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 Brian Bies, CFA
Portfolio Manager - Small Cap Growth Strategy
Brian has been an institutional investor since 1996 working in a variety of institutions and gaining expertise in multiple investment styles and disciplines. His focus is on identifying small companies that have a meaningful growth trajectory in front of them and are equipped with the resources to capitalize on that opportunity. Brian is a co-manager of the Cortina Small Cap Growth strategy and is a founding principal of Cortina Asset Management. A member of the CFA Institute holding the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, Brian received a B.S.B.A. in Finance and Economics from Creighton University and an M.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Brian’s investing career began as a Domestic Equities Analyst
at the State of Wisconsin Investment Board in Madison, Wisconsin.
He spent four years there and worked closely with many different
portfolio managers in a generalist capacity. In 2000, he joined
a small/mid cap domestic equity team at Strong Capital Management
as an Equity Research Analyst. At the end of 2001, Brian moved
to U.S. Bancorp Asset Management as an analyst as was soon
promoted to Co-Manager of the First American Small Cap Growth
Opportunity Fund and associated private accounts.
Steve Lilly, CFA
Portfolio Manager
- Small Cap Growth Strategy
Steve has been an institutional investor focused on small
and mid cap growth equities since 1996. His investment style
emphasizes early discovery of small companies with exciting
and attainable growth prospects. Steve spent the first decade
of his career with Columbia Management Group (previously Stein,
Roe & Farnham) where he began as a fund accountant in
1995. In 1996 Steve moved to equity research supporting several
portfolio managers as a generalist analyst. He became a Portfolio
Manager of mutual fund and institutional assets in 1999 and
has managed mid and small cap growth portfolios since that
time. After leaving Columbia in 2005, Steve gained experience
in alternative investing as a Portfolio Manager at PEAK6 Investments,
a leading options trading firm.
Steve received a B.S. degree in Finance and Marketing from
Indiana University and an M.B.A. in Finance and Strategic
Management from the University of Chicago Graduate School
of Business. Steve earned the Chartered Financial Analyst
designation. He is a longstanding member of the CFA Institute.
John
Potter, CFA
Portfolio Manager - Small
Cap Opportunity Strategy
John has managed public and private accounts for institutional and individual investors since 1994. As a small and mid cap portfolio manager since 1997, he has successfully guided clients through both bull and bear markets. A founding principal of Cortina, John focuses on finding small cap companies with exceptional business models that generate strong cash flows. John began his investment career at M&I Investment Management Corp, where he spent three years as a securities analyst before managing a mid cap value fund for three years. In 2000, he joined Firstar Investment Research & Management Company, now known as U.S. Bancorp Asset Management, to manage institutional and individual small cap core portfolios.
John received a B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Chicago. He recently served as a board member for the Milwaukee Investment Analyst Society, is a member of the CFA Institute and holds a Chartered Financial Analyst designation. John is a frequent commentator on small cap investing and has appeared on CNBC and CNNfn and in the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Investor’s Business Daily, and Money Magazine.
Thomas Eck, CFA
Portfolio Manager - Small Cap Opportunity Strategy
Tom has researched investments for institutional investors since 1997. Since, 2001, he has managed portfolios for public and private clients, first in the healthcare sector and then in the broader small-cap arena. A founding principal of Cortina, Tom focuses on small cap companies that have established defendable competitive advantages and generate strong cash flow. Tom joined the State of Wisconsin Investment Board in 1997, spending two years on their mid cap equities team as a research analyst. From 1999 to 2001, Tom covered healthcare, consumer products and the defense industry for a mid and small cap team at Strong Capital Management. In 2001, Tom joined US Bancorp Asset Management to co-manage the Health Sciences sector fund. Tom joined John Potter managing small cap institutional and individual portfolios in 2003. Tom earned a BBA in Finance from the University of Notre Dame and an M.B.A. in Finance from Marquette University. He is a member of the Milwaukee Investment Analyst Society, the CFA Institute and holds a Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Tom has appeared in the Wall St. Journal, Barron’s, and on Bloomberg.
Jennifer Hanson, CFA
Senior Equity Analyst
Jennifer has been an equity analyst since 1996 focusing on the consumer discretionary segment of the market including retail, restaurants, gaming and leisure. She has experience researching stocks across all market cap ranges but has focused predominately on small cap equity names over the last two years. Jennifer supports both the Small Cap Growth and Small Cap Opportunity investment strategies at Cortina Asset Management. Jennifer began her career in 1995 as an investment associate at Firstar Investment Research and Management Company, now known as U.S. Bancorp Asset Management and was promoted to an equity research analyst within a year focusing initially on restaurant stocks in the small cap segment of the market and ultimately focusing on all segments of the consumer discretionary space. Jennifer earned a B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater. She is a member of the Milwaukee Investment Analyst Society and the CFA Institute and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
Ryan Davies, CFA
Senior Equity Analyst
Since 1999, Ryan has been an equity analyst focused on covering the broad technology universe which includes software, IT services, enterprise hardware, communications equipment, semiconductors, and semiconductor equipment. He has researched stocks across all market cap ranges and geographies. He supports both the Small Cap Growth and the Small Cap Opportunity investment strategies at Cortina Asset Management. Ryan began his career in public accounting at Price Waterhouse in Silicon Valley. He joined Montgomery Asset Management in San Francisco in 1997 where he helped design tools to help equity portfolio managers in overall portfolio construction and analysis. In 1999, he was promoted to equity research analyst covering the technology industry on a global basis. He joined US Bancorp Asset Management in 2002 as an equity analyst where his primary focus was researching small cap technology stocks. Ryan received a B.S. from Indiana University. He is a member of the Milwaukee Investment Analyst Society and the CFA Institute and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Ryan has been quoted in numerous financial publications and appeared on Bloomberg Television.
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