Ohio SERS Seeking New Small-Cap Manager

December 29, 2004 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Ohio's School Employees Retirement System (SERS) has issued a request for information for a US small-cap equity investment manager.

The pension fund will choose one manager and three or four backup managers, who will not be funded but will fill in if another manager is terminated or asset allocation changes, according to a SERS press release.

Interested parties should submit three hard copy responses and an Excel file of quarterly returns via mail by Jan. 31 to: Timothy W. Viezer, Ph.D., CFA, Senior Investment Officer – Equities, SERS, 300 East Broad Street, Suite 100, Columbus, OH  43215. Responses may also be submitted via email to invest@ohsers.org denoting “US Small-Cap Growth Search” in the subject line. All questions concerning the request must be submitted by January 10, and must be in written form.

SERS staff will review the candidate responses and invite chosen candidates to make a one-hour presentation in Columbus, as well as   conduct due diligence visits to the semi-finalists’ offices. The finalists will be asked to make a presentation to the SERS’ Board in the spring of 2005

SERS, an $8.8 billion pension fund for 183,000 active and retired non-teaching public school employees,   maintains a diversified investment portfolio that is invested 46% in U.S. stocks, 16% in international stocks, 23% in bonds, 10% in real estate, and the balance in private investments and short-term securities, according to the release.

«