Allentown, Pa., March 31, 2009- Akrion Systems, an affiliate of Bayside Capital, today announced the appointment of Michael Ioannou, currently the Company's Chief Operating Officer, as President of the company effective immediately. Mr. Ioannou replaces Jim Molinaro who is leaving to pursue other interests.  

"We would like to thank Jim for his long and dedicated service to the company and wish him and his family success in their future endeavors," said Mike Ioannou. 

Mike Ioannou went on to say, "During this difficult economic climate, Akrion Systems remains focused on helping its semiconductor and solar customers gain manufacturing efficiencies and reduce costs.  Our team remains dedicated to developing new products and technologies while supporting current product lines with productivity and performance enhancements.  Our global field service and spare parts organization is committed to supporting customers through the product lifecycle."

Mike Ioannou has had a long career in the semiconductor and aerospace industries managing technology, operations and customer interfaces, at industry leaders including Axcelis, PRI Automation, Boeing Canada and Bombardier Aerospace. Mike holds a Masters degree in Engineering Science and a Masters degree in Business Administration.

About Akrion Systems
Akrion Systems is a provider of surface preparation systems, including single-wafer and batch-immersion cleaning tools for the semiconductor and solar industries. The company's products are used in the production of a diverse range of devices, including integrated circuits for DRAM, NAND Flash, Logic and MEMS as well as new and reclaimed semiconductor wafers, photomasks, and solar cells. Headquartered in Allentown, Pa., Akrion Systems' Allentown production facility is ISO 9001:2000 compliant. For further information, please visit the Akrion Systems Web site: http://www.akrionsystems.com.

About Bayside Capital
Bayside Capital is a private investment firm which actively invests in middle market companies that can benefit from operational enhancements, improved access to capital, or balance sheet realignments. With the ability to provide a broad range of financing solutions, Bayside has the experience and resources to help companies quickly resume growth initiatives and improve their strategic position. Bayside Capital is an affiliate of H.I.G. Capital, a leading private equity investment firm specializing in acquisitions and recapitalizations of middle market businesses. Based in Miami, Florida, and with offices in Atlanta, Boston, San Francisco, London, Paris and Hamburg, H.I.G. is one of the most active private equity investors in small and medium-sized companies. The firm has available in excess of $7.5 billion of committed capital to support its investment activities. For additional information, visit www.bayside.com.