William Harnisch is the Chief Investment Strategist at Peconic Partners, managing all aspects of the firm's investment process. Mr. Harnisch began his career at Chase Manhattan Bank in 1968 (later known as Chase Investors Management), where he was Vice-President responsible for Special Equity Investments. He joined Forstmann-Leff Associates (FLA) in 1978 when the business managed $300 million. He began managing FLA in 1984, eventually managing assets of over $5 billion, and became the majority shareholder in 1989. With a strong history in absolute return, FLA entered the hedge fund business in 1986. The long-only business was sold in 1997, and Mr. Harnisch left FLA at the end of 2004 to form Peconic Partners and concentrate on the hedged product. Mr. Harnisch has a B.B.A. from Baruch College of the City University of New York and took M.B.A. courses at New York University. He was awarded a Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1977. He is a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts, the CFA Institute, the National Association of Investment Analysts, the New York Academy of Sciences, the World Presidents Organization, and the Chief Executive Organization. His opinions on markets and stock selection have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, The New York Times, Business Week, Bloomberg News, and among many other international publications. Mr. Harnisch is active philanthropically in many charities in Long Island, Nashville, and New York City. He manages the William F. Harnisch Foundation and is a member of the Baruch College Fund board.