Duncan-Williams Shows Support for Medical Device Industry With Premier Sponsorship of SEMDA 2012 Conference


ATLANTA, GA and MEMPHIS, TN--(Marketwire - Mar 1, 2012) - Duncan-Williams, Inc., a privately owned investment bank and broker-dealer headquartered in Memphis, TN, has signed on as premier sponsor of the annual SEMDA Conference. The sponsorship highlights the firm's healthcare expertise and demonstrates its ongoing commitment to support industry and community organizations.

Leading Duncan-Williams' medical device industry focus is Ross DeDeyn, an Atlanta native with extensive experience advising healthcare companies on fundraising and merger and acquisition transactions.

"We are very pleased to be able to support SEMDA and its mission of strengthening the medical device industry in the Southeast," said DeDeyn. "We believe there is a great deal of medical technology innovation and entrepreneurship in the Southeast that may not always get the attention it deserves from the investment community. We hope, through our partnership with SEMDA, that we can become a trusted resource and advisor to these companies and help them achieve their financial and operational goals."

The sixth annual SEMDA Conference will be held on March 13-14, 2012, at the Georgia Tech Center for Global Learning. Recognized as the premier gathering for the Southeast medical device industry, the conference balances presentations by medical device companies to investors with educational programs, 1:1 partnering and networking opportunities.

"Duncan-Williams is a new name to some of us, but I predict it will become much more familiar," said Paul J. Fitzpatrick, chair of this year's SEMDA Conference and CEO of Advanced Catheter Therapies. "Their concentration on service coupled with an aggressive expansion plan brings much-needed mid-market strength during a time when well-managed risk offers a great potential for growth."

SEMDA announced last week that William H. Maisel, MD, MPH, Chief Scientist and Deputy Center Director for Science at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), will be a keynote speaker at the Conference. Dr. Maisel is responsible for providing leadership in the development, implementation, execution, management and direction of the Center's broad national and international biomedical science programs.

About Duncan-Williams, Inc.
Duncan-Williams, Inc., is a Top 100 Brokerage Firm headquartered in Memphis, Tenn. Founded in 1969, the firm is a full-service brokerage and investment banking firm providing financial solutions to individuals and institutional organizations in 50 states and 11 foreign countries. Duncan-Williams, Inc., is a member of FINRA and SIPC. Duncan-Williams, Inc., has offices in Akron, OH, Atlanta, GA, Birmingham, AL, Charlotte, NC, Chicago, IL, Cleveland, OH, Gainesville, FL, Houston, TX, Jackson, MS, New York, NY, Philadelphia, PA and Tampa, FL. The Women's Business Enterprise National Council certifies Duncan-Williams, Inc., as a Women's Business Enterprise (WBE). The firm was named to the 2010 and 2011 Inc. 5000, Inc. magazine's annual ranking of the fastest-growing companies in America.

About SEMDA
The Southeastern Medical Device Association (SEMDA) is a non-profit trade association that supports and promotes medical device companies in the Southeast. Created in 2004, the association provides a unique resource and networking opportunity for medical device companies, inventors, physicians, and investors interested in accelerating the growth of the medical device industry in the Southeast. Through quarterly and members-only meetings, as well as its highly regarded annual Conference, SEMDA meets the needs of members of the medical device community. Learn more at www.semda.net.

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