Month: January 2020
Photo by Richard Hurd
Savant Capital Management and Huber Financial Advisors Announce Merger
- Increases Savant’s assets to $8 billion nationally
- Becomes one of the nation’s largest independent and privately owned fee-only firms
- Firm well-positioned to reach its goal of improving 1 million lives in 25 years
MADISON, Wis. (Jan. 8, 2020) – Savant Capital Management, a nationally recognized, fee-only wealth management firm headquartered in Rockford, IL, with additional locations in Madison and Park Falls, and Huber Financial Advisors, an independent wealth management firm, today announced that they will merge during the first quarter of 2020. The combined firm will become one of the nation’s largest independent and privately owned fee-only Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) firms, increasing Savant’s assets under management (AUM) to $8 billion overall, and employing over 200 people.
Huber Financial Advisors will adopt the Savant Capital Management name and branding after the integration, which is expected to finalize by March 31, 2020. The owners of Huber Financial Advisors will transition their current equity into Savant and several plan to increase their stake over time. In addition, several additional Huber Financial Advisors team members will become Savant owners at closing. Once combined, Savant will have over 70 employee owners and remain both employee-led and controlled. Savant will have broader employee ownership than nearly any other advisory firm in the industry.
Founded in 1988 by David Huber, Huber Financial Advisors has become a leading RIA firm with 28 employees and serving more than 1,000 families and businesses. Merging with Savant presents an opportunity to significantly enhance Huber Financial Advisors’ capabilities and offerings including Savant’s in-house accounting, estate, trust, wealth transfer, and sophisticated business consulting services.
“This transaction represents two decades of mutual respect for each other’s organizations. Our firms share similar internal cultural and core values as well as parallel philosophies in servicing our clients and providing fiduciary excellence to them,” said Brent Brodeski, Savant’s CEO. “We look forward to welcoming Huber Financial Advisors’ team members to the Savant team and further enhancing services to their clients.”
Huber said, “Since starting Huber Financial in 1988, I have always put our clients first in every decision. Our entire team is delighted to be partnering with Savant and we are all excited about our future, and the opportunities that it represents for our clients and employees.”
Huber Financial Advisors’ leadership will integrate with Savant’s executive team and work together to realize a shared, long-term vision. In addition to working with clients, David Huber, CFP® will have an advisory role to Savant’s board of directors; Rob Morrison, CFP®, will be a member of Savant’s executive team; and Phil Huber, CFA, CFP® will become Savant’s chief investment officer.
The merger will allow Savant to continue its quest to improve more than 1 million lives within the next 25 years. The objective is to improve lives financially, professionally, educationally, philanthropically, and in myriad other ways. Lives might be improved directly (clients and team members), indirectly (participants of retirement plans managed by Savant), or tangentially (beneficiaries of the good work done by non-profits that Savant, Savant’s clients, and Savant team members support).
About Savant Capital Management
Savant Capital Management is a leading independent, nationally recognized, fee-only firm serving clients for 30 years with more than $6 billion in assets under management. As a trusted advisor, Savant Capital Management offers investment management, financial planning, retirement plan, and family office services to financially established individuals and institutions. Savant also offers corporate accounting, tax preparation, payroll and consulting through its affiliate, Savant Tax & Consulting.
Savant Capital Management is a Registered Investment Advisor. Savant’s marketing material should not be construed by any existing or prospective client as a guarantee that they will experience a certain level of results if they engage the advisor’s services. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Please Note: “Ideal” is not intended to give assurance as to achieving successful results. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk. Please see Important Disclosures at savantcapital.com.
Savant is headquartered in Rockford, with locations in Bloomington, Chicago, Downers Grove, Freeport, Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Peoria, St. Charles, Sterling, and Wilmette, IL; Phoenix, AZ; Santa Fe, NM; Madison and Park Falls, WI; and McLean, VA.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. (CFP Board) owns the certification marks CFP® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ in the U.S., which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.
About Huber Financial Advisors
Huber Financial Advisors, LLC, an independent wealth management firm headquartered in Lincolnshire, Illinois, is an investment adviser registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm advises on more than $1.6 billion in total assets from clients consisting of individuals, high net worth individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations. More information is available at www.huberfinancial.com.
