Weitz & Company [see profile] has hired two wholesalers. The Omaha, Nebraska-based company brought on board Sean Mihal as western regional director and John Gabriel as eastern regional director. The two report to Jo Ann Quinif, director of marketing and client service.

Mihal and Gabriel's posts are newly created, Quinif told The MFWire.com in an interview.

Their hiring is part of Weitz's effort to take a more proactive approach in reaching out to advisors that use Weitz's mutual funds, Quinif said. Prior to their arrival at Weitz, the company did not have dedicated external wholesalers that called on advisors. The client service team primarily handled inbound inquiries.

"We are also in the process of launching institutional separately managed accounts," Quinif said. Part of Mihal and Gabriel's mandate is to work with consultants and 401(k) plan sponsors.

Weitz plans to eventually hire an external wholesaler to cover the Midwest. Currently, Quinif and a hybrid wholesaler are covering that territory.

Mihal, based out of Santa Monica, California, joined Weitz at the end of last month from Charles Schwab Advisor Services. Redding, Connecticut-based Gabriel joined in May from Bellatore LLC.

Quinif oversees a total of nine people in the marketing and client service team.

Company Press Release

Weitz Funds Adds Regional Sales Directors

Sean Mihal and John Gabriel to focus on Western, Eastern Regions Respectively

OMAHA, Neb., Jul 27, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Weitz & Company today announced that the firm has hired Sean Mihal as western regional director and John Gabriel as eastern regional director. In these roles, Mr. Mihal and Mr. Gabriel will support advisors and institutional clients as well as help lead Weitz's business development efforts in their respective regions. They will report to Jo Ann Quinif, director of marketing and client service.

Sean Mihal joins Weitz & Company as western regional director from Charles Schwab Advisor Services, where he served as a business development officer for the West Coast for the past eight years. In this role, he consulted RIAs, family offices and institutions through the complex process of building successful, efficient and independent businesses. Mr. Mihal began his investment career at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter as an investment advisor, and moved on to Charles Schwab serving in the same role. Mr. Mihal earned a B.S. in Biology from Loyola University Chicago. He will be based in Santa Monica, California covering most states west of the Mississippi.

Prior to joining Weitz as eastern regional director, John Gabriel was vice president and director of national business consulting for Bellatore, LLC. He spent the prior two years at AllianceBernstein Investments in New York City, where he served as vice president and northeast regional manager. John also worked at Rydex, in management roles including regional vice president at Rydex Investments and vice president of institutional sales & business development at Rydex Global Advisors. Mr. Gabriel earned his M.B.A. in Corporate Finance from the University of Colorado and a B.A. in both Environmental Science and Education from the University of Denver. Mr. Gabriel will be based in Redding, Connecticut covering the states along the east coast.

"We're excited to be adding two quality sales professionals like John Gabriel and Sean Mihal to the Weitz team," said Wally Weitz, President of Weitz Funds. "Both John and Sean possess intimate knowledge of custodial platforms, advisor technology and asset management products, and they bring over 25 years of combined financial industry and consultative sales experience."

For more information on Weitz Funds, please visit weitzfunds.com, call a client service representative at 800-304-9745 or email at wresx@weitzfunds.com.

About Weitz Funds

Wallace R. Weitz & Company was started in 1983 with about $10 million under management. The firm, a registered investment adviser, now manages approximately $4 billion for the Weitz Funds, individuals, corporations, pension plans, foundations, and endowments.

The Weitz family of funds includes the Weitz Value Fund (WVALX), Weitz Partners Value Fund (WPVLX), Weitz Partners III Opportunity Fund (WPOPX), Weitz Research Fund (WRESX), Weitz Hickory Fund (WEHIX), Weitz Balanced Fund (WBALX), Weitz Short-Intermediate Income Fund (WEFIX), Weitz Nebraska Tax-Free Income Fund (WNTFX), and the Weitz Government Money Market Fund (WGMXX).

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