Avondale Partners Expands Research Coverage in Technology Services and Consumer/Retail Sectors

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Avondale Partners, a national investment banking firm headquartered here, today announced the continued expansion of its research department with the addition of Peter Heckmann, CFA, and Mark Montagna as senior analysts, focused on the Technology (IT) Services sector and Consumer/Retail sectors, respectively.  

Mr. Heckmann joins Avondale from Blackthorn Investment Group, a Kansas City-based investment management firm where he served as a portfolio manager.  Mr. Montagna comes to the firm from C.L. King and Associates, where he covered the Specialty Apparel Retail sector.  While there, he ranked number three for EPS Accuracy in the Financial Times/StarMine rankings for 2008.  

Sarah Sherck, Avondale's director of research, said, "The addition of high caliber, senior analysts with the experience of Pete and Mark will augment Avondale's research product in the technology, business services and consumer sectors.  We are confident that they will immediately enhance Avondale's relationships with our clients."

Heckmann also served as a Senior Research Analyst at several regional brokerage firms from 1997-2007, including A.G. Edwards, Stifel Nicolaus, and George K. Baum, covering IT Services and Software.  The Technology Services sector encompasses companies providing data and transaction processing, "fin-tech," information services and analytics, proprietary software, as well as consulting and integration services.

Heckmann has been quoted in numerous national and trade publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Barron's, Investor's Business Daily, Bloomberg, Forbes, Money and various banking and securities industry journals.  He was designated the number one North American stock picker in IT Services in 2004 by StarMine.  Heckmann earned his B.A. and M.B.A. from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.  He was awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 2001.

Montagna has covered the retail sector at the former Wells Fargo Securities, Jefferies & Co, and JPMorgan Chase. Prior to embarking on an equity research career, he worked with Brooks Brothers, Sears, and PriceWaterhouse.

Montagna has been widely quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Women's Wear Daily, Marketwatch, and Bloomberg TV and Radio. He earned his B.A. at the University of Michigan and his M.B.A. at Vanderbilt University.

About Avondale Partners LLC

Avondale Partners is a leading, full-service institutional investment bank and private wealth management firm headquartered in Nashville, with offices in Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco and St. Louis.  More information is available at www.avondalepartnersllc.com

SOURCE Avondale Partners