Investment process testing at GlobeFlex is driven by the continuing internal need for sound evidence. My job is to improve the overall quality of stock-picking information available.

In fine-tuning the ability to pick stocks, we have to follow a lot of blind alleys. But I enjoy the search. Bob Anslow and I have worked together for many years, and I know how much he loves doing research himself. So I try to be an extension of him, applying my understanding of portfolio management issues to the research work. As CIO, Bob's affinity for research and his openness to new ideas give us the freedom to share trial balloons and approaches. GlobeFlex's virtual investment team concept shows he understands it takes a no-interruption environment to make real inroads through innovative research.

One big push was testing by country. I made month-by-month calculations going back 10 years. It was a laborious process but in the end it added a lot of value. This kind of testing helped determine how country-specific dynamics guide where to buy stocks within each sector, and at what point to sell. It's a massive effort, made possible by the database flexibility we get from the efforts from Philson Associates. Researching and testing new ideas at this level of detail takes absolute tenacity.