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William Blair & Company Hosts 30th Annual Growth Stock Conference

CHICAGO, June 15, 2010 - William Blair & Company, L.L.C., celebrating its 75th anniversary year in 2010, marked another significant milestone today when it kicked off its 30th Annual Growth Stock Conference, a three-day event featuring nearly 200 companies and attracting investors from around the world.

This signature event, hosted by the firm’s Research and Institutional Sales departments and held at the Four Seasons Hotel, features presentations from companies spanning the market-cap spectrum in five sectors—business services, consumer, financial, healthcare, and technology.

To commemorate the event, William Blair President and CEO John R. Ettelson and other members of the firm’s executive committee, along with representatives from 29 management teams, will ring the Nasdaq opening bell remotely from the conference on Wednesday morning, marking the first time an opening-bell ceremony will be conducted remotely from an institutional investor conference.

To view the ringing of the opening bell ceremony, click the logo below and then click on the MarketSite Web Cam link at the bottom of the page.


“In its first year, the Growth Stock Conference featured just 17 companies,” Ettelson said. “This year, we have a record number of companies presenting. Over the past 30 years, nearly 1,000 companies have chosen to tell their story here, at William Blair’s Growth Stock Conference, making this one of the premier conferences for growth stock investors.”

Bob Newman, manager and director of the Equity Research Department, said, “It has always been our mission to make our research stand apart from the crowd through its depth and penetrating insight. We focus on durable franchises with superior business models that can generate strong, consistent growth over the long term and stand the test of time—like William Blair & Company itself.”

Among the prominent industry leaders scheduled to present this week are Edward P. Gilligan, vice chairman of American Express Company, Terrence A. Duffy, executive chairman of CME Group Inc., George Paz, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Express Scripts, Inc., Jeffrey C. Sprecher, chairman and chief executive officer of IntercontinentalExchange, Inc., Martin P. Slark, vice chairman and chief executive officer of Molex Incorporated, Jonathan J. Judge, president and chief executive officer of Paychex, Inc., Stephen F. Angel, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Praxair, Inc., and Scot Rank, president and chief executive officer of Wal-Mart de México, S.A. de C.V.

Among the 29 management teams joining the Wednesday bell-ringing ceremony are Mr. Slark of Molex; Robert W. Musslewhite, chief executive officer of The Advisory Board Company; Thomas Reilly, president and chief executive officer of ArcSight, Inc.; Jerry Deitchle, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of BJ’s Restaurants, Inc.; Diane M. Irvine, president and chief executive officer of Blue Nile, Inc.; Syed B. Ali, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Cavium Networks, Inc.; J. Robert Fugate, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Cbeyond, Inc.; Paul A. Maleh, president and chief executive officer of Charles River Associates; Edward L. Donnelly, Jr., chief executive officer of DynaVox Inc.; Willard D. Oberton, president and chief executive officer of Fastenal Company; Craig Stoehr, director of IR of FLIR Systems, Inc.; Robin L. Washington, senior vice president and chief financial officer of Gilead Sciences, Inc.; Marcy Graham, senior director of IR at Genoptix, Inc.; Ben R. Leedle, Jr., chief executive officer of Healthways, Inc.; Charles A. Sorrentino, president and chief executive officer of Houston Wire & Cable Company; Patrick J. Bathrop Sr., president and chief executive officer of Luminex Corporation; Mary Patricia B. Thompson, senior vice president–finance and administration and chief financial officer of MWI Veterinary Supply, Inc.; James B. Hawkins, president and chief executive officer of Natus Medical Incorporated; Frederick H. Waddell, chairman and chief executive officer of Northern Trust Corporation; Judy L. Brown, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Perrigo Company; Manuel J. Perez de la Mesa, president and chief executive officer of Pool Corporation; Steven D. Fredrickson, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Portfolio Recovery Associates, Inc.; David L. Grange, chief executive officer of PPD, Inc.; Larry D. Richman, president and chief executive officer of PrivateBancorp, Inc.; Stephen B. Hughes, chairman and chief executive officer of Smart Balance, Inc.; Dave Habiger, president and chief executive officer of Sonic Solutions; Anthony F. Crudele, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Tractor Supply Company; John E. Kyees, chief financial officer of Urban Outfitters, Inc.; and Anders Gustafsson, chief executive officer of Zebra Technologies Corporation.

Please contact us at (800) 621-0687 or click here for all disclosures.


