BTU Ventures' Founder and CEO Named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2006 Award Winner
in New England

Award Recognizes Entrepreneurial Excellence in Energy Category

Boston MA — June 19, 2006

BTU Ventures' Founder and Chief Executive, Wael Almazeedi, received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2006 Award in the Energy category in New England. According to Ernst & Young, the award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic and growing businesses. Almazeedi was selected by an independent panel of judges and the award was presented at an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® gala at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel on June 15th, 2006.

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® awards program celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and continues to honor entrepreneurs who have demonstrated excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.

"It took my wife and me eighteen years of hard work and sacrifice to be positioned to create a new type of global energy company," Almazeedi said in accepting the award. "Our objective is to improve people's standards of living by providing electricity to the masses in an efficient and affordable way. We accept this award with deep pleasure — and as an expression of our own obligation to the U.S. and its position within the global community."

The Entrepreneur Of The Year® awards program was created and is produced by professional services firm Ernst & Young LLP. As the first award of its kind, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic and growing businesses. The program honors entrepreneurs through regional, national and global award programs in over 100 cities and 35 countries.

The Ewing Marion Kaufman Foundation sponsors The Entrepreneur Of The Year® awards nationally. The list of past New England winners include founders and executives from Analog Devices, Cambridge Technology Partners, EMC, Genzyme, L.L. Bean, New Balance, Reebok, Staples, and Thermo Electron. Past national winners include Michael Dell, founder of Dell Computer and Howard Schultz, chief executive of Starbucks.