MLV & Co. Establishes Houston Office

NEW YORK, Oct. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- MLV & Co ("MLV"), a New York-based boutique investment bank, announced today that it established a new office in Houston focused on, among other things, expanding the firm's product offerings in oil, gas, and related industries.  MLV has hired three seasoned energy industry professionals -- one research analyst and two institutional sales people -- to form the core of what the firm expects will be an eight to 12 person office in the near term.

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"The establishment of an office in Houston underscores our commitment to service our clients with local expertise and knowledge of the regions in which they operate," said Patrice McNicoll, CEO of MLV. "It further underscores the strategic importance of the energy, power and broader natural resources industries to MLV & Co."

William C. Conroy, CFA, an equity research analyst in Oilfield Services, has been selected to head the office.  Bill has provided institutional research coverage for more than 20 years.  In 2011, he was named #3 "Best On The Street" by The Wall Street Journal for stock picking in the Oil Equipment Services & Distribution industry during the preceding year. 

Joining Bill will be Brad Deason and Bill McMackin, institutional salesmen each with more than 20 years of Wall Street experience.  The three were most recently together at Pritchard Capital.  In addition to the three new hires, current MLV senior energy bankers, Seth Appel and Jon Kruljac, will be co-locating to Houston from New York and Denver, respectively, to direct the firm's banking efforts in the sector.

Since its inception in 2010, MLV has completed more than 100 transactions that have raised more than $2.8 billion for its clients. From January 2010 through today, MLV has been the lead underwriter on 73 at the market transactions totaling nearly $2 billion at the time of filing, surpassing every other investment bank during this period.  Approximately 30% of the transactions and 50% of the capital raised has been executed in the energy industry.  The firm's objective in establishing the Houston office is to expand on the already substantial relationships that MLV has in the sector and to further develop relationships throughout all aspects of the energy industry.

"MLV is committed to broadening the firm's energy platform," said Randy Billhardt, Executive Managing Director, Head of Capital Markets at MLV.  "The opportunity to bring on three experienced specialists in Houston, the energy capital of the world, made this the ideal time to demonstrate our commitment with a local, dedicated presence."

In addition to its Houston office, MLV has offices in New York, Denver, and San Francisco.

About MLV & Co

MLV is an independent full service investment bank and institutional broker dealer.  MLV's experienced team of investment banking professionals, research analysts and traders are focused on providing outstanding service to institutional investors and growth oriented companies in capital intensive sectors including energy, natural resources, real estate, and healthcare. The firm has offices in New York, Denver, San Francisco, and Houston. 

MLV is a member of FINRA and the SIPC.

Company Contact:
Randy Billhardt
(212) 542-5882

Press Contact:
Steve DiMattia
(646) 695-2881

SOURCE MLV & Co.