Eric Paul Schopf

Tufton Capital Management LLC (TCM) is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland. The firm was founded by James D. Hardesty in 1995 as Hardesty Capital Management Corp. TCM provides investment management services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, 401(k) plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations and corporations.

On March 10, 1864, the Maryland Legislature granted a charter incorporating the Safe Deposit Company as a secure repository for valuables, responding to concerns for the safety of Maryland's people and property in time of war. In 1876, the Safe Deposit was granted fiduciary powers and changed its name to Safe Deposit and Trust Company. This was the first corporate fiduciary in Maryland and one of the first in the nation. Mercantile Trust and Deposit merged with Safe Deposit and Trust Company in 1953 to form Mercantile-Safe Deposit and Trust Company (MSDT), which trades as Mercantile Bank & Trust. In 1969, Mercantile Bankshares Corporation (NASDAQ: MRKB) was organized as the first registered bank holding company in Maryland. With Mercantile Bank & Trust as its largest bank, Mercantile Bankshares began operations in September 1970. MSDT manages portfolios for individuals and institutions as well as the Mercantile family of mutual funds.