Canaccord Genuity Expands Global REIT Capability with Addition of Dedicated Banking, Equity Research and Sales Professionals in New York and San Francisco

TORONTO, May 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ - Canaccord Genuity (the "Company") is pleased to announce the addition of a dedicated US REIT team. Based in the firm's New York and San Francisco offices, the team brings extensive investment banking, advisory, equity research and sales trading capability to the group.

"I am pleased to welcome a team of professionals with proven capability in delivering relevant ideas and execution within the US mid-market," said Dan Daviau, CEO, North American Capital Markets, Canaccord Genuity, "The group's depth of sector and industry expertise and broad relationships complements our existing REIT platform in Canada, and the UK and Europe to provide truly global coverage for our clients." 

Canaccord Genuity's global Real Estate team now includes 6 senior analysts across three continents, providing REIT coverage in the diversified commercial, industrial, office, residential, retail, health care, lodging, and specialty real estate subsectors. Coverage is complemented by a dedicated global sales force with expertise and relationships across North America, the UK & Europe, and Asia-Pacific.

Ryan Meliker joins the equity research division as a Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst with a focus on Lodging, Multifamily, Student Housing, and the Prison Property subsectors. Mr. Meliker brings more than a decade of dedicated REIT coverage to his role, in addition to deep industry expertise. He began his sell-side career at Morgan Stanley where he was the lead lodging REIT analyst before moving on to launch the REIT platform at MLV & Co. Mr. Meliker has experience covering all property sectors within the equity REIT industry. Prior to becoming an equity research analyst, Mr. Meliker was focused on real estate transaction advisory work in the lodging industry with PricewaterhouseCoopers and previously as a hotel appraiser with experience in hospitality operations. Mr. Meliker received a B.S. degree from Colgate University and an MBA from Michigan State University with a dual concentration in Finance and Hospitality.

Paul Morgan, Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst, will be based in the firm's San Francisco office and will focus on coverage of Retail, Healthcare, and Industrial Properties. Mr. Morgan brings more than 15 years of sell-side experience to Canaccord Genuity, most recently as Co-Head of REIT research alongside Ryan Meliker at MLV & Co. Previously, he was a senior REIT analyst at Morgan Stanley, where he was Head of US REIT research for five years and coordinated the firm's collaborative global property sector coverage. Mr. Morgan has also held senior analyst positions at Salomon Smith Barney, Paine Webber, Thomas Weisel Partners, and FBR Capital Markets. Mr. Morgan has served on the Real Estate Investment Advisory Council for NAREIT and ICSC's North American Research Task Force, and in the research department at the Board of Governors at the Federal Reserve System.  Mr. Morgan earned an MA in Economics from Princeton University, where he was a National Science Foundation and Mellon Foundation Fellow.

Peter Dippolito joins the Investment Banking division as a Principal, with a focus on Real Estate Investment Trusts.  Prior to joining Canaccord Genuity, Mr. Dippolito spent three years as a Director in the investment banking division of MLV & Co., where he played a key role in building the firm's REIT and BDC banking and capital markets franchise.  Previously, Mr. Dipploito spent ten years at Cantor Fitzgerald where he helped build the firm's equity capital markets group and was the head trader responsible for at-the-market offerings. Mr. Dippolito holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Hofstra University.

Brian Dorst, Managing Director and Sales Trader, has more than 17 years of experience, most recently as Director of Sales and Trading at MLV & Co., with a focus on the REIT and energy sectors.  Mr. Dorst has spent the majority of his career on the block desks of Merrill Lynch and Knight Capital Group and has additional experience trading in the consumer and technology sectors. Mr. Dorst obtained a BA in Economics from Washington College in Maryland and is Series 7, 55, 63 and 24 licensed.

Roger Weiss, Managing Director, Research Sales, has spent more than 20 years in sales with particular focus in the REIT, energy, MLP and utilities sectors.  Previously, Mr. Weiss was a Managing Director at MLV & Co. where he sold a range of equity products and co-developed the MLP Preferred Product. Mr. Weiss also played a key role in building the institutional sales team at Madison Williams & Co., and previously spent 13 years at AG Edwards & Sons, where he ranked as top institutional equity sales for four consecutive years. Mr. Weiss obtained a BA from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

ABOUT CANACCORD GENUITY GROUP INC.:

Through its principal subsidiaries, Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. (the "Company") is a leading independent, full-service financial services firm, with operations in two principal segments of the securities industry: wealth management and capital markets.  Since its establishment in 1950, the Company has been driven by an unwavering commitment to building lasting client relationships. We achieve this by generating value for our individual, institutional and corporate clients through comprehensive investment solutions, brokerage services and investment banking services.  The Company has offices in 10 countries worldwide, including Wealth Management offices located in Canada, Australia, the UK and Europe.  Canaccord Genuity, the international capital markets division, operates in Canada, the US, the UK, France, Ireland, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Australia and Barbados.  To us there are no foreign markets.TM

Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. is publicly traded under the symbol CF on the TSX and the symbol CF. on the London Stock Exchange. 

SOURCE Canaccord Genuity Group Inc.