The 16th Annual Baron Investment Conference drew a record 4,000 shareholders of the Baron Funds. It was held on Friday, November 2, in New York City at the Metropolitan Opera House.
Shareholders of the six Baron Funds were invited to the all-day conference, which included presentations from five CEOs of companies in which the funds have invested. Those presentations were followed by remarks from Baron Capital Group chairman and CEO Ron Baron, chief operating officer Linda Martinson, and four Baron portfolio managers. Shareholders posed questions to the Baron executives and managers in an open question-and-answer session.
Bette Midler, Michael Bolton and Sheryl Crow provided entertainment.
"We hold this annual conference to give our shareholders an opportunity to hear directly from chief executives of the companies in which the Baron Funds invest, as well as from the team serving them at Baron," said Ron Baron. "When we invest in a company, we're assessing not just a company's business opportunity, but the management skills, integrity and commitment of that company's leadership. We want our shareholders to understand our process and give them a chance to 'kick the tires' of their investments in Baron Funds."
Presenting at the conference this year were:
Michael Mussallem, Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE: EW)
Joe Mansueto, Morningstar (NASDAQ: MORN)
Wayne Gattinella, WebMD (NASDAQ: WBMD)
Millard Drexler, J. Crew (NYSE: JCG)
Roger Penske, Penske Automotive (NYSE: PAG)
The Baron investment team includes Ron Baron, portfolio manager of Baron Growth Fund (BGRFX), Baron Partners Fund (BPTRX) and co-portfolio manager of Baron Asset Fund (BARAX); Cliff Greenberg, portfolio manager, Baron Small Cap Fund (BSCFX); Randall Haase, portfolio manager, Baron Fifth Avenue Growth Fund (BFTHX); Michael Lippert, portfolio manager, Baron iOpportunity Fund (BIOPX); and Andrew Peck, co-portfolio manager of Baron Asset Fund. Linda Martinson, a 24-year Baron veteran, serves as the firm's chief operating officer and general counsel.
About Baron Funds and Baron Capital Group
Baron Funds include six no-load mutual funds: Baron Asset Fund, Baron Growth Fund, Baron Small Cap Fund, Baron iOpportunity Fund, Baron Fifth Avenue Growth Fund and Baron Partners Fund. More information on the Baron Funds is available by calling (800) 99-BARON or by visiting www.baronfunds.com. The advisor to Baron Funds is BAMCO, a unit of Baron Capital Group, which manages more than $21 billion for institutional and individual investors.
Contacts:
Tucker Hewes, 212-207-9451
tucker@hewescomm.com
