3rd Annual Make a Difference - Wisconsin Investment Conference Held This Week



Brenda Campbell of Make a Difference - Wisconsin



On Wednesday, April 27, the 3rd annual Investment Conference was held by Make a Difference Wisconsin. Brenda Campbell, executive director of Make a Difference, and her volunteers organized another outstanding conference.  Campbell has helped that message reach more than 15,000 students in 68 area high schools. The nonprofit organization offers a five-hour curriculum on budgeting and saving, bank accounts, credit cards and credit history, reports and scores to high school students. Brenda Campbell has helped recruit more than 650 business volunteers who teach the course. The conference serves as the organization's major event of the year - and it was again deemed to be a huge success.

Brady Endl, Marquette University

Brady Endl, graduate assistant for Marquette's Applied Investment Management (AIM) program, volunteered to work at the event. He commented that he was impressed with the conference and was excited to be involved with the organization. Make a Difference's mission is to provide financial literacy programs and resources that empower students to make sound financial decisions. Their vision is to build strong communities where students and their families make informed financial decisions and take control of their financial future.


The 2011 investment conference featured Bill Ackman. Since starting Pershing Square Capital Management in 2004, Ackman has registered a 24% annual return and his firm ranks as one of the largest and most successful activist hedge funds. Other speakers included: Keith Salmon (M&I Investment Management), Daniel O'Keefe (Artisan Partners), and Rick Lane (Broadview Advisors).

Make A Difference in the classroom

Make A Difference Wisconsin, Inc. (MAD-WI) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to enrich the community by empowering students to make sound financial decisions. MAD-WI engages volunteers from the local business and professional community in the delivery of financial education.


Studies show that U.S. teens are graduating from high school without solid financial management skills. The lure of credit card offers and check-cashing stores, combined with a lack of money management education, sets many up for financial crises that can last a lifetime. We want to change that.

The program consists of three seminars focused on budgeting and saving, understanding checking accounts, and understanding credit cards, credit history/scores, and credit reports. The program is typically delivered over the course of six visits to the classroom. Volunteers present the program individually or in pairs and engage students by sharing personal and professional experiences related to financial literacy and through the use of several hands-on activities.

Make A Difference – Wisconsin is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and all contributions are tax-deductible. The MAD–WI program is funded through the generosity of local corporations, foundations, and individuals. MAD–WI receives no government funding and is not a United Way agency. All funds raised are used to provide financial literacy programming to Wisconsin youth. To become a sponsor or to make a donation, please follow this link to Make a Difference - Wisconsin.

Two more stocks added to the AIM Small Cap Equity Fund by the Class of 2012

AIM presentations on April 20

Following their third set of AIM equity presentations that were held on Wednesday, April 20, the students in the Class of 2012 voted to add two more stocks to the AIM small cap equity fund. 

Dr. David Krause, AIM program director, said, "The third round of AIM presentations was well received by the 23 students in the AIM Class of 2012 – and by the guest who included 12 students in the Class of 2011, Daniel Knight, Ross Michler, Brady Endl, and the following faculty and administrators: Dr. Linda M. Salchenberger the James H. Keyes Dean of the College of Business Administration; Dr. Mateo Arena, Assistant Professor of Finance; Dr. Don Giacomino, Professor of Accounting; Dr. Steven Lysonski, Professor of Marketing and Miles Research Scholar; and Dr. Jamshid C. Hosseini, Director of International Business Studies.”

Dr. Krause continued, “I was pleased that my colleagues were able to attend the presentations. The quality of the write-ups and oral presentations were very good considering this was the students first public stock pitches. The third set of pitches by the students in the AIM Class of 2012 was a success and we are looking forward to the last two sets of presentations on the next two Fridays."