Photo by Richard Hurd
Naviant, Inc. Acquires Business Process Automation Provider in Orem, UT
Media contact: Liz Skolaski | 888.686.8789 x 892 | lskolaski@naviant.com
Naviant, Inc. Acquires Business Process Automation Provider in Orem, UT
Orem, UT & Verona, WI & Akron, OH – January 9, 2020 – Naviant, Inc., a leading provider of intelligent automation solutions by Hyland Software and Kryon Systems, announced today that it has signed an agreement to acquire DoxTek. DoxTek is a business process automation provider based in Orem, UT and a licensed reseller of OnBase by Hyland and ABBYY.
As a top Hyland partner, Naviant has been consistently named an OnBase Platinum and Diamond Support partner year after year with a thriving and happy client base. “We are very excited to expand our footprint and combine DoxTek’s powerful customer base and talent with Naviant’s strong commitment to excellent support and delivery for our clients,” said Michael Carr, President & CEO, at Naviant.
“Hyland fully supports this acquisition, and we believe Naviant is a shining example of a partner that provides exemplary delivery and support to their clients. In fact, Naviant was recently named the Top Capture Partner of the Year, Commercial Partner of the Year, and #1 Partner in Marketing Excellence by Hyland Software,” said Eric Miller, Director of Channel at Hyland.
Joe Rayfield, VP Americas/Japan/Australia/NZ of ABBYY Group says, “We are excited to partner with Naviant to continue to grow and support DoxTek’s ABBYY client base, and we look forward to Naviant’s continued investment in the Digital IQ market.”
Michael Miles, President & CEO of DoxTek, says “For 20 years I have built a company based on the principles of teamwork, integrity, customer success and continuous improvement. I am grateful and excited to add our family of customers and employees to a company in Naviant who share these same values. This focus has propelled Naviant to be one of the top content service and business process automation providers in the industry. Naviant brings expanded capabilities in robotic process automation (RPA), SAP integration and business process management (BPM) that enhance the technology expertise DoxTek is known for. The future for us and our customers has never been brighter!”
Liz Skolaski, EVP & COO for Naviant adds, “I personally look forward to welcoming DoxTek clients and staff into our culture and the Naviant Community. We are excited to deliver on our promise of delivering a better experience and a strong culture of support and partnership.”
About Naviant
Business processes and solutions that empower better and faster decisions are what we do best. As a nationally-recognized intelligent automation solutions integrator and business process consulting organization with over 30 years of experience headquartered in Verona WI, our clients do more with less by streamlining processes and gaining visibility into the information they need to make better decisions. As a long-standing key partner of Hyland Software, Naviant helps organizations operate more efficiently using the OnBase software platform, ABBYY and Brainware intelligent capture platforms, and Kryon Robotic Process Automation platform. Naviant’s “process-first” approach brings focus to the importance of process improvement prior to implementing best-in-class ECM solutions and technology. Naviant is a top-tier partner for OnBase, a single enterprise information platform for managing content, processes, and cases, that combines ECM, case management, business process management (BPM), records management, compliance, and capture functionality on a single platform. In addition, Naviant also partners with Kryon Systems for Robotics Process Automation (RPA) technology to enable organizations to drive business agility and efficiency by offloading repetitive high-volume work to a digital workforce (aka software robots). To learn more about Naviant, please visit naviant.com. Process focus. Excellence.
Photo by Richard Hurd
Sean LaBorde Named President of M3 Insurance
Sean LaBorde has been named president of M3 Insurance, effective January 1, 2020. Mike Victorson will continue to serve as the agency’s chief executive officer (CEO). In an effort to continue growing the agency, this decision gives LaBorde and Victorson the opportunity to focus on different areas of the business.

LaBorde has been a member of M3’s team since 1997, serving in a variety of capacities throughout his tenure, including his most recent role as executive vice president of sales and marketing. “It’s an honor to be named president of an agency that has given and taught me so much throughout my career,” said LaBorde. “I’m excited to help lead M3 by remaining committed to doing what’s right for our clients, colleagues, industry partners and communities.”
Victorson started with M3 in 1992 and has served as M3’s president since 2003. As CEO, he will continue to focus on the strategic direction, investment strategy, and culture of the agency to help further enhance the M3 brand.
“Sean being named president comes at a time of strength for the agency,” said Victorson. “As we pursue new opportunities and areas of growth, it’s crucial to have the right foundation in place to support M3 for many years to come.”
