WAYZATA, Minn., Nov. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Dakota Plains Holdings, Inc. ("Dakota Plains"), (DAKP), a leading energy logistics company operating in the Bakken oil fields of North Dakota, today announced that it has engaged Hayden IR, a respected national investor relations firm, to develop and implement a strategic investor relations program to raise its visibility and strengthen its relationships with the investment community.

Gabe Claypool, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dakota Plains commented, "Dakota Plains is taking advantage of exciting opportunities to service the Bakken oil fields of the Williston Basin, underlying parts of Montana, North Dakota, and Saskatchewan. The Bakken Shale is the largest on-shore oil deposit and one of the most strategic energy finds in North America. Strong energy prices continue to stimulate production among the operators in this region. With current and planned pipelines at or near capacity, there is strong demand for our rail and trucking services to move the increasing volumes of crude to the market. With the Bakken play still in its very early stages, we feel it is an appropriate time to engage Hayden IR to help us articulate our value proposition to the investment community. We believe that our unique business focus, strong financial model, and future growth plans have the fundamentals to deliver exceptional returns to shareholders."

With offices in New York, Phoenix, Minneapolis and Seattle, Hayden IR provides a comprehensive range of investor relations services to a growing list of clients. For more than a decade, Hayden IR has been a recognized leader in driving market recognition and creating sustainable competitive advantages for more than 200 micro- and small-cap companies. Hayden delivers expertise and professionalism in such areas as investor management, relationship building, awareness campaigns, online presence and corporate identity.

Peter Seltzberg, Regional VP in Hayden IR's New York City office, added, "Significant increases in production from the Bakken oil reserves will continue to be met by robust global demand for energy, and limitations on existing methods for moving this oil to market. These dynamics will create powerful opportunities for Dakota Plains. We are impressed with what we see as an exceptional business model at Dakota Plains and look forward to introducing management and the Dakota Plains story to investors wishing to participate in the proliferation of the Bakken. North Dakota is now the second largest crude oil producing state in the country and production is forecasted to increase for at least 10 years. Dakota Plains' transloading, marketing and trucking businesses offer investors a unique way to invest in this region, and we look forward to helping management reach all the key audiences within the investment community."

About Dakota Plains Holdings, Inc.
Dakota Plains is focused on developing and owning crude oil and related product transloading facilities, and the marketing and transporting of crude oil originating within the Williston Basin of North Dakota.  The company competes through its joint ventures by providing its customers with value-added benefits, including a full-service transloading facility, competitive pricing and an optimal geographic location that is centrally located in Mountrail County, North Dakota. Through its wholly owned subsidiaries, it participates in a joint venture that markets crude oil purchased at the wellhead, a joint venture that transloads crude oil into rail cars at a facility owned by the company in New Town, North Dakota, and a joint venture that transports crude oil by road through its trucking fleet.  Each joint venture is organized in the form of a limited liability company.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that reflect the current views of Dakota Plains, including, but not limited to, statements regarding estimated cash proceeds to us after expenses of the debt placement, the cash required for us to execute our business plan and our future cash flow.  We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements.  These statements involve risks and uncertainties.  Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of lack of diversification, dependency upon strategic relationships, dependency on a limited number of major customers, competition for the loading, marketing and transporting of crude oil and related products, difficulty in obtaining additional capital that will be needed to implement business plans, difficulties in attracting and retaining talented personnel, risks associated with building and operating a transloading facility, changes in commodity prices and the demand for oil and natural gas, competition from other energy sources, inability to obtain necessary facilities, difficulty in obtaining crude oil to transport, increases in our operating expenses, an economic downturn or change in government policy that negatively impacts demand for our services, penalties we may incur, costs imposed by environmental laws and regulations, inability to obtain or maintain necessary licenses, challenges to our properties, technological unavailability or obsolescence, and future acts of terrorism or war, as well as the threat of war and other factors described from time to time in the company's reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the current report on Form 8-K, filed March 23, 2012, as amended and supplemented by subsequent reports from time to time.

Investor Contacts:

Brett Maas, Managing Partner
HaydenIR
646-533-7331
brett@haydenir.com
Or
Peter Seltzberg, Regional Vice President
HaydenIR
646-415-8972
peter@haydenir.com

SOURCE Dakota Plains Holdings, Inc.