Additional information is available upon request.

Current Ratings Distribution (as of 5/31/10)

Coverage Universe
Outperform (Buy): 66%
Market Perform (Hold): 33%
Underperform (Sell): 1%

Inv. Banking Relationships*
Outperform (Buy): 6%
Market Perform (Hold): 2%
Underperform (Sell): 0%

* Percentage of companies in each rating category that are investment banking clients, defined as companies for which William Blair has received compensation for investment banking services within the past 12 months.

Stock Rating: William Blair & Company, L.L.C. uses a three-point system to rate stocks. Individual ratings reflect the expected performance of the stock relative to the broader market over the next 12 months. The assessment of expected performance is a function of near-term company fundamentals, industry outlook, confidence in earnings estimates, valuation, and other factors. Outperform (O) – stock expected to outperform the broader market over the next 12 months; Market Perform (M) – stock expected to perform approximately in line with the broader market over the next 12 months; Underperform (U) – stock expected to underperform the broader market over the next 12 months; Not Rated (NR) – the stock is currently not rated.

Company Profile: The William Blair research philosophy is focused on quality growth companies. Growth companies by their nature tend to be more volatile than the overall stock market. Company profile is a fundamental assessment, over a longer-term horizon, of the business risk of the company relative to the broader William Blair universe. Factors assessed include: 1) durability and strength of franchise (management strength and track record, market leadership, distinctive capabilities); 2) financial profile (earnings growth rate/consistency, cash flow generation, return on investment, balance sheet, accounting); 3) other factors such as sector or industry conditions, economic environment, confidence in long-term growth prospects, etc. Established Growth (E) – Fundamental risk is lower relative to the broader William Blair universe; Core Growth (C) – Fundamental risk is approximately in line with the broader William Blair universe; Aggressive Growth (A) – Fundamental risk is higher relative to the broader William Blair universe.

The ratings and company profile assessments reflect the opinion of the individual analyst and are subject to change at any time.

The compensation of the research analyst is based on a variety of factors, including performance of his or her stock recommendations; contributions to all of the firm’s departments, including asset management, corporate finance, institutional sales, and retail brokerage; firm profitability; and competitive factors.

Our salespeople, traders, and other professionals may provide oral or written market commentary or trading strategies—to our clients and our trading desks—that are contrary to opinions expressed in this research. Our asset management and trading desks may make investment decisions that are inconsistent with recommendations or views expressed in this report. We will from time to time have long or short positions in, act as principal in, and buy or sell the securities referred to in this report. Our research is disseminated primarily electronically, and in some instances in printed form. Electronic research is simultaneously available to all clients. This research is for our clients only. No part of this material may be copied or duplicated in any form by any means or redistributed without the prior written consent of William Blair & Company, L.L.C.

THIS IS NOT IN ANY SENSE A SOLICITATION OR OFFER OF THE PURCHASE OR SALE OF SECURITIES. THE FACTUAL STATEMENTS HEREIN HAVE BEEN TAKEN FROM SOURCES WE BELIEVE TO BE RELIABLE, BUT SUCH STATEMENTS ARE MADE WITHOUT ANY REPRESENTATION AS TO ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OR OTHERWISE. OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE OUR OWN UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED. PRICES SHOWN ARE APPROXIMATE.

THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM BY WILLIAM BLAIR INTERNATIONAL, LIMITED, REGULATED BY THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AUTHORITY (FSA), AND IS DIRECTED ONLY AT, AND IS ONLY MADE AVAILABLE TO, PERSONS FALLING WITHIN COB 3.5 AND 3.6 OF THE FSA HANDBOOK (BEING “ELIGIBLE COUNTERPARTIES” AND “PROFESSIONAL CLIENTS”). THIS DOCUMENT IS NOT TO BE DISTRIBUTED OR PASSED ON TO ANY “RETAIL CLIENTS.” NO PERSONS OTHER THAN PERSONS TO WHOM THIS DOCUMENT IS DIRECTED SHOULD RELY ON IT OR ITS CONTENTS OR USE IT AS THE BASIS TO MAKE AN INVESTMENT DECISION.

“WILLIAM BLAIR & COMPANY” AND “WILLIAM BLAIR & COMPANY (SCRIPT)” ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF WILLIAM BLAIR & COMPANY, L.L.C. Copyright 2010, William Blair & Company, L.L.C.

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