ELLICOTT CITY, Md., April 4, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Investment Program Association (IPA), a trade association for non-listed direct investment vehicles, held its First Annual CEO and Executive Summit from April 1-3 in Washington D.C. The first-of-its-kind summit brought together leadership of Direct Investment sponsors, broker-dealers and service providers to discuss the critical regulatory initiatives and continued growth trends that are propelling the industry forward. The Summit directly followed the IPA's Second Annual Capital Hill Fly-In, where 49 association members from 18 states held 116 in-person meetings with Congressional members on Capital Hill.
"Following last year's unprecedented demand for Direct Investment products, 2014 is continuing those same positive trends," said Kevin M. Hogan, President and CEO of the IPA. "Most importantly, in an era of transformation and transparency, Direct Investments continue to deliver for investors that seek non-correlated assets to diversify their portfolios. The attendees at our First Annual CEO and Executive Summit gathered to discuss the innovative product structures and new platforms that are answering some of today's investment challenges."
"The Summit was designed to create a unique environment for collaboration and C-suite perspectives about our changing industry, which is particularly timely given the positive trajectory of Direct Investments," said Mark Goldberg, Managing Director, Carey & Co. LLC and Chairman of the IPA. "Our attendees heard inspiring ideas from innovative speakers and industry CEOs, as well as representatives from FINRA and NASAA, which led to dynamic roundtable discussions and networking."
Featured keynote speakers included Chip Roame, Managing Partner of Tiburon Strategic Advisors and author of The Financial Services Industry in 2030, and Steven Johnson, best-selling author of Where Good Ideas Come From and Future Perfect. Tom Selman, Executive Vice President, Regulatory Policy, FINRA, and Andrea Seidt, Commissioner, Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Securities, NASAA, provided updates on critical regulatory initiatives.
The CEO Panel offered key insights on the future of product innovation, distribution channels and the financial advisory channel. Participants included Kevin Shields, CEO, Griffin Capital Corporation, Larry Roth, CEO, Realty Capital Securities, LLC and Jeff Auld, CEO, SagePoint Financial.
2nd Annual Congressional Fly-In
For the second consecutive year, the IPA brought together a large cross-section of industry executives to spend a day speaking directly with members of Congress on Capital Hill. This year's top legislative priorities included: the proposed Department of Labor Fiduciary Standard, reauthorization of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, Preserving Multifamily Housing in GSE Reform and FINRA proposed rule making 14-006.
"The IPA continues to be a strong voice on Capital Hill, influencing the issues that have an impact on our industry," said Nathan Headrick, General Counsel, Triloma Capital and Chairman of the IPA's Advocacy Committee. "Our members actively participated in well over 100 meetings with Congressional representatives to make our position clear on significant proposed legislation."
About The Investment Program Association
The Investment Program Association (IPA) was formed in 1985 to provide effective national leadership for the direct investment industry. The IPA supports individual investor access to a variety of asset classes not correlated to the traded markets and historically available only to institutional investors. These investments include public non-listed REITs (NLREITs) and Business Development Companies (BDCs), Energy and Equipment Leasing Programs, and private equity offerings. For the last 28 years, the IPA has successfully championed the growth of such products, which have increased in popularity with financial professionals and investors alike. Direct investments are held in the accounts of more than 2 million individual investors. The mission of the IPA is advocating direct investments through education. Access the wealth of IPA educational materials here, or visit the IPA online for more information about becoming a member.
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