LocalShares Expands With New Leadership, Divisions

NASHVILLE, TN--(Marketwired - Jan 28, 2016) - LocalShares Inc., a community focused investment firm, has attracted veteran leadership to head new divisions of the company:

• Margaret O. Dolan, a prominent Nashville business and community leader and formerly President and CEO of the Saint Thomas Health Foundations, has been named the President of the new Knowledge Division; and
• Matthew F. Hayes, a veteran interbank financial markets executive and formerly Senior Vice President of the Bank of Oklahoma, has been named the President of the new Investment Division.

Both divisions focus on advancing the LocalShares mission -- to create meaningful investment opportunities in highly performing economic communities, such as Nashville. LocalShares, which in 2013 established the Nashville Area ETF (NYSE: NASH), America's first city-based exchange traded fund, offers investment in community through funds, conferences, corporate and social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, and civic engagement.

Dolan, who also formerly served as the vice president of community relations for Ingram Industries Inc., brings a wealth of experience building and working in partnerships with organizations to capitalize on the interdependence of business and community improvement strategy. Dolan currently serves on the boards of Fifth Third Bank Tennessee, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, the Nashville Business Coalition, the Tennessee Business Roundtable, and is a previous chair and current director for both the Nashville Public Education Foundation and the United Way of Metropolitan Nashville. Dolan, a Certified Public Accountant, is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and received her Master of Business Administration from Vanderbilt's Owen Graduate School of Management, where she received the Dean Martin S. Geisel Leadership Award. Dolan was recognized with the Nelson C. Andrews Distinguished Service Award and in 2015, she was inducted into the prestigious Academy for Women of Achievement by the YWCA of Middle Tennessee.

Hayes, who is based in Chicago, Illinois, is a foreign exchange expert who has assessed, evaluated and traded in global markets for more than 30 years. Previously, Hayes, an early investor in LocalShares, also served as Portfolio Manager for Citadel Investment Group in Chicago and was Managing Director and Global Head of Leverage Trading and Head of North American Foreign Exchange Trading for ABN AMRO, a global Dutch bank headquartered in Amsterdam. A graduate of Georgetown University, Hayes is involved in numerous community initiatives, including Misericordia Home and New Trier High School.

"Margaret and Matt are proven leaders who understand the importance of aligning business with community through knowledge and investment that elevate the whole," said Beth S. Courtney, a founder and director of LocalShares. "We are proud that Margaret and Matt have joined LocalShares and will help position the company to expand our offerings in middle Tennessee and within other vibrant economies."

LocalShares Investment Division is a catalyst for growth and development of funds and other investment products. The division expands distribution channels and identifies future markets where LocalShares funds can be advanced.

"The Nashville Area ETF was an industry breakthrough when it launched in 2013, and has demonstrated that a city-based ETF is an intelligent and affordable way to invest in a local economy," said Hayes. "The upcoming 3-year anniversary of the fund is an important milestone in the financial industry, enabling LocalShares to broaden our distribution and fund network. I look forward to working with our team to grow our model."

LocalShares Knowledge Division fosters strategic investments in local economies through comprehensive and dynamic educational and engagement opportunities. This includes distinctive investment conferences, technical enrichment presentations, and efforts to coalesce civic and philanthropic engagement to optimize financial and community returns.

"Cities like Nashville outpace others because of a deliberate focus around community investments that are value based and structured to produce real outcomes," said Dolan. "At LocalShares, we will heighten community investment by offering and leveraging opportunities that produce results for both the investor and local economies as a whole."

LocalShares, Inc. was founded in 2010 by Courtney, President of DVL Seigenthaler, a Finn Partners Company; William S. Decker, CEO of Decker Wealth Management, LLC and Michael D. Shmerling, chairman of XMi Holdings.

An active secondary market for the Fund's shares may not exist. Although the Fund's shares will be listed on an exchange, subject to notice of issuance, it is possible that an active trading market may not develop or be maintained.

All ETF products are subject to risk, which may result in the loss of principal. Investment in smaller companies typically exhibit higher volatility. The Fund will invest substantially all of its assets in the securities of companies that have their headquarters or principal place of business located in the Nashville, Tennessee region. The Fund may be impacted by events or conditions affecting the region to a greater extent than a fund that did not focus its investments in that manner. The fund is expected to invest a relatively large percentage of its assets in the healthcare sector and negative performance of the sector will negatively impact the fund. Diversification may not protect against investment loss.

Carefully consider the Nashville Area ETF's investment objective, risk factors, and charges and expenses before investing. This and other important information can be found in the Nashville Area ETF's Prospectus, which may be obtained by calling 1-855-480-NASH (6274). Read it carefully before investing.

ETF shares are not redeemable with the issuing fund other than in large Creation Unit aggregations. Instead, investors must buy or sell ETF Shares in the secondary market with the assistance of a stockbroker. In doing so, the investor may incur brokerage commissions and may pay more than net asset value when buying and receive less than net asset value when selling. SEI Investments Distribution Co. is the distributor for the Nashville Area ETF. SEI Investments Distribution Co., 1 Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, PA, 19456.

Not FDIC Insured, No Bank Guarantee, May Lose Value