Added to the AIM Small Cap Equity Fund were the following: 

Earthlink, Inc. [Ticker: ELNK]

Rupali Varma presented ELNK before the AIM students and guests in the AIM Room. EarthLink, Inc. provides Internet access and related value-added services to individual and business customers in the United States. The company provides secure IP-based networks, including virtual private networks; high-speed and dial-up Internet access for business customers; and wholesale services comprising network services to communications carriers. EarthLink primarily sells its products and services to telecommunications carriers and network resellers through direct sales force, telephone, Web sales groups, search engine marketing, affinity marketing partners, resellers, sales agents, referral partners, and marketing alliances. The company has strategic marketing alliance with Time Warner Cable Inc. and Bright House Networks. EarthLink was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

World Fuel Services Corporation [Ticker: INT]

Patrick Keeley presented INT to the Marquette AIM students and faculty on April 20.  World Fuel Services Corporation engages in the marketing and sale of marine, aviation, and land fuel products and related services worldwide. The company markets fuel and related services to petroleum distributors operating in the land transportation market, retail petroleum operators, and industrial, commercial, and government customers, as well as operates retail gasoline stations. Its land related services comprise management services for the procurement of fuel and price risk management. The company was founded in 1984 and is based in Miami, Florida.

Copies of all AIM student write-ups in PDF format can be found at: AIM web site.

Dan Williams Named Marquette University’s Diederich College of Communication 2011 Young Alumnus of the Year

Dan Williams, Citi Private Bank

Daniel J. Williams is a managing director and ultra-high net-worth private banker at Citi Private Bank in New York, where he manages the financial needs of ultra-high-net-worth families. His clients include corporate executives, financial sponsors, closely held business owners and entrepreneurs. Dan will be honored this weekend on the Marquette campus as the Diederich College of Communication’s 2011 Young Alumnus of the Year.

Dr. David Krause, AIM program director, said, “It is wonderful that Dan is being recognized with this prestigious award. Since we formed the AIM program in 2005, Dan has been one of the driving forces behind helping our students with NYC internships and career placements."   

Krause continued, “Besides organizing the annual Ins and Outs of Wall Street event on campus, Dan has spent literally hundreds of hours one-on-one with our students helping them with their resumes and career advising. Directly and indirectly through his efforts, he has probably impacted more Marquette finance students in the past five years than anyone off campus. He and the other NYC-based alumni have helped place an amazing number of Marquette students into the financial services industry. I am pleased that he is being recognized for his contributions with the Young Alumnus of the Year award. He is very deserving of the honor.”

Dan has more than 12 years of experience in the financial industry. Before joining Citi Private Bank, he was a managing director and private client advisor with US Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management in New York, where he was consistently ranked among the top private bankers in the country. Dan also has experience as a fixed income client portfolio manager with JPMorgan Fleming Asset Management, where he focused on institutional clients, including pension funds and endowments. In addition, Dan spent several years as an investment banker focused on the luxury, retail and apparel sectors at UBS Warburg and PaineWebber. Early in his career, Dan was a senior account manager with a boutique advertising firm in Chicago, where he worked on leading advertising campaigns for McDonald’s, Turtle Wax, Wrigley and the Ohio Art Co. (Etch A Sketch).

Dan received his M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, where he majored in accounting and finance. He received his bachelor of science in communication cum laude from Marquette University in 1992.

Dan Williams at an Ins and Outs event

Dan is committed to spending his time on charitable and community institutions. He serves as a member of the Planned Giving Advisory Committee of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Annual Dinner Committee for the American Ireland Fund in New York. He is also a member of the Finance Committee of Alpha Sigma Nu, the National Jesuit Honor Society. Dan is the former president of the Kellogg Alumni Club of New York and a former officer of the Marquette Club of Chicago, where he chaired the communications committee. He is a frequent advisor to Kellogg, Marquette and Loyola Academy Jesuit College Preparatory on national alumni, development and career placement issues. He was recently featured in Marquette Magazine for his work assisting Marquette students with focused career development and placement for key analyst training programs on Wall Street.

Dan resides in New York with his wife and daughter. And here’s a fun fact: Dan, originally from Wilmette, Ill., recalls that he wanted to be a doctor growing up. He decided against it because “the blood and mess were not too appealing.” 

Dr. Krause concluded, “Please join me in thanking Dan for his enormous contributions. Congratulations on the Young Alumnus of the Year award – it is well deserved.”

