July 1, 2007

5 Min Read
Roundtable Participants

BUSINESS PLANNING & TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT


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David K. Erickson joined Edwards Lifesciences Corp. (Irvine, CA) in 2000 as vice president of investor relations. He was previously director of investor relations for PacifiCare Health Systems (Cypress, CA), a $10 billion managed-care company. Prior to his investor relations role at PacifiCare, Erickson was responsible for budgeting, financial analysis, and Securities and Exchange Commission reporting.

Erickson is an active member of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI), and he presently serves on NIRI's senior roundtable steering committee. Erickson is a former member of NIRI's ethics council, and he served on the NIRI national board of directors from 1998 to 2002. He has also served on the board of directors for NIRI's chapter in Orange County, CA, and in the position of chapter president.

In conjunction with NIRI and the University of California, Irvine, Erickson helped establish the West Coast's first certificate program in investor relations. He also serves as instructor for the university's "Introduction to Investor Relations" course, the initial class in the seven-course program, and helped adapt the certificate program to an online distance-learning format.

In 2005, Erickson received honorable mention by IR Magazine as one of the top investor relations officers among small-cap companies. At the same time, Erickson's investor relations department at Edwards Lifesciences also received honorable mention as one of the best overall investor relations programs (small cap).

With more than 18 years of investor relations experience, Erickson is a frequent guest speaker at NIRI conferences and seminars, and for university-level programs and courses.

Erickson is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach, where he received a bachelor of science degree in business administration with a double major in finance and marketing, and a master's degree in business administration with an emphasis in finance. He can be reached at 949/250-6826 or via e-mail at [email protected].

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Nick Laudico is vice president of the medical technology practice at the Ruth Group (New York City), an independent investor relations agency. He currently focuses on building and implementing strategic investor relations programs for small- and mid-cap clients, with a specialty in developing IR platforms for pre-IPO-stage companies. His medtech experience includes work in the orthopedics-spine, cardiology, radiation oncology, neurology, respiratory, aesthetic device, robotic surgery, and women's health sectors.

Prior to joining the Ruth Group, Laudico worked with large-, mid-, and small-cap publicly traded companies in the healthcare, communications, banking, and industrial and machinery industries at Brainerd Communicators and Travers Collins & Company IR.

Laudico holds a bachelor of arts degree from Buffalo State College. He can be reached at 646/536-7030 or via e-mail at [email protected].

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Spencer R. Sias is vice president of corporate communications and investor relations for Varian Medical Systems Inc. (Palo Alto, CA). He came to Varian Medical Systems in 1999 when it became one of three independent businesses created by spin-off from Varian Associates Inc. As a member of Varian Medical Systems' corporate staff, Sias manages the company's investor relations and corporate communications functions, including public relations, employee communications, and community relations. Varian Medical Systems, which reported sales of $1.2 billion in fiscal year 2004, designs and produces equipment and software for treating cancer with radiation therapy. It is also a leading supplier of x-ray tubes and flat-panel image detectors for x-ray imaging equipment manufacturers.

In his role at Varian Medical Systems, Sias works directly with the financial community and reports to Elisha W. Finney, senior vice president and chief financial officer for the company. Sias has concentrated on building awareness of advances in radiation therapy that are showing the potential to substantially improve cure rates and reduce complications in cancer treatment.

Sias holds a bachelor's degree from San Francisco State University, where he was the most honored graduate in journalism in 1975. He is an award-winning journalist who spent 10 years reporting and editing for daily newspapers, including Gannett Newspapers, before joining a high-tech public relations firm in the Silicon Valley. As an agency public relations executive for five years, Sias supported companies including Varian Associates, Hewlett Packard, Tektronix, and Sun Microsystems. Prior to joining Varian Medical Systems, Sias worked for nine years as director of public relations at Raychem Corp., with responsibilities in public and media relations, investor relations, employee communications, and community relations. He is the winner of several communications awards, including two for the Varian Medical Systems 1999 and 2000 annual reports.

Sias is a member of the National Investor Relations Institute, the Public Relations Society of America, and a past member of the Society of Professional Journalists. He has also served his community on numerous commissions and boards, including two terms as an elected member of the Ross Valley School District's board of trustees, which he chaired in 1994 and 1996. He can be reached at 650/424-5782 or via e-mail at [email protected].

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Julie D. Tracy has served as vice president and chief communications officer of Kyphon Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA) since March 2007. Previously, she had served as vice president for investor relations and corporate marketing since April 2005 and vice president for marketing beginning in January 2003.

From January 1998 to January 2003, Tracy held various positions with Thoratec Corp. (Pleasanton, CA), a developer of medical devices to treat cardiac diseases and vascular blood disorders. Her roles included senior director of business development and reimbursement from June 2002 to December 2002, senior director of marketing from January 2002 to May 2002, and director of marketing from January 1998 to December 2001.

Tracy holds a BS in business administration from the University of Southern California and an MBA from Pepperdine University. She can be reached at 408/548-6687 or via e-mail at [email protected].

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