5 PRNewswireFirstCall TriS Security Corp

OKLAHOMA CITY, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ The Beard Company(OTC Bulletin Board: BRCO) today reported that on December 16, 2008 itnotified the holders of $192,851 in 12 Convertible Subordinated Notes dueAugust 31, 2009 (the "2009 Notes") purchased in 2006 (the "2006 Issue") thatthey must convert their notes into common stock by January 15, 2009.Following receipt of the notice, holders of the 2006 Issue voluntarily agreedto convert their notes effective December 31, 2008, and they will receiveinterest to January 15, 2009. Conversion prices for the 2006 Issue of Notesranged from $1.324 to $1.339 per share. Accordingly, holders of such Noteswill receive 145,412 shares of the Company's common stock upon conversion.On December 18, 2008 the Company notified holders of the remaining$1,135,000 of 2009 Notes purchased in 2005 (the "2005 Issue") of the forcedconversion of the 2006 Issue, and asked such holders to voluntarily converttheir 2009 Notes effective December 31, 2008 and receive interest to February28, 2009. The 2005 Issue of 2009 Notes are convertible into common stock at aprice of $2.25 per share. The Beard Company'scommon stock closed in trading on the OTC Bulletin Board on December 31, 2008at $4.00 per share. Holders of the 2009 Notes that are converting to commonstock will receive cash for 5.02 fractional shares based upon such ClosingPrice.

Following the conversions, the Company's total number of common sharesoutstanding has increased to 9,830,586."The conversion of these Notes represents the achievement of anothermilestone in the turnaround currently underway at our Company," noted HerbMee, Jr., President of The Beard Company. "The conversions have increased ourshareholders' equity account by $888,000 for a relatively small amount ofcash, while retiring most of our 2009 Notes. These improvements will bereflected in our year-end balance sheet and financial ratios. We havecontinued to improve our financial condition while enhancing our marketcapitalization, and I am pleased to report that BRCO's common stock priceincreased 627 during the year ended December 31, 2008, compared with a 41decline in the Nasdaq Composite Index."About The Beard CompanyThe Beard Company creates, acquires, and/or invests in businesses thatmanagement believes have high growth potential and/or above-average profitpotential and can enhance shareholder value. The Company is currently involvedin carbon dioxide (CO2) gas production; oil and gas activities; coalreclamation activities; e-commerce activities conducted through itsstarpay(TM) subsidiary; and minerals exploration and development through itsGeohedral investment.The Company is headquartered in Oklahoma City and its common stock tradeson the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol "BRCO".Forward-Looking StatementsThis document may include statements that constitute "forward-looking"statements, usually containing the words "believe", "estimate", "project","expect", or similar expressions.

Forward-looking statements inherentlyinvolve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differmaterially from the forward-looking statements.Factors that could cause orcontribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the Company'slack of profitability in recent years; the ability to service outstanding debtand secure capital to fund operations; the ability to negotiate and executecontracts in connection with the Company's coal reclamation activities; theoutcome of a lawsuit against Visa; future trends in commodities prices;financial, geological or mechanical difficulties affecting Geohedral's plannedgeological work programs; uncertainties surrounding estimates of mineralizedmaterial; and other risks detailed in Beard's filings with the U.S. Securitiesand Exchange Commission.By making these forward-looking statements, Beardundertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changesin the future. For Additional Information, Please Contact: Herb Mee, Jr., President, at (405) 842-2333 or via email at or RJ Falkner & Company, Inc., Investor Relations Counsel, at (800) 377-9893 or via email at SOURCEThe Beard CompanyHerb Mee, Jr., President of The Beard Company, 1-405-842-2333,; or RJ Falkner & Company, Inc., Investor Relations Counsel,1-800-377-9893, , for The Beard Company. Tri-S Security Subsidiary Awarded Two Contracts Valued at $141 Million forFederal Facilities in Los Angeles and San Diego, CaliforniaATLANTA, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ Tri-S Security Corp.(Nasdaq: TRIS), a provider of security services for government and privateentities, today announced its wholly-owned subsidiary, Paragon Systems, Inc.("Paragon"), was awarded two new contracts to provide armed guard services inLos Angeles and San Diego, California. The Los Angeles contract and the San Diego contract arevalued at approximately $94 and $47 million, respectively, for a combinedtotal of $141 million in revenue over five years. As a result of thesecontract awards, Paragon's contract awards for 2008 now total over $503million."We would like to express our appreciation to the Department of HomelandSecurity for its continued support of Paragon, and reaffirm our commitment tocontinue to provide the quality of service that the Department of HomelandSecurity has come to expect from Paragon," said Ronald G.