COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 23, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Money managers, analysts and other professional investors have a new forum to reach executives of leading Ohio public companies.
The inaugural INVESTOhio equity investment conference, to be held here on September 15, will bring together senior executives of 16 Ohio-based public companies for presentations and meetings with regional and Wall Street investment professionals.
The event will be held at the Hyatt Regency Columbus.
"It's a great opportunity for professional investors to get to know the leaders of some of Ohio's top public companies and go beyond the day-to-day headlines," said Terry McWilliams, an investor relations executive who chairs the conference.
"At the same time, it's a fantastic, convenient forum for Ohio public companies to inform professional investors about their results and strategies, and potentially expand their investor base," McWilliams said.
The professional services firms Crowe Horwath LLP, and Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP, are INVESTOhio's title sponsors. The one-day event is also supported by Ohio chapters of leading professional organizations representing financial analysts, senior corporate financial executives, and investor relations officers.
"The four CFA Societies in Ohio represent the best money management and analyst talent our state has to offer," said R. Travis Upton, vice president of the CFA Society of Columbus. "Being involved with the INVESTOhio conference provides these professionals the opportunity to learn more about and compare Ohio's elite investment opportunities all in one place."
The analyst and IR groups, as well as participating companies and other corporate and business professionals, are on the INVESTOhio's steering committee overseeing the conference.
The conference comprises Ohio-based public companies from the financial, retail, manufacturing, healthcare, energy, chemical and environmental sectors. Their executives will be making formal 35-minute investment presentations, and will be scheduling individual investor and analyst meetings, if they wish. A prominent keynote speaker will discuss current economic, investment and financial trends.
Some of the notable Ohio public companies participating in the event include American Electric Power, Cardinal Health, Macy's and Cincinnati Financial. Nearly 140 public companies are headquartered in Ohio, representing a market value exceeding $350 billion. Participating companies were selected in part based on surveys of Ohio investment professionals.
Attendance is by invitation only. The public, however, will be able to listen to live webcasts of conference presentations via www.invest-oh.com. Conference costs (admission, continental breakfast, lunch, and keynote speaker) are underwritten by the conference presenters and its sponsors.
The conference is sponsored by leading professional firms and companies involved with the financial and investment community.
"Crowe provides audit, tax, risk and consulting services to public companies throughout Ohio, so we certainly understand the importance of consistent communication between the company and its investors," said Craig Yoder, partner in Crowe's Columbus office. "Not only does INVESTOhio focus additional attention on Ohio's public companies, but the conference raises the state's profile as an excellent place for business and investment."
Jay Vorys, Chair of the Corporate and Finance group at Vorys, said, "Vorys is pleased to co-sponsor an event that will showcase some of Ohio's finest public companies. We have had the pleasure of working with many of these companies, and we know that potential investors will be as excited about them as we are."
In addition to title sponsors Crowe and Vorys, support comes from gold sponsors NASDAQ OMX, Voyager Institutional Services and the Wall Street Transcript. In-kind gold sponsors include Columbus CEO Magazine, Curran & Connors, GlobeNewswire, Optimum Printing, Makespace Media and O'Neil Arnold Photography. The event has been organized and planned with support from The CFA Societies of Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Dayton, National Investor Relations Institute chapters in Ohio, the Financial Executives International Columbus chapter and Mozaic Investor Relations.
The final corporate presentation lineup, keynote speaker and other activities will be announced as the event approaches. More information is available at www.invest-oh.com.
The INVESTOhio Conference LLC logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=6312