DALLAS, May 23, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. ("NASDAQ"(r)) (Nasdaq:NDAQ) announced today that Stephen Valenta has been appointed Director within NASDAQ's Corporate Client Group, based in Dallas, Texas. As NASDAQ's third-largest state, both in total number of companies and market capitalization, the newly created position will focus on servicing local Dallas-based companies. Mr. Valenta's key responsibilities include providing market information to interpret trading, performance data, and an array of product and services such as visibility platforms.
"Due to the growth of business in the Dallas area and throughout Texas, NASDAQ recognizes that clients will need more hands-on support. Given his distinct client service background and close proximity to our companies in the region, Stephen will play a vital role in ensuring the highest quality service," said Bruce Aust, Executive Vice President, NASDAQ Corporate Client Group.
Dallas is currently home to 68 NASDAQ-listed companies, which draws from a diverse group of industries including information technology, health care, materials, consumer, energy, industrials and financial. In addition, NASDAQ continues to gain market share in the region, having listed 29 of the 49 Texas-based Initial Public Offerings since 2003. There are a total of 162 NASDAQ-listed companies in all of Texas with a total market capitalization of over 141 billion.
As NASDAQ concentrates on growth in these areas, Mr. Valenta will report to NASDAQ's Central Region Vice President, Demetrios Skalkotos. Mr. Valenta brings 13 years of Texas industry experience specifically in the financial services and consulting industries. Mr. Valenta comes to NASDAQ from Ernst & Young, LLP where he was a Senior Manager in the HR Financial & Risk Advisory Services practice. His experience includes finance and accounting transformation, HR process improvement, vendor sourcing & governance and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. After graduating from the University of Oklahoma, Mr. Valenta completed the MBA program at Southern Methodist University while successfully maintaining a full-time management position.
NASDAQ is the largest U.S. electronic stock market. With approximately 3,200 companies, it lists more companies and, on average, trades more shares per day than any other U.S. market. It is home to companies that are leaders across all areas of business including technology, retail, communications, financial services, transportation, media and biotechnology. NASDAQ is the primary market for trading NASDAQ-listed stocks. For more information about NASDAQ, visit the NASDAQ Web site at http://www.NASDAQ.com or the NASDAQ Newsroom at http://www.NASDAQ.com/newsroom/.
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