Industry & Services >> Analyst Interviews >> December 15, 2003
RICHARD C. CLOSE JR. is Managing Director for Jefferies & Company, Inc.
He leads the firm's education services research effort. Mr. Close was
selected as one of The Wall Street Journal's Best on the Street in 2000
and 2002, an annual survey that ranks analysts by their recommendations,
including being named to The Home-Run Hitters list in 2000.
Additionally, he was ranked among the top 10 stock pickers in Starmine's
2002 annual rankings of sellside research analysts. Mr. Close has been
featured in a broad array of industry periodicals and media outlets,
including Assessment and Accountability Forum, Bloomberg TV, Investor's
Business Daily, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall
Street Journal. Prior to joining Jefferies, Mr. Close served at SunTrust
Robinson Humphrey as a senior research analyst covering the
privatization and education services industries. He has also served at
Montgomery Asset Management and at Montgomery Securities. Mr. Close
earned a BS degree in Economics from Rochester Institute of Technology. Profile
TWST: Can we start out with an overview of your coverage at Jefferies &Company?
Mr. Close: Since joining Jefferies this past October, I have initiated
coverage on several names in the