GARY ABBOTT joined the Merriman Curhan Ford & Co. team in June 2002 as a
Managing Director covering the enterprise software industry. Prior to
MCF, he was with H.C. Wainwright in Boston where he was responsible for
the firm’s research efforts in enterprise software, Internet
infrastructure and IT services. He was formerly a Managing Director and
the Director of Equity Research at Punk, Ziegel & Company, a New York-
based investment bank. Mr. Abbott is also a well-regarded institutional
equity analyst. His research is widely quoted in the trade press and
other media. He has worked with numerous industry executives over the
past 10 years, giving him recognition as a leading analyst in his field.
Mr. Abbott holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the
Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business
Administration from the University of Arizona.
GARRETT BEKKER III is a Senior Analyst at Tradition Asiel Securities
Inc. He has been following the information security sector for over five
years. Prior to joining Tradition Asiel, Mr. Bekker was a Vice President
of equity research at Kaufman Bros., LP, and a Senior Analyst at
Josephthal. He has also previously worked as a financial journalist
covering the software industry, and taught economics and finance at the
New School University and St. John’s University. Mr. Bekker received a
BA in International Studies at The University at Buffalo, and completed
all coursework for a PhD in Economics at the New School University.
GABRIELLE KIVITZ joined Deutsche Bank in May 2004, and is a Senior
Analyst covering the specialty retail and apparel sector. Prior to
Deutsche Bank, Ms. Kivitz was a founding member of the consumer group at
First Albany Capital, where she was a Senior Analyst covering the
apparel specialty retail sector with specific emphasis on the teen/youth
market. Prior to that, she held positions at Robertson Stephens, more
recently as a member of the specialty retail equity research team, and
initially in the investment banking division. She also held various
positions at Levi Strauss & Company and Gap, Inc. She holds a BA in
Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.
Elizabeth O. Pierce, CFA, is a Senior Vice President at Sanders Morris
Harris, specializing in retail, with an emphasis on specialty apparel.
Ms. Pierce joined Sanders Morris Harris in February 2003 as lead retail
analyst. She previously worked for Wedbush Morgan Securities as the
Managing Director for the consumer products team. Prior to Wedbush
Morgan, Ms. Pierce worked at The Seidler Companies, Stephens Inc. and
Salomon Brothers/Smith Barney. In addition, she was a Buyside Analyst at
First Chicago. Ms. Pierce holds an MBA from Northwestern University as
well as a BA from Tulane University.
G. LEONARD TEITELBAUM is a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch Global
Securities, which he joined in 1980, where he follows the food and
agribusiness industries. He is currently the Global Coordinator for Food
& Agribusiness Research for Merrill Lynch. Formally Mr. Teitelbaum was
associated with Bankers Trust Company and with Morgan Bank. Prior to his
banking experience, he was associated with Seidman and Seidman,
Certified Public Accountants in New York City. Mr. Teitelbaum received
his BBA and MBA from the University of Michigan. As an undergraduate, he
majored in Industrial Relations and Marketing and as a graduate student
specialized in Finance and Accounting. Mr. Teitelbaum is a member of the
New York Society for Security Analysts, past President of the Consumer
Analyst Group of New York and a Fellow in the Financial Analysts
Federation.
FREDERICK ZIEGEL, CFA, has more than 30 years of experience following a
wide range of technology industries, most recently concentrating on
security and application management companies. He is currently employed
by Mackinac Research LLC, a research organization affiliated with Soleil
Securities Group, a leading provider of independent research to
institutional investors. Mr. Ziegel was a Managing Director for the
technology research business unit at Tucker Anthony Sutro Capital
Markets. He was a founding partner of Punk, Ziegel & Knoll, an
investment boutique focused on technology and health care, where he was
Director of Research while also following communications and networking
companies. Prior to that, he was a senior technology analyst at Needham
& Company and Salomon Brothers. Before coming to the sell side more than
20 years ago, Mr. Ziegel was a senior technology analyst at American
Express Financial Advisers Michigan State University and an MBA from
Eastern Michigan University.
FREDERICK A. WISE, CFA, is a Managing Director at Bear, Stearns &
Co., covering the medical supplies and devices industry. Mr. Wise
is a six-year member of the Institutional Investor All America
Research Team. In 1999 he was ranked number two and in 2000 he
was ranked number three. He was named to the 2000 Wall Street
Journal All-Star Analysts Survey for earnings forecasting. He was
also ranked number four by The Reuters Survey 2000. Mr. Wise has
a unique valuation approach, and has accurately anticipated the
underperformance of stocks, as well as the performance of the
industry in recent years. Prior to joining Bear Stearns, he was
an Analyst at Kidder Peabody & Co. and Forbes, Inc. Mr. Wise
received an MA and a BA from the Manhattan School of Music.
FRANKLIN M. BERGER is a Managing Director in the US Equity Research
Department of J. P. Morgan H & Q, having joined the firm in 1998. He is
a Senior Biotechnology Analyst and part of the Global Health Care
Research team. He received his MBA from Harvard University and both his
MA and BA degrees from Johns Hopkins University. In 2000, he became a
Founding Fellow of the Biotechnology Study Center at New York University
School of Medicine.
FRANK BODENCHAK is a Principal at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and an
Equity Analyst covering broadcast, outdoor advertising and tower
industries. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley Dean Witter in 1996, he was
a media and entertainment analyst at Furman Selz and had worked as a CPA
and consultant at Ernst & Young. A graduate of Williams College, Mr.
Bodenchak has a master’s degree in accounting and an MBA in finance from
New York University.
FRAN BLECHMAN BERNSTEIN is a First Vice President at Merrill Lynch.
Previously, she was associated with Dean Witter and Drexel Burnham. She
received her MBA from New York University and is a member of the NYSSA
and the Financial Women’s Association. Ms. Bernstein is married and has
two children.
FELIX FREEMAN is a Senior Precious Metals Analyst at Scotia Capital
Markets. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Leeds
and his Master’s degree from Camborne School of Mines.
