Savant Expands its Tax and Wealth Transfer Team

Addition of seasoned professional Andrew Welp further positions Savant as industry leader in building and transferring wealth

• With more than a decade of experience and expertise, Andrew J. Welp, CPA, JD, further enhances firm’s comprehensive financial planning services
• Growing wealth transfer and tax team bridges gap between building wealth and transferring wealth
• Increases support team to five attorneys and 13 certified public accountants

MADISON, WI (October 30, 2017) – Savant Capital Management, a nationally-recognized fee-only wealth management firm headquartered in Rockford, IL, with 11 additional offices in three states, including Madison and Park Falls, WI, announced that Andrew J. Welp, JD, CPA has been hired as its third dedicated wealth transfer advisor. He joins the firm’s growing tax and wealth transfer team that is led by Michael Cyrs, director of wealth advisory.

Welp is a member of the firm’s Planning Team and is responsible for overseeing the new in-house trust and estate settlement officers who were added to the team in 2017 and coordinating the necessary legal and tax matters in the estate and wealth transfer process for clients. He also maintains responsibility to act as a direct liaison with Savant’s affiliated trust company, Savant Private Trust, a division of National Advisors Trust Company.

“Savant is about the creation of wealth and, as importantly, the transfer of wealth,” said Brent Brodeski, CEO of Savant. “Andy will further enhance our ability to act as a conduit to help bridge the gap between our clients’ wealth accumulation and leaving the legacy they desire. We are thrilled to have Andy on the Savant team.”

The addition of Welp represents the firm’s commitment to meeting the comprehensive financial planning needs of its clients via a hand-on support team, which now has five attorneys and 13 certified public accountants who serve as advisor support within Savant and its affiliate, Savant Tax and Consulting.

“Savant drew me in because of the team’s broad range of disciplines that enable it to help more people build their ideal futures,” said Welp. “I value the team approach, the diversity of team members, and the strong relationships they have with clients and the communities we serve.”

Prior to joining Savant, Welp worked as head of finance, compliance, and operations for a financial planning firm. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Bradley University and a juris doctorate degree from Northern Illinois University College of Law. Welp is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Savant manages more than $5 billion in assets and employs more than 150 team members. Headquartered in Rockford, IL, Savant also has 11 offices in Chicago, Freeport, Geneva, Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Peoria, Sterling, and Wilmette, IL; McLean, VA; and Madison and Park Falls, WI.

About Savant Capital Management

Savant Capital Management is a leading independent, nationally-recognized, fee-only firm, serving clients for 30 years with more than $5 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 is regularly recognized among the top wealth managers in the United States. Savant was the recipient of the 2015 Best-in-Business IMPACT Award™, part of Schwab’s IMPACT Awards® program to recognize excellence in the business of independent financial advice. Savant has consistently received other industry recognitions including recently being included on the Forbes top 200 financial advisors list, the Barron’s top 20 independent advisory firms list, being named the #9 rated RIA firm by Financial Planning magazine, and included in additional top advisors lists by Financial Advisor magazine and InvestmentNews.

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 Savant’s services and may include lists or rankings published by magazines and other sources which are generally based exclusively on information prepared and submitted by the recognized advisor. Click here for more information about Savant or to view our Important Disclosures.

Savant Capital Management and its employees are independent of and are not employees or agents of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (“Schwab”). Schwab does not prepare, verify or endorse information distributed by Savant Capital Management. The Best-in-Business IMPACT Award™ is not an endorsement, testimonial endorsement, recommendation or referral to Savant Capital Management with respect to its investment advisory and other services.

Dr. Kambitsi Joins The Alliance as VP, Business Development & Member Services

MADISON, WIS., Oct. 25, 2017 –Dr. Melina Kambitsi has joined The Alliance^® as vice president of business development and member services. The Alliance is an employer-owned not-for-profit cooperative of more than 240 self-funded employers and not for profit insurance trusts.

In this role, Dr. Kambitsi will lead the team responsible for membership growth and retention of the cooperative.

Dr. Kambitsi comes to The Alliance from Network Health in Milwaukee and Menasha, Wis. where she was chief sales and strategy officer. In this role, she was responsible for sales and underwriting, strategic planning, product development and risk-based contract analytics. Earlier she was senior vice president of sales at Blue Cross Blue Shield in Honolulu, Hawaii and the vice president of sales, marketing and product development at Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Dr. Kambitsi received her bachelors in international studies and her masters and doctorate degrees in economic geography at The Ohio State University. She speaks Greek fluently as well as four other languages (Spanish, French, Romanian and Russian).

“Melina’s background and previous experience with health systems and insurance carriers from different regions of the country will add an important new perspective to the work of The Alliance,” said Cheryl DeMars, Alliance President and CEO. “We are eager to have her join our team.”

More than a provider network, The Alliance moves health care forward by controlling costs, improving quality and engaging individuals in their health. Members of the employer-owned, not-for-profit cooperative provide coverage to more than 80,000 individuals in Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa. The Alliance uses its purchasing power as a cooperative to negotiate with and provide access to an extensive network of doctors and hospitals paid to improve quality by performing better not doing more

Madison Kraus-Anderson hires Nate Yahn as senior project manager

Madison Kraus-Anderson hires Nate Yahn as senior project manager

 MADISON, Wis. (October 2017) – The Madison office of Kraus-Anderson Construction Company (KA), one of the Midwest’s oldest and largest commercial general contractors and construction managers, has hired Nate Yahn as senior project manager.

