James D. Hardesty

JAMES D. HARDESTY is President, Market Strategist and Chief Economist of
Hardesty Capital Management, LLC. Born in Baltimore, Mr. Hardesty is a graduate
of Georgetown University and holds an MBA from Columbia University. Prior to
founding Hardesty Capital Management, he served in a variety of investment
positions at Mercantile-Safe Deposit and Trust Company, being named Chief
Investment Officer in 1980 and Executive Vice President in 1986. He is a
Chartered Financial Analyst and a past President of the Baltimore Society of
Security Analysis. Currently a trustee of LINC (Learning Independence Through
Computers), he has formally served as Trustee for the Boards of Family and
Children’s Services of Central Maryland, Gilman School and the Walters Art
Gallery, as well as assuming the position of Treasurer for the latter two
organizations.