Optex Systems Holdings, Inc. Hires Vice President, Business Development

RICHARDSON, Texas, May 16, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Optex Systems Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB:OPXS), a manufacturer of optical sighting systems and assemblies for the Department of Defense and large defense contractors announced today the hiring of Michael Aldrich as Vice President, Business Development.  

Mr. Aldrich is a senior executive with over twenty-five years of sales and business development experience in both the public and private sectors. He has managed sales growth in several early stage technology companies that ultimately culminated in acquisitions. Prior to accepting this position, Mr. Aldrich worked for Burtek, Inc., an Engineering Services Provider to Military Vehicle OEMs and directly to the Department of Defense. Prior to Burtek, Mr. Aldrich was employed at defense contractor Force Protection Industries as Vice President, Marketing & Government Relations from 2003 to 2009. At Force Protection, Mr. Aldrich was instrumental in growing manufacturing revenue from $10 million to over $1.33 billion in less than 5 years. During this period, Force Protection was identified as the fastest growing company in South Carolina for three consecutive years by the Charleston Regional Business Journal in their annual Roaring 20 competition, which honors the region's fastest-growing companies. In 2000, he was President of Vertical Markets Incorporated, where he successfully completed assignments for a diverse subset of Fortune 500 corporations as well as agencies of federal and local government. A graduate of West Point, Mr. Aldrich spent six years in the United States Army until his honorable discharge at the rank of Captain. During his tour of duty, he served with the 1st battalion, 39th field artillery at Fort Bragg, NC prior to being assigned to the staff of the XVIII Airborne Corps. He later served as the aide-de-camp to the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Forces Japan. In addition to his undergraduate degree, he earned a Masters Degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California.

"I am pleased to be joining the Optex team in this capacity. The Company has established a fantastic reputation for quality manufacturing. Its proven products are "Made in the USA" out of the company's headquarters in the great state of Texas and are indispensible to our warfighters and security personnel around the world," said Aldrich.

"We are excited to have Mike on board. His strong track record and extensive military background make him an ideal fit for Optex," commented Danny Schoening, General Manager and COO. "With Mike's experience and leadership, we will now focus on building our internal sales organization to drive future revenue growth."

ABOUT OPTEX SYSTEMS

Optex, which was founded in 1987, is a Richardson, Texas -- based ISO 9001:2008 certified concern, which manufactures optical sighting systems and assemblies, primarily for Department of Defense (DOD) applications. Its products are installed on various types of U.S. military land vehicles, such as the Abrams and Bradley fighting vehicles, Light Armored and Armored Security Vehicles, and have been selected for installation on the Stryker family of vehicles. Optex also manufactures and delivers numerous periscope configurations, rifle and surveillance sights and night vision optical assemblies. Optex delivers its products both directly to the military services and to prime contractors. For additional information, please visit the Company's website at www.optexsys.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release and other written reports and oral statements made from time to time by the Company may contain so-called "forward-looking statements," all of which are subject to risks and uncertainties. You can identify these forward-looking statements by their use of words such as "expects," "plans," "will," "estimates," "forecasts," "projects" and other words of similar meaning. You can identify them by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These statements are likely to address the Company's growth strategy, financial results and product and development programs. You must carefully consider any such statement and should understand that many factors could cause actual results to differ from the Company's forward-looking statements. These factors include inaccurate assumptions and a broad variety of other risks and uncertainties, including some that are known and some that are not. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual future results may vary materially.

The Company does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement. You should carefully evaluate such statements in light of factors described in the Company's filings with the SEC, especially on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. In various filings the Company has identified important factors that could cause actual results to differ from expected or historic results. You should understand that it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors. Consequently, you should not consider any such list to be a complete list of all potential risks or uncertainties.

CONTACT: Optex Systems Holdings, Inc.
         Stanley A. Hirschman, President
         (972) 644-0722
         ir@optexsys.com
         1420 Presidential Drive
         Richardson, TX 75081
Source: Optex Systems Holdings, Inc.