FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 10, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A steering committee of Florida business leaders has been formed to host INVESTFlorida, a public company equity conference that provides a forum for professional money managers, institutional investors and analysts to interact with executives of leading Florida public corporations.
The INVESTFlorida Equity Conference, planned for Dec. 7, 2012, will bring together CEOs and CFOs from Florida-headquartered public companies of many sizes and industries. The one-day event features formal company presentations, one-on-one investor meetings, and guest speakers who present their perspective on investment and economic trends.
"We have seen the success of other INVEST equity conferences and feel strongly that Florida public companies and institutional investors will benefit from participating in such an event," said Justin Stone, a partner with the national accounting and consulting firm Crowe Horwath LLP.
Tammy Knight, partner with the law firm Holland & Knight LLP who works with local and national public company clients, said the conference would also provide an opportunity to examine the impact of important economic and legislative issues.
"The JOBS Act significantly changes the playing field for middle-market private companies to access the IPO markets. It grants a number of important exceptions from key Dodd-Frank and Sarbanes-Oxley regulations," she said. "We can expect a significant percentage of U.S. IPOs in the near future will come from emerging growth companies."
INVESTFlorida is in good company with other successfully staged, state-focused INVEST equity conferences. Events in Ohio, Tennessee, Indiana and Kentucky have provided well-known companies such as Macy's, Yum Brands, Eli Lilly, AutoZone and others with a forum to reach analysts and potential new investors located in the region and beyond.
"In all of our conferences, local and regional investment professionals are eager to meet senior management face to face and hear them talk about performance and growth opportunities," said Terry McWilliams, Chairman of INVEST Florida and president of Mozaic Investor Relations, Inc. "Public company executives are proud to be represented at the conference and have the opportunity to reach an exclusive class of investors."
In addition to McWilliams and executives from Crowe Horwath LLP and Holland & Knight LLP, these investment and business leaders are contributing their expertise to the INVESTFlorida steering committee:
- Craig D. Grant, Regional President-Florida, PNC Financial Services Group
- Jim Murphy, Past President and Director, CFA Society of South Florida
- Jason Flowers, Director, CFA Society of Orlando
- Ken Thomas, President-Elect, CFA Society of Naples
- Sharon Rubio, President of the South Florida Chapter of the National Investor Relations Institute and Senior Analyst, Investor Relations, Citrix Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:CTXS)
- Chris Barry, President of the Central Florida Chapter of the National Investor Relations Institute, and Vice President, Corporate Communications, National Retail Properties (NYSE:NNN)
- Deborah S. Adkins, Regional Director, Financial Executives International
- Randall Lay, President, FEI Tampa Bay chapter
- Robert F. Phillips, Director, Relationship Manager, NASDAQ OMX
As the development of the conference progresses, the steering committee will expand to include representatives of the presenting public companies and others in the business community.
For more information about attendance, sponsorship and company participation, contact Terry McWilliams at 813.964.7454 or terrym@mozaicir.com. More information is also available at the INVESTFlorida website: www.invest-fl.com.
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