Industry & Services >> Analyst Interviews >> November 11, 2002

Water Industry: An Overview: Neil Berlant – The Seidler Companies Inc

Neil D. Berlant, Portfolio Manager of the PFW Water Fund, has been continuously involved since 1968 in the investment banking industry, either as a principal, officer or founder of several firms. He has supervised and initiated the publication of numerous investment research reports on the water industry and conducted conferences directed toward top corporate management, the investment community and venture capitalists. He has been a speaker at conferences on topics ranging from financing to business and investment opportunities in the water industry. In addition, he has consulted to Fortune 500 companies and participated in negotiations concerning mergers, acquisitions and venture capital investments. He is quoted frequently in newspapers including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Investor's Business Daily and many others. Prior to becoming Portfolio Manager of the PFW Water Fund in June 2007, Mr. Berlant was: Senior Vice President, Managing Director-Crowell, Weedon & Co.; First Vice President, Managing Director-The Seidler Companies; Senior Vice President-Wells Fargo Investments; First Vice President-Investments with PaineWebber Incorporated; Founder and Managing Partner of Water Research Associates; First Vice President with Cantor, Fitzgerald and Company; co-Founder and Senior Vice President of the Amdec portion of Seidler Amdec Securities; institutional salesman with Crowell Weedon and Company; Partner, Vice President and Manager of Institutional Equity Trading with Stern, Frank, Meyer and Fox (Mr. Berlant sold his interest to Drexel, Burnham, Lambert in their acquisition of the firm); and an equity trader with Kleiner, Bell and Company, an investment banking firm in Beverly Hills. He received his Bachelor's degree in Finance from the California State University in Los Angeles. Profile
TWST: Could you tell us about the key trends taking place in the

water industry? I know you have a lot of theories about that.

Mr. Berlant: It's more than theories. There is tangible