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BOSTON—“The sun is shining on the city of Boston,” observedBruce Percelay, chairman and founder of theMount Vernon Co., and while a look out any of thewindows at the State Room conference facility duringRealShare Boston on Tuesday would verify thatPercelay's comment was literally true, he wasn't talking about theweather. Peter Merrigan, CEO and founding partnerof Taurus and another member of the conference'sTown Hall Power Panel, put it another way: “If you're not having agood time in this business right now, you should probably findanother business.” Added John Hynes III, CEO andmanaging partner of Boston Global Investors, “I'vebeen in the business for 35 years, and this certainly feels like ahigh watermark to me.”

The bullish outlook carried through the half-day conference,which drew approximately 200 industry professionals to a RealShareevent that was last held in New England's largest city in 2008.Following the downturn, the city came back earlier than many and,arguably, stronger than most.