Winners announced for inaugural IR Magazine Awards – Small Cap

Three companies can proudly call themselves winners of the first ever IR Magazine Awards – Small Cap.

Awards were presented in three categories: best IR by a senior management team, best IR by a small-cap company under $500 mn and best IR by a small-cap company between $500 mn and $1 bn.

The awards were presented in association with OTC Markets and were hosted at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business.

Altus Group took home the award for best IR by a senior management team. The judges were particularly impressed with the company’s efforts in revamping its disclosure and engaging the Street to raise its visibility and communicate a change in its business model. This effort led to a 50 percent increase in share price over the last three years.

Stoneridge was the winner of the best IR by a small-cap company (under $500 mn) award. The company was praised by the judges for revamping its marketing materials around earnings calls, conferences and non-deal roadshows, which has garnered positive feedback from the company’s existing analysts and attracted investment from new firms.

Banc of California won the final award for best IR by a small-cap company ($500 mn-$1 bn). Its IR team was recognized for handling a tumultuous year, including the unexpected turnover of its CEO and CFO, and a board refreshment program that changed five of the nine company directors. 

Nominations were open between July and August 2017. IR Magazine welcomed self-nominations and nominations by proxy, and an esteemed judging panel reviewed the short lists and selected the winners. The judges were:

  • Ben Ashwell, digital editor, IR Magazine
  • Julie Tracy, senior vice president and chief communications officer at Wright Medical Group
  • Rebecca Updegraph, president of NIRI’s New York chapter
  • Steve West, most recently of Panera Bread, where he oversaw the award-winning IR program

Click here for information about future IR Magazine events and awards. 

Upcoming events

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    Wednesday, July 15, 2026

    Briefing – Winning investor confidence: how IR teams can anticipate sentiment and drive support

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    Thursday, November 5, 2026

    Corporate Governance Forum

    About the event WHEN WHERE VENUE_ADDRESS Awards by nomination Categories Awards by research Categories What our attendees say IR Rankings – LOCATION The IR Rankings – LOCATION report is the ultimate benchmarking resource for any IRO looking to improve their IR program. It provides detailed analysis and statistics on the…

    New York, US
  • Corporate Governance Awards
    Thursday, November 5, 2026

    Corporate Governance Awards

    About the event WHEN WHERE VENUE_ADDRESS Awards by nomination Categories Awards by research Categories What our attendees say IR Rankings – LOCATION The IR Rankings – LOCATION report is the ultimate benchmarking resource for any IRO looking to improve their IR program. It provides detailed analysis and statistics on the…

    New York, US

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