General Investing >> Money Manager Interviews >> August 9, 2004

F.ASTMAN / S.HOOD – FIRST WILSHIRE SECURITIES MANAGEMENT INC

Hood, Scott
Scott Hood serves as the Chairman and Portfolio Manager of First Wilshire Securities Management Inc. He joined First Wilshire as an analyst in 1993, became the CEO in 2001 and the Chairman in 2019. He is a board member of The Mount Wilson Observatory and The Sierra Madre Mountain Conservancy as well as a frequent contributor to news and conferences on small-cap investing. He is a chartered financial analyst and member of the CFA Institute. Mr. Hood holds a Bachelor of Science from The Stern School of Business at New York University. Profile
FRED ASTMAN is Chairman and a Portfolio Manager at First Wilshire Securities Management, Inc. Mr. Astman served in the Air Force as navigator of both B-24s and B-26s in World War II and the Korean War. He earned a BA from the University of Connecticut and has been investing in the small cap sector since 1962. SCOTT HOOD serves as President of First Wilshire Securities Management, Inc., and co-manages the portfolios. He has over 15 years of experience in the securities industry and has worked as an Analyst and Portfolio Manager at First Wilshire for 12 years. Mr. Hood also worked as a Supervisory Analyst with Merrill Lynch in Hong Kong and with a merchant/investment banking firm in New York City. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from New York University. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a member of the CFA Institute. Profile
TWST: Fred, would you begin with a brief overview of First Wilshire, the

firm that you founded, and its investment philosophy?

Mr. Astman: First Wilshire was founded in 1977. We've actually