First Solar Is Lone Across-the-Board Winner in Institutional Investor's Ranking of U.S. Executives
Other Big Winners Include First Horizon National Corp., Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold and Staples
NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - February 4, 2010) - First Solar, an alternative energy company
headquartered in Phoenix, is the only company to finish in first place in
every category in its industry sector on the 2010 All-America Executive
Team, Institutional Investor's exclusive ranking of the nation's best CEOs,
CFOs, investor relations professionals and IR companies.
Survey results are based on responses from buy- and sell-side equity
analysts, whose votes are tabulated separately, for a total of eight
categories (Best CEO as determined by the buy side, Best CEO as determined
by the sell side, etc.).
Analysts on both sides say that First Solar provides the Best IR of any
company in the Alternative Energy sector. In addition, they are united in
their belief that First Solar has the sector's Best CEO (Michael Ahearn*),
Best CFO (Jens Meyerhoff) and Best IR Professional (Larry Polizzotto).
Three companies take top honors in seven of the eight categories in their
respective sectors: Memphis-based commercial bank First Horizon National
Corp. (Banks/Midcap); Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, a mining outfit
headquartered in Phoenix (Metals & Mining); and office-supply retailer
Staples, based in Framingham, Massachusetts (Retailing/Hardlines).
The complete list of winners can be found on our Web site,
www.iimagazine.com.
For more information about this ranking, please contact Michele Bickford at
mbickford@iiresearchgroup.com or (212) 224-3360.
*Ahearn stepped down as CEO in October, after polling for the All-America
Executive Team had concluded. He remains First Solar's executive chairman.
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