About M3
M3 is the largest insurance broker and risk management firm in the state of Wisconsin. As a top 50 broker in America, we’re leaders in the products we represent and the industries we serve. M3’s people are an extension of your team, providing world-class resources to help you manage risk, purchase insurance, and provide employee benefits. And our focus on community builds better places to live and work.
Photo by Richard Hurd
Brigadier General Rob Palmer to be honored at promotion ceremony in Washington, D.C.
MADISON, Wis.—Jan. 8, 2020—Rob Palmer, Vice President of Government Relations at WPS Health Solutions, will be honored during an Air Force Reserve promotion ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 10. The U.S. Senate confirmed Palmer’s promotion to Brigadier General on Nov. 21.
In his military role, Palmer serves in the Pentagon as the Mobilization Assistant to the Air Force Director of Public Affairs, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force.
Palmer has attained the highest possible rank in the Air Force Reserve for a public affairs officer. He is responsible for providing public affairs policy and communications strategies to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and other senior leaders on critical issues like recruiting, readiness, operations, force structure, and personnel.
Speaking of his promotion, Palmer says, “It is both a tremendous honor and deeply humbling, and I know that I could have never done this without the help and mentorship of the unbelievable men and women with whom I’ve served.”
He typically spends 24 to 36 days a year at the Pentagon.
“I couldn’t be successful in the Air Force Reserve without the support of WPS Health Solutions President and CEO Mike Hamerlik and WPS Health Solutions as a civilian employer,” Palmer says.
“Balancing work, military, and home life is the greatest challenge any Reservist or Guardsman faces. For the civilian employer, the military, and the family, it requires a great deal of flexibility and understanding. For the Reservist, it requires a constant balancing effort.”
Since childhood, Palmer knew he wanted to serve in the military. “My dad was an Army Reservist when I was born,” he says. “I attended college on an Army ROTC scholarship and served in the Army National Guard until 2003 when I joined the Air Force Reserve.”
Palmer and his wife, Kim, live in Oregon, Wis., and have two sons. Grant is a theater student at DePaul University in Chicago. Andrew, a junior at Oregon High School, plans to apply for an appointment to the Air Force Academy.
“What has been really heartwarming for me is that Kim and the boys have been more excited about my promotion than I have,” Palmer says. “They should be, because it is as much theirs as it is mine.”
Palmer earned a master’s degree in international affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Massachusetts. He also earned a master’s degree from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina.
Palmer joined WPS Health Solutions in August 2015. He represents the company to the Wisconsin Legislature and the U.S. Congress, state and federal agencies, and military beneficiary associations.
About WPS Health Solutions
WPS Health Solutions is a nationally regarded government contractor and a leading Wisconsin not-for-profit health insurer. The WPS Health Insurance division offers affordable health plans and benefits administration. The WPS Government Health Administrators division administers Part A and B Medicare benefits for millions of seniors in multiple states, and the WPS Military and Veterans Health division serves millions more members who are active in the U.S. military, veterans and their families. In 2019, the international Ethisphere® Institute named WPS one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® for the 10th straight year. For more information, please visit wpshealthsolutions.com.
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Note to editors: Palmer’s military biography (with link to high-resolution photo) is online at https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/2038403/brigadier-general-robert-p-palmer/
Photo by Richard Hurd
Capitol Bank Hires Jill Mack as Vice President Private Banking
Madison, WI: Ken Thompson, President and CEO of Capitol Bank, is pleased to announce the hiring of Jill Mack as Vice President Private Banking. Jill comes to Capitol Bank with over 30 years of banking experience, 19 of which she has specialized in private banking. A graduate from the University of Wisconsin – Madison with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, Investment and Banking, Jill also holds a Certified Wealth Strategist Designation.
“Jill’s unique skillset will be an asset when providing tailored service to our Private Banking clients,” said Thompson.
Jill currently serves as a Board Member for Friends of UW Health. Her previous involvement includes Board Chair of Breast Cancer Recovery and a Ronald McDonald House volunteer.
Watching and attending Badgers, Packers and Brewers sporting events are Jill’s favorite ways to spend time with her husband and two children. Jill especially enjoys hockey and is an avid reader.

About Capitol Bank: Capitol Bank, locally-owned and operated since 1995, is committed to serving the communities in which we live, work and do business. We are proud of the partnerships we have established with organizations, businesses and individuals in the Dane County area. Our philosophy of community support is demonstrated at the corporate level, as well as in the time and energy our employees devote to our community each year. Capitol Bank is Member FDIC.