Appoints Board of Directors for the 2017 Inaugural Program Year

Announces New Platform "Engage & Connect"

MIAMI, FL / ACCESSWIRE / January 26, 2017 / The National Investor Relations Institute Florida Chapter is pleased to announce the completion of the merger of the NIRI South Florida and Central Florida chapters, and the inaugural year of the NIRI Florida Chapter. The combination of these two chapters into one large chapter will provide more benefits for NIRI members across the state. As part of the inaugural year celebration, chapter fees will be waived and membership has been opened to all NIRI members in the state of Florida, including those in the panhandle and Jacksonville areas.

"We are extremely excited to join forces and expand our chapter to a broader area encompassing many more investor relations professionals, which will provide more networking opportunities, as well as more robust programming for the newly formed NIRI Florida Chapter," said Andrea DeMarco, President of NIRI Florida.

"During our inaugural year, we will launch our new series of programming, Engage & Connect. This innovative series will provide the opportunity for NIRI Florida members to 'Engage' in programs tailored to discuss industry changes, challenges, and trends, as well as provide an opportunity for peers to share best practices. It will also provide a platform for investor relations professionals to 'Connect' through social events that will be planned throughout the program year," said Jeff Hansen, Co-President of NIRI Florida.

NIRI Florida also announced the appointment of its board of directors for the 2017 program year. The NIRI Florida Officers and Directors are:

President:
Andrea DeMarco
Vice President, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (Nasdaq: NCLH)

Co-President:
Jeff Hansen
Vice President, Investor Relations
Marriott Vacation Worldwide Corporation

Treasurer:
Leo Hinkley
Managing Director
BBX Capital Corporation (formerly NYSE: BBX), BFC Financial Corporation (OTCQB: BFCF)

Secretary:
Jackie Powell
Principal
Virtual Business Solutions LLC

Communications Chair:
Al Aneja
Vice President
Issuer Direct (NYSE MKT: ISDR)

Membership Chair:
Claudia Perez
Business Wire

Membership Co-Chair:
Jack Hensley
Investor Relations Consultant

Program Chair:
Sean Dunleavy
Account Manager
Broadridge

Program Co-Chair:
Kevin Kalicak
Sr. Director, Investor Relations
Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: DRI)

Directors at Large:
Christine Cannella
Senior Investor Relations Officer
Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc.

Mary Turnbull
Senior Vice President, Corporate Access
Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE: RJF)

Lisa Ramey
Vice President Finance
Xenia Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: XHR)

"The talent and breadth of our expanded board of directors will enable us to continually improve offerings for our chapter members. Thank you to all of our dedicated board members from both the South Florida and Central Florida chapters who have provided leadership during the previous program year and to the current members of the board of our newly formed NIRI Florida Chapter who will assume a leadership role for the upcoming year," said DeMarco.

The National Investor Relations Institute Florida Chapter is comprised of investor relations professionals from public companies and associated financial services companies headquartered or doing business in Florida. The Florida Chapter is an ongoing resource for investor relations officers, and offers programming aimed to address the practices and issues facing today's investor relations professional, and also serves as a networking platform for investor relations officers in the Florida region.

About The National Investor Relations Institute

Founded in 1969, NIRI is the professional association of corporate officers and investor relations consultants responsible for communication among corporate management, shareholders, securities analysts, and other financial community constituents. NIRI is the largest professional investor relations association in the world, having more than 3,300 members representing over 1,600 publicly held companies, and $9 trillion in stock market capitalization.

Contact

Andrea DeMarco
(305) 468-2463
ADeMarco@NCLCorp.com

Jeff Hansen
(407) 206-6149
Jeff.Hansen@mvwc.com

This document contains forward-looking statements. All opinions, future plans, or other statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this document are also forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). We can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. NIRI Florida and its Board of Directors is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims, any obligation to update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of changes in circumstances, new information, subsequent events, or otherwise.

SOURCE: The National Investor Relations Institute Florida Chapter