New York (August 4, 2009) – Houlihan Smith & Company, Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of John McGonegal as a Managing Director in the firm’s New York City office. In this capacity Mr. John McGonegal will focus on providing corporate finance and valuation services to publicly-traded companies.

“We are delighted that John is joining our firm and his broad experience within the securities industry enhances our team’s capabilities and extends our services to small and mid-sized public companies, said Andrew Smith, co-founder and President of Houlihan Smith & Company, Inc. “John’s dynamic skill sets are a natural fit with our service offerings, specifically our valuation and corporate finance advisory services.”

Prior to his employment at the Houlihan firm, Mr. McGonegal held senior level positions at a New York based investor relations firm and at the world's leading provider of independent equities research. For six years Mr. McGonegal was Senior Vice President and Head of Equities at the American Stock Exchange (“AMEX “) where he was responsible for business development, relationship management, research, and equities order flow teams.

Under Mr. McGonegal’s leadership of the AMEX equities business, The American Stock Exchange was home to hundreds of small-cap public companies and was a recognized as a world leader in the listing of mineral, mining, oil, and gas companies. In addition, the Amex was the first exchange to list Special Purpose Acquisition Corporations (SPACs). Through his AMEX experience Mr. McGonegal developed significant expertise with SPACs and minerals and mining companies.

Prior to his tenure at the AMEX, Mr. McGonegal spent approximately 10 years at The Quick & Reilly Group in various capacities. Mr. McGonegal holds the following securities licenses: Series 4, 7, 8, 63, and 65. He has a B.A. from the State University of New York at Buffalo and is an MBA candidate in finance at Northeastern University.

About the Houlihan firm:

Houlihan Smith & Company, Inc. is recognized as a leading provider of financial opinions, financings, mergers & acquisitions advisory, and other corporate advisory services for public and private businesses. Founded in 1996, the Houlihan firm is synonymous with deal-making expertise and leadership in valuation as well as fairness issues. The Houlihan firm’s experienced professionals provide services for businesses around the globe from offices in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles.

Contact: William Berger
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