Merriman Curhan Ford Hires Veteran Equity Research Analysts

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Merriman Curhan Ford Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MERR) today announced the hiring of three senior equity research analysts.

“It continues to be a tough environment. That makes it even more important to add the leadership and visibility which these industry veterans bring to the table.”

The new equity research team members are:

• Dana Guido, senior vice president, brings to Merriman more than seven years of international experience as a natural resources analyst. Most recently she was a senior equity research analyst covering the U.S. steel sector at Barclays Capital and Lehman Brothers. During Guido’s tenure at Lehman, she served as global head of steel research, coordinating the coverage of steel companies in seven countries, and was on the firm’s top-ranked U.S. metals and mining equity research team. She holds a B.S. from the University of California, Los Angeles and an M.B.A. from New York University. Guido is a CFA charterholder.
• Michael King, managing director, is an award-winning biotechnology analyst with more than 15 years of experience, and the former director of research and head of health care at Rodman & Renshaw. Prior to joining Rodman, he was managing director and senior equity research analyst in the Health Care Group at Banc of America Securities where he covered the biotechnology sector. King was ranked fourth for his stock-picking accuracy in The Wall Street Journal’s annual “Best on the Street” survey in 2001 and given the Institutional Investor “Home-Run Hitter” award in 2000. He has also worked in a senior analyst capacity at Robertson Stephens, Vector Securities, Dillon, Read & Co. and D. Blech & Company. King graduated summa cum laude from Bernard M. Baruch College of the City University of New York with a B.A. in finance.
• William Ong, managing director, joins Merriman as a capital equipment analyst with 25 years of experience in the semiconductor and financial industries. He most recently was co-director of research at American Technology Research where he directly covered semiconductor, LED and solar equipment companies for six years. Before that, Ong spent seven years in equity research roles at Elijah Asset Management and Montgomery Securities. He also has more than 12 years experience working in the technology industry at Applied Materials and Intel. Ong received a B.S. from Columbia University and an M.B.A. from Santa Clara University.

“Mike and Bill add senior leadership and expertise in two of our core research sectors: health care and technology,” said Eric Wold, Merriman’s director of equity research. “We also believe that our new natural resources focus compliments our clean technology practice, as biofuels and cleaner coal are playing a bigger role in the country’s energy future. Dana’s deep industry expertise fills a strong demand for natural resources research and an important need for our current and future OTCQX clients, as that business line continues to grow rapidly.”

Jon Merriman, co-founder and chief executive officer of Merriman Curhan Ford, concluded: “It continues to be a tough environment. That makes it even more important to add the leadership and visibility which these industry veterans bring to the table.”

About Merriman Curhan Ford

Merriman Curhan Ford (NASDAQ:MERR) is a financial services firm focused on fast-growing companies and the institutions that invest in them. The company offers high-quality investment banking, equity research, institutional services and corporate & venture services, and specializes in five growth industry sectors: CleanTech, Consumer/Internet/Media, Health Care, Natural Resources and Technology. For more information, please go to www.mcfco.com.

Note to Investors

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements based on our current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this release are based on information available to us as of the date hereof. Our actual results may differ materially from those stated or implied in such forward-looking statements, due to risks and uncertainties associated with our business, which include the risk factors disclosed in our Form 10-K/A filed on April 30, 2009. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future and can be identified by forward-looking words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "should," "will," and "would" or similar words. We assume no obligation to update the information included in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The Form 10-K/A filed on April 30, 2009, together with this press release and the financial information contained herein, is available on our website by going to www.mcfco.com and clicking on "Investor Relations."

This release is for information purposes only and should not be regarded as an offer to sell or solicitation to buy the securities or other instruments of the companies mentioned.