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Our Team

Experience. Expertise. Dedication.

George A. Needham

Chairman of the Board, The Needham Group, Inc.

John Barr

Managing Director, EVP, Portfolio Manager

Chris Retzler

Managing Director, EVP, Portfolio Manager

Jim Giangrasso

Managing Director, Chief Financial Officer

Russell Bailey

Managing Director, Trader

James Abbruzzese

Managing Director, Chief Compliance Officer

Kathleen Mumma

Principal, Client Relations
George A. Needham

Chairman of the Board, The Needham Group, Inc.

George Needham co-founded Needham & Company in 1985, a leading investment banking firm specializing in emerging growth companies. He was formerly a managing director of The First Boston Corporation, where he established its Business Development and Technology Groups during his 15-year career.

Prior to this he was a portfolio manager in the Investment Advisory Division at Bankers Trust Company. He was a First Lieutenant in the United States Army and served as Company Commander of the 503rd Transportation Company in Heidelberg, West Germany. He is a graduate of Bucknell University and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

John Barr

Managing Director, EVP, Portfolio Manager

Since January 2010, John Barr has been Co-Portfolio Manager of the Needham Growth Fund and Portfolio Manager of the Needham Aggressive Growth Fund. 

John started on Wall Street in 1995 at Needham as a sell-side analyst following technical software companies.  He rejoined Needham in 2009 to co-manage the Needham Mutual Funds.

From 2000 – 2002, John was a senior analyst at Robertson Stephens following semiconductor technology companies.  He was an Institutional Investor All-Star and was ranked by Reuters as leader of a top software team.  In 2002, John joined Buckingham Capital Management, where he served as a portfolio manager and analyst for its diversified industry long/short domestic equity hedge fund.  From 2009 – 2017, John was on the board of directors of Coventor, Inc., prior to its sale to Lam Research.  Prior to Wall Street, John spent 14 years in the electronic design automation industry

John loves the challenge of identifying businesses with compounding characteristics. From his industry experience, he looks to invest in companies that he would have liked to have been part of.  He is a graduate of Colgate University and Harvard Business School.

Meet the Manager

Chris Retzler

Managing Director, EVP, Portfolio Manager

Since January 2008, Chris Retzler has been Portfolio Manager of Needham Small Cap Growth Fund.  He has been Co-Portfolio Manager of the Needham Growth Fund since January 2009. 

Chris joined Needham Asset Management in 2005 as a Portfolio Analyst, coming from Winterkorn, a privately-owned orthopedic device company where he spent the previous three years. Prior to Winterkorn, Chris was part of Merrill Lynch’s Investment Banking division from 1994 to 2002.

Chris enjoys building long-term relationships with the management teams of his portfolio companies and the investment community, and also the challenges of finding undiscovered or misunderstood investment opportunities.  

Chris graduated with a BA from Bucknell University in 1993, moving on to become a Fulbright Scholar in 1994. He received his MBA from Columbia Business School in 1999.

Meet the Manager

Jim Giangrasso

Managing Director, Chief Financial Officer

Jim has been Chief Financial Officer of Needham Asset Management since 2011, and was its Controller from 2006 through 2010. Prior to Needham Jim was the Chief Accounting Officer for Olayan America, the U.S.- based investment arm of an ultra-high net worth family office. From 2000 through 2004 he was Chief Financial Officer for Rhone Group LLC, a multi-billion dollar private equity fund and broker-dealer with a European focus. From 1990 through 2000 he was Controller of Rosecliff, Inc., a U.S.-based private equity fund. Jim started his career as an auditor for KPMG LLP. He has served in a volunteer capacity on the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) Investment Company Expert Panel for several years.

Russell Bailey

Managing Director, Trader

Russell Bailey has served as the primary trader for the Needham Funds since 2002. He works closely with the Portfolio Managers in regards to the entire investment process.  Russell began his career at Hambrecht & Quist and was an NASDAQ equity trader at the boutique investment firm Gerard Klauer Mattison. He graduated from Binghamton University in 1994 and holds his Series 7, 63 and 55 licenses.

James Abbruzzese

Managing Director, Chief Compliance Officer

Jim joined Needham & Company in 1998 and has been Chief Compliance Officer for Needham Asset Management since that time, overseeing SEC and FINRA compliance for Needham Funds.  He also serves as Chief Administrative Officer of Needham & Company, an affiliated broker-dealer, and he is a member of the Firm’s Operating and Executive Committees.  Prior to joining Needham he worked at Herzog, Heine Geduld, Inc., a leading market maker in Nasdaq and OTC securities, and J.B. Hanauer, a wealth management firm.

Kathleen Mumma

Principal, Client Relations

When Kathleen joined Needham in 2008, she was an executive assistant in the investment banking department at Needham & Company. She moved to Needham Asset Management in 2009 to work as George Needham’s assistant, and she began to assume other roles at the firm, primarily in client services, marketing and operations. Prior to Needham, Kathleen worked for Enterprise Rent-A-Car for 7 years. She holds her Series 7 license.

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© 2021 The Needham Group, Inc.
Needham & Company, LLC is a member of FINRA & SIPC. All Rights Reserved.

The foregoing should not be deemed as an offer to buy an interest in any of the Needham Funds (the “Funds”). Shares are sold only through the currently effective prospectus. Complete information on the Needham Funds, including a current prospectus, is available for downloading and should be read prior to making any decision to invest. Click here to go to the Download Library. Investment in the Funds involves investment risk, including the possible loss of principal. Please read the prospectus and consider the investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses of the Funds carefully before you invest. The prospectus and the summary prospectus contain this and other information about the Funds.

The results contained on this site represent past performance of the Funds. Past performance does not guarantee future results and current performance may be higher or lower than these results. Performance current to the most recent month-end may be obtained by calling 1-800-625-7071. The Funds’ use of short sales, options and futures strategies and leverage may result in significant capital loss. Although the Fund is classified as “diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), the Fund may invest its assets in a smaller number of issuers than other, more diversified, funds. The Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) may be more vulnerable to changes in the market value of a single issuer or group of issuers and may be relatively more susceptible to adverse effects from any single corporate, industry, economic, market, political or regulatory occurrence than if the Fund’s investments consisted of securities issued by a larger number of issuers.

Total return figures include reinvestment of all dividends and capital gains. Investment returns and principal value will fluctuate and when redeemed, shares may be worth more or less than their original cost.

Needham & Company, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC, is the distributor of The Needham Funds, Inc.

THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION NOR HAS THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS DOCUMENT. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.

For details regarding the Needham Funds, please contact Needham Investment Management L.L.C. at 1-800-625-7071.