francisco, Boston, London, Mexico City and Monterrey, Mexico. More information about Evercore can be found on the Company's Web site at http://www.evercore.com/. EVR-X DATASOURCE: Evercore Partners Inc. CONTACT: Investors: Bob Walsh, Chief Financial Officer, Evercore Partners, +1-212-857-3100; Media: Kenny Juarez or Chuck Dohrenwend, The Abernathy MacGregor Group, for Evercore Partners, +1-212-371-5999 Web Site: http://www.evercore.com/

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