People
Eugene G. Heller
The key to the success of both the firm conducting investor relations activities and the clients it serves is the experience of the individuals responsible for conceiving and implementing those activities.
For more than 30 years, Eugene G. Heller has been the West Coast Principal of SHA. During that time, he has brought clarity to the intricate workings of the securities industry for scores of clients ranging from newly public companies to multi-national Fortune 500 corporations.
Following his graduation from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and post-graduate work at another leading university, Mr. Heller served for several years as a production control and contract administrator with Alba Engineering, an aerospace manufacturing and electronics subcontractor. Pursuing a keen interest in the securities industry, he then joined the brokerage firm of Shearson, Hammill & Co. as a trainee in the company’s equities research department. Steadily ascending through the ranks, he eventually earned a promotion to senior analyst covering aerospace and other manufacturing-oriented industries, and subsequently attained the position of director of West Coast Research and Institutional Sales. While with Shearson, Mr. Heller also formed and administered an in-house investment counseling department and became a first vice president and voting stockholder of the firm, as well as an allied member of the New York Stock Exchange.
Mr. Heller’s extensive experience in working closely with investment bankers, stockbrokers, institutions, and securities analysts at many of the nation’s most respected brokerage firms makes him a potent force in advancing the objectives of SHA clients.
Philip Bourdillon
At the heart of investor relations is an ability to tell a company’s story succinctly and persuasively. In addition to a background in research, writing and the teaching of philosophy, Philip Bourdillon brings to SHA an extensive knowledge of the securities industry and its participants.
Mr. Bourdillon began his investment career in 1977 as a stockbroker with Kidder, Peabody & Company; a decade later, as a regional director of Kidder’s investment consulting program, he was advising corporations and non-taxable trusts on the structuring and management of their portfolios. In 1988, wishing to gain experience on the buy-side, he left Kidder to join a small Pasadena-based investment counseling firm, Clifford Associates, as a vice president and partner. Pursuant to a relationship he developed while a Clifford Associates, Mr. Bourdillon within two years had sold his stake in the firm and moved to Pacific Inland Bancorp where, as a senior vice president, he supervised the investment of all discretionary assets within the bank’s trust division.
In 1993, with the knowledge that the division would soon be sold, Mr. Bourdillon left PIB to pursue a long-standing interest in investor relations, first as principal of his own firm, and more recently in his association with SHA. Building on his knowledge of the capital markets and his many years experience in dealing with corporate executives, brokers and analysts, he has become adept at articulating a company’s circumstances and potential in a way that inspires confidence and support among shareholders and their fiduciaries.
Mr. Bourdillon holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hamilton College and a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Rochester, where he was the recipient of an NDEA Fellowship. He subsequently spent a year doing post-doctoral research at the University of Edinburgh under a grant from the National Endowment of the Humanities.
James M. Donnelly
James Donnelly maintains specialized databases of securities analysts and portfolio managers covering and investing in specific market segments, as well as the agency's comprehensive database of industry and financial media contacts.
Developing investment interest and media coverage for SHA, Mr. Donnelly establishes and builds ongoing communications with members of the financial community and business press. His work encompasses developing story pitches for target financial audiences, maintaining working relationships with investment professionals and reporters at financial media, as well as monitoring relevant coverage of clients, peers, and industry events on behalf of clients.
Mr. Donnelly conducts research and analysis on company competitors, institutional holders and conducts perception studies among industry analysts. He has generated media coverage for clients in national and regional business media outlets, including Forbes, Fortune, SmartMoney, The Los Angeles Times, The Orange County Register, and The Wall Street Journal. He has facilitated client features on broadcast programs including CNBC’s “PowerLunch” and “Squawk Box” among others, and with electronic media such as Bloomberg News, Dow Jones Newswire and Reuters.
In addition, he maintains effective working relationships with the New York and American stock exchanges, Nasdaq, the Securities and Exchange Commission, , business news wire services, and numerous other resources.
Mr. Donnelly earned a B.S. degree in Journalism/Public Relations from California State University, Long Beach.