NIRI OC's Senior Investor Relations Program Hosts NIRI Past President and Investor Relations Veteran Lou Thompson

Business Wire, May 21, 2007

IRVINE, Calif. -- The Senior Investor Relations Program of the Orange County Chapter of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI OC) hosted NIRI past president and investor relations veteran Lou Thompson at its Spring Dinner, which was sponsored by Thomson Financial.

A select group of some of Orange County's most seasoned investor relations officers (IROs) heard from Greg Radner, senior vice president of Corporate Executive Services, who discussed trends in communications tools and the opportunities and pitfalls for corporations as many communities develop in the world of Web 2.0.

Lou Thompson then sparked a wide-ranging, candid discussion with the group, many of whom had known Lou for numerous years. Topics included the changing landscape of corporate governance, the roles of hedge funds, the voting practices and behaviors of individual investors and the role of proxy voting services. In addition, he prompted members to discuss their role in the provision of guidance, their contributions to strategic communications with investors and their understanding of the trading patterns in the shares of their companies, including the influence of short sellers, supposedly "passive" holders and Exchange Traded Funds.

Said NIRI OC Senior Director-at-Large and Senior Program Chairperson Lila Churney, "The concentration of senior level IRO expertise on these occasions always provides new ideas for future meetings of the full NIRI OC Chapter. However, with the dialogue that comes with someone of Lou's experience and perspective, it was almost inevitable that enough thoughtful and timely topics would be generated to sustain us for a long time into the future. Even so he is more than welcome to return at any time."

About The NIRI OC Senior Investor Relations Program

NIRI OC established its Senior Investor Relations Program in 2006. It is structured for Orange County IROs who have more than 10 years of investor relations experience and are the senior most IRO in their organization. The program meets twice a year and functions as a network, creating self-directed opportunities for exchanging views and ideas that go well beyond the depth and complexity possible at regular chapter meetings. The prestigious membership of approximately 20 also functions as a rich resource of ideas for chapter events, discussion topics and speaker resources. Members include current practitioners at 10 major corporations across industries whose combined market capitalizations exceed $18 billion.

About the Orange County Chapter of the National Investor Relations Institute

The Orange County Chapter of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI OC) was established in 1990 and includes approximately 135 professionals representing more than 110 corporations and consulting firms in Southern California. The chapter holds monthly meetings and networking events from September through June, featuring programs on topics of professional interest to investor relations practitioners. The chapter also hosts an Annual Report competition, an OC CFO of the Year program, and this year, hosted its first CFO/IRO Golf Tournament. For more information about NIRI OC, please visit www.nirioc.org.

About the National Investor Relations Institute

Founded in 1969, the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) is a professional association of corporate officers and investor relations consultants responsible for communication among corporate management, the investing public and the financial community. Its members represent the majority of the largest publicly held corporations in the U.S. as well as many small and mid-sized companies. With over 4,300 members in 35 chapters around the country, NIRI sets the highest standards in education to advance the practice of investor relations and meet the growing professional development needs of those engaged in the field. For more information, please visit www.niri.org.