 Prior to joining KA, Yahn was a project manager for J.H. Findorff & Sons, Inc. of Madison, where he oversaw multimillion-dollar projects in various industry sectors.  He had also served as a project manager for Mortenson Construction in Minneapolis and Nunn Construction in Colorado Springs, Colo.
 
Yahn received his B.A. in Construction Management from Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colo.  He is a member of the Stoughton Rotary Club and Bioforward of Madison.
 
About Kraus-Anderson
Established in 1897, Kraus-Anderson® Construction Company (www.krausanderson.com) is one of the nation’s premier commercial general contractors and construction managers. Kraus-Anderson, an EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability employer, is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn. and has regional offices in Madison, Wis., Bismarck, N.D., and Duluth, Bemidji and Rochester Minn.

Contact: Kristin Popma,  Office Manager – (608) 838-5444 – kristin.popma@krausanderson.com

Wisconsin Bank and Trust’s Chimeng Yang to Serve on Special Olympics Wisconsin Board of Directors

Wisconsin Bank and Trust’s Cottage Grove Banking Center Manager Chimeng Yang was recently nominated to the Special Olympics Board for a three-year term as a Director. He will be responsible for meeting the needs of the athletes, setting policies, developing long-range goals, managing finances and supporting the president and staff of Special Olympics Wisconsin (SOWI).

“I’m honored to be joining the Special Olympics Wisconsin Board of Directors because this is something that hits home for me,” Yang said. “I’m looking forward to getting involved by helping and giving back to those that participate.”

SOWI works to provide year-round Olympic-type sports training and competitions for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. The organization hopes to develop and demonstrate the talents these individuals have in order to increase the public’s understanding of their capabilities and therefore create a more welcoming world.

Yang was referred to SOWI by a fellow Cottage Grove Chamber member because of his connections in Madison and Milwaukee. In addition to being a part of the Cottage Grove Chamber of Commerce, Yang is also on the Board of Directors for the Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce.

About Wisconsin Bank & Trust
Wisconsin Bank & Trust (WBT) is a business-focused community bank with assets more than $1.1 billion serving customers in the Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Sheboygan, Monroe and southwest areas of Wisconsin. From 17 banking centers and one mortgage origination office, WBT offers a wide range of personal and business banking, wealth management and mortgage lending services. The bank is a subsidiary of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ: HTLF), which has assets more than $9.6 billion. WBT is a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and an Equal Housing Lender. Learn more at www.wisconsinbankandtrust.com.

About Heartland Financial USA, Inc.
Heartland Financial USA, Inc. is a diversified financial services company with assets exceeding $9.6 billion. The company provides banking, mortgage, private client, investment, insurance and consumer finance services to individuals and businesses. Heartland currently has 121 banking locations serving 88 communities in Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Arizona, Montana, Colorado, Minnesota, Kansas, Missouri, Texas and California. Additional information about Heartland Financial USA, Inc. is available at www.htlf.com.

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ZEBRADOG Names Mr. Eric Holmer as User Experience Leader

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Chris Moore – ZEBRADOG
608-257-8400, info@zebradog.com 
ZEBRADOG Names Mr. Eric Holmer as User Experience Leader
Company Continues Innovating, Integrating Interactive Media into Public Spaces

MADISON, WI. – ZEBRADOG (aka ZD Studios), one of the nation’s leading experiential graphic design firms (https://www.zebradog.com), today announced the promotion of Mr. Eric Holmer as their Digital User Experience Leader within its award-winning media team. Mr. Holmer joined ZEBRADOG in 2014 as the Design/Media Strategist and has continued to evolve client media installations within a multitude of environments.

“Eric’s proven abilities to translate our client’s vision into fluid interactive solutions will continue to strengthen ZEBRADOG’s position as an industry leader in experiential media design and delivery,” said Chris Moore, New Media Director and Vice President of ZEBRADOG. 

Mr. Holmer brings his experience in user experience design, content strategy, digital media design and technology integration for large-scale projects around the world for a wide variety of ZEBRADOG clients. He has assisted on the design and development strategy for several award-winning digital media projects for organizations including; The Hall Group, Duke University Athletics, Aurora Health Care, Manpower Group, Livsreise Heritage Center, Northwestern University, Saudi Aramco and MillerCoors, amongst others.

Mr. Holmer received his Bachelor’s Degree in History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
 
About ZEBRADOG:
Located in the historic Sixth Ward Carnegie Library in Madison, Wisconsin, ZD was founded in 1992 by Creative Director Mark Schmitz. For 25 years, ZD has been thriving at the intersection of communication design and the built environment while delivering some of the most integrated, collaborative and evocative branded environments in America. The ZD staff of over 20 passionate professionals are versed in the disciplines of interior architecture, interactive media, graphic and interior design, wayfinding, construction management and technical writing all balanced to deliver modern storytelling solutions. The ZD culture thrives in collaborative environments and excels in delivering destination brand-based experiences with authenticity, grace and passion.