AIM Students Will Visit J.P. Morgan Trading Floor in Chicago on Friday

This Friday (April 29th) the AIM students and Dr. Krause, AIM program director, are headed to Chicago for eight equity presentations (follow the link for more information about the event). Following the student pitches we are headed to J.P. Morgan for a tour of their Chicago trading floor.

Thanks to the hospitality of Peter Rode (MU ’00), Executive Director, Interest Rate Risk Management, J.P. Morgan, Chicago, we will be able to visit their Sales & Trading operations. Peter was also a participant in the recently held 'Ins and Outs of Wall Street' event at Marquette.

J.P. Morgan, one of the largest investment banks with offices worldwide, offers products and solutions across a variety of platforms, including: Investment Banking, Treasury Services, and Securities Services. J.P. Morgan's investment banking business encompasses mergers and acquisitions, financial advisory and capital raising operations. As part of one of the largest derivatives houses in the world, the J.P. Morgan offers risk-management solutions including interest rate swaps, interest rate options, foreign exchange forwards and options, structured products, cross-currency swaps and government bonds.


The students are looking forward to the Chicago visit to J.P. Morgan. In past visits we have trekked to the Chicago trading facilities at Goldman Sachs and BMO Capital Markets. Dr. Krause, AIM program director, said, “We are thankful to Peter Rode for making our J.P. Morgan trip possible. Additionally, we are appreciative that Ted Neely of Goldman Sachs and Dave Kucera of BMO hosted our students. The Chicago ‘road trip’ is one of the highlights each semester for our students.”

Matt Rose Visits Dr. Krause's Alternative Investments Class

Matt Rose

On Tuesday, April 26, Matt Rose (AIM '07) visited Marquette's campus to speak to students in Dr. Krause's Alternative Investments class. Matt is an Associate Analyst with Alpha Consulting Group in Milwaukee. Matt holds a Bachelor of Science Degree with a Finance major from Marquette University and previously worked for Robert W. Baird & Co.

Alpha Consulting Group was founded by Robert Bukowski in 1989 and today is a leading independent, investment advising firm. Alpha helps investment committees and trustees assess their assets and portfolios, cash flows, and spending needs. They balance current assets and performance against what their clients hope to accomplish - considering each client’s cash flow needs and tolerance for risk. They develop detailed processes to help each foundation or endowment meet their fiduciary responsibilities. When preparing this process, they evaluate key inputs, including an organization’s spending policy, asset allocation and investment manager structure.

Alpha has built a diverse team of consulting analysts and a client base of some of the largest corporations, educational, philanthropic and healthcare organizations in the Midwest. They are now one of the largest independent investment consulting firms headquartered in Wisconsin.

Matt was a member of the Applied Investment Management Program, gaining invaluable hands-on security analysis and portfolio management experience. Since graduating in 2007, Matt has found the right environment for him at Alpha - his position matches his personality and passion for investments. He is excellent at providing the most up to date information, which gives him an edge in recommending the most beneficial and appropriate investment products.

In Dr. Krause's Alternative Investments class Matt talked about hedge funds and the due diligence process that Alpha follows. He was able to bring practical experiences and examples into the classroom. The presentation was well received by the students.

Dr. Krause said, "It was great having Matt back to campus. His background in evaluating hedge funds fit nicely into the curriculum. I know the students enjoyed hearing from him and they asked many questions about the industry and the investment process hedge funds follow. I appreciate the effort our alumni make to give back to MU - the visits to the classroom are especially appreciated.  It helps make the curriculum come to life for the students."

AIM Goes to Chicago - Follow Future Equity Presentations Live on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn

On Friday April 29th, the AIM students in the Class of 2012 will take their equity presentations on the road to the Marquette alumni and investment professionals in Chicago.

The order of presentations is listed in the table below.  Our thanks to Jennifer Sloan and the Marquette Team in Chicago for their hospitality and support of the AIM program. If you wish to attend, you can obtain additional details and RSVP at the following link.

Student Name	Stock Name	Ticker
Tom Kelly Senior Mentor