LEVERAGE, INC. UTILIZES RESOURCES IN SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN
TO FURTHER DRIVE COMPANY GROWTH

Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce photo The joint venture between Leverage and MCA was announced during the press conference. In attendance was Mark Roberts from Leverage (from far left), Janice Karcher and Tim Herman from the Regional Chamber, and Perry Daneshgari from MCA.

Santa Ana, Calif.  and Genesee County, Mich. — October 20, 2008— Leverage Inc., the company behind LeverageCard.com, announced this morning at a press conference at the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce in Flint, a series of business and individual partnerships in Southeast Michigan, created to capitalize on the region’s deep engineering and technology resources to accelerate the growth of the company’s online service. Read the article from The Flint Journal about Press Conference also Read the article from The Flint Journal about Leverage's gift card charity program.

Founded in 2005 and based in Santa Ana, California, Leverage® today boasts a number of investors and supporters in the Southeast Michigan region.  Building on its presence in the region, Leverage® announced a new partnership with MCA, a technology firm based in Flint, Michigan.  This business alliance will result in the hiring of eight to ten programmers in Flint to develop technological enhancements on the LeverageCard Web site.  MCA is currently accepting mid to high level technical web development and database resumes in order to fulfill the positions created with the new partnership with Leverage®.

To accelerate its technology and business development, Leverage® selected Southeast Michigan because it offers access to one of the largest and most well-educated high tech workforces in the U.S.  Additionally, Leverage® is able to acquire the required technology skills and expertise at highly competitive rates when compared to other technology hubs.

“Southeast Michigan is an obvious place for us to expand and enhance our business, given the highly trained resident talent in computer programming and technology,” said Mark Edward Roberts, founder and CEO of Leverage Inc. “We conducted the bulk of our initial fundraising in Southeast Michigan, and the support and results we’ve seen here so far have vastly exceeded our expectations. We anticipate further business partnerships and look forward to future opportunities to grow our business in the Michigan area.”

“Information technology and computer specialists in Michigan are highly skilled and prepared to fill positions in conjunction with technology companies in California and around the world,” said Dr. Perry Daneshgari, President of MCA, Inc.  A Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and Adjunct Professor at The University of Michigan-Dearborn and Oakland University, Daneshgari adds, “Leverage® is an exciting new company and I believe this alliance will be very beneficial to both firms.”

 “We are proud to support the growth of Leverage® in Greater Flint. We wish to thank MCA, an important local technology firm, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and other partners,” said Tim Herman, CEO of the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce, whose economic development efforts have included the introduction of Leverage® to potential technology and investment partners. “Greater Flint is a great place for technology companies to expand.  We are pleased to play an active role in the growing success of Leverage® and other high-tech companies,” said Herman.

Leverage® Gives Back with Local Fundraising Program
Leverage Inc. also announced today the “Leverage® Gift Card Fundraiser Program.” New partnerships have been established with ten local Port Huron and Greater Flint organizations to raise funds for individually selected charities.

“Since the inception of our Leverage® consumer service, we have intended to use our technology to engage with and help local communities in their charitable giving efforts,” said Mark Roberts, CEO and co-founder of Leverage Inc. “Leverage® makes it quick and easy for consumers to purchase gift cards while simultaneously donating to charity, and we hope to soon extend the program beyond my home state to organizations nationwide.”

Charitable organizations’ websites will direct consumers to a personalized LeverageCard.com landing page where they can choose from a large selection of retail gift cards.  Fifty percent of the net profits of gift card purchases made by their supporters through the site will go directly to the local or international charity of choice.  The Leverage® program provides a very easy means of raising funds compared to traditional gift card fundraisers. Supporters can purchase gift cards from the comfort of their homes, rather than the organizations having to undergo the labor intensive process of gathering orders and payments and distributing the purchased cards.

Local organizations participating in the gift card fundraiser include three charities in Port Huron and five in Greater Flint.  They include Robbins Dental, Mercy Hospital, and the Rev. Rene Desmarais Memorial Fund in Port Huron; and American Red Cross Genesee Chapter, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Flint, Boys & Girls Club of Greater Flint, Hurley Foundation’s Children’s Miracle Network, and the McLaren Regional Medical Center in Flint.

“Through Leverage’s® Fundraising Program, we are able to simply and effectively fundraise for Operation Smile, an international charity that repairs childhood facial deformities and is particularly meaningful to our dental practice,” said Dr. Andrea Robbins, owner of Robbins Dental. “We envision our grassroots fundraiser becoming a national campaign to improve the lives of children throughout the world, and we have been very encouraged by the Port Huron-community’s exceedingly positive response to the campaign.”

About Leverage Inc.
Leverage Inc. provides a free personal Web application for users to manage their offers and savings, gift cards and loyalty/rewards programs online. Leverage® customers have access to a single application that allows them to purchase, track and exchange gift cards, earn interest on gift card balances with complimentary bankruptcy insurance on gift cards purchased from Leverage®, manage loyalty and reward programs and receive highly targeted offers and savings from retailers.  Furthermore, Leverage® allows businesses to deliver offers and marketing messages in a non-interruptive and completely transparent way at the very moment customers are preparing to shop. Privately held and based in Santa Ana, California, Leverage Inc. can be found at LeverageCard.com.

Media Contact:

Leverage
Karen Thompson Nickerson
Director Community Affairs and Charitable Outreach
810.357.5908
Karen@leveragecard.com

Leverage
Emily McMichael – Marketing Manager
714.352.0720
emily@leveragecard.com

Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce
Stan Blood, Vice President – Communications/Marketing
810.600.1404
sblood@thegrcc.org

Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce
Janice Karcher, Vice President
810.600.1430 
jkarcher@thegrcc.org

MCA
Perry Daneshgari, President
810.232.9797
perry@mca.net