ADS Acquires MAR-VEL International

ADS Acquires Mar-Vel International
Expands Law Enforcement Product Lines Through its New Wholly-Owned Subsidiary and Plans Employment Growth

Virginia Beach, Virginia (September 8, 2008) – ADS, Inc. (Atlantic Diving Supply, Inc.) has acquired the assets of MAR-VEL International in order to continue to expand their Law Enforcement product line and accommodate the company’s overall steady growth. The new wholly-owned subsidiary of ADS will manage the sales and operations of ADS’ Law Enforcement Division under the MAR-VEL name, servicing all current ADS Law Enforcement (LE) contracts and increasing ADS’ capability to make additional products available to our nation’s soldiers and first responders.

Located in Pennsauken, New Jersey, and San Diego, California, MAR-VEL was a Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Prime Vendor for the U.S. military and has supplied tactical, diving, marine lifesaving and personal protection equipment, including body armor and protective chemical-biological suits, to the military and first responder community since 1946. The MAR-VEL Prime Vendor contract has been moved to ADS.

ADS has transitioned MAR-VEL’s current 50-person workforce to its payroll and plans to grow the company at both locations, hiring additional people and bringing new work into the facilities. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of ADS, former MAR-VEL owners will continue to help manage operations at the facilities under the MAR-VEL International name, and will play a critical role in ensuring the continued excellence of the MAR-VEL and ADS brands as the Law Enforcement division of ADS.

“Our acquisition of MAR-VEL will allow us to continue to meet the demands of our nation’s soldiers and first responders by offering them increased product choices and ensuring timely delivery of their needed equipment. Under the MAR-VEL brand, we will cater to the specific needs of the Law Enforcement community, ensuring the stamp of quality that comes with the ADS, Inc., and MAR-VEL names,” said ADS CEO and President Luke Hillier. “Our company continues to grow at a rapid rate. We are hoping to hire additional employees at both MAR-VEL locations to meet our current demands and continue to diversify our business.”

With 240 employees nationwide, ADS continues to expand its existing product lines, the scope of their work and their workforce. Located in Virginia Beach and San Diego, they are currently working to secure a wide variety of additional contracts within the DoD and the Department of Homeland Security, and are continuing to field the Army’s Third Generation Extended Cold Weather Clothing System (GEN III ECWCS) to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

About ADS, Inc.

ADS, Inc. (www.adstactical.com) is a family-owned small business, The company was created in 1979 in Virginia Beach, Virginia as the government sales division of a local diving supply center and catered to the Norfolk-Virginia Beach military community. Since that time, ADS has continued to expand its product offerings and currently delivers on-time, essential tactical and special operational equipment to each branch of the U.S. military and Federal Agencies, overseeing every aspect of their products’ supply chain and ensuring the availability of superior equipment to our men and women in uniform.

In 2000, ADS was awarded the Prime Vendor Contract for Marine Lifesaving, Diving, and Search and Rescue through the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia. ADS achieved Worldwide Special Operational Equipment Prime Vendor status in 2005, solidifying their role as one of the DoD’s primary equipment suppliers. That same year, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) named ADS the “DLA Business Alliance Innovative Small Business Performer of the Year.” In 2006, they were awarded the contract for the Army’s GEN III ECWCS, marking the first time a clothing system has been awarded in entirety to a single prime contractor. In 2008, ADS secured five regional Department of Defense (DoD) Fire and Emergency Services contracts totaling up to $4 billion to provide equipment and logistical support to federal and local agencies tasked with responding to fires and other emergencies at military installations, federal agencies and at the state and local level. ADS is also a GSA Schedule holder and DOD EMALL Contract holder.

About MAR-VEL International

MAR-VEL International (www.mar-vel.com) is proud to be the new State and Local Law Enforcement Division of ADS, Inc. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of ADS, MAR-VEL International will continue to meet the demands of our nation’s first responders by offering increased product choices and by catering to the specific needs of the Law Enforcement Community.

Headquartered in Pennsauken, New Jersey with West Coast operations in San Diego, California, MAR-VEL International has been supplying the world with the finest in “extreme products for extreme environments” for over 62 years. Established in 1946, MAR-VEL International is America’s oldest commercial and recreational diving supply company. MAR-VEL is also a worldwide leader in providing protective and tactical equipment for State and Local law enforcement as well as correctional facilities, marine lifesaving, special operations and first responders to C.B.R.N. (chemical, biological, radiation, nuclear) incidents. MAR-VEL is a GSA Contract Holder of schedule 084 to provide total solutions for Law Enforcement, Security, Facilities Management, Fire, Rescue, Clothing, Marine Craft and Emergency/Disaster Response. In addition MAR-VEL holds multiple state contracts including NASPO H.I.R.E., Pennsylvania COSTARS and New Jersey Police & Homeland Security & Supplies Contracts.

Contact ADS today for more information about ADS Acquires MAR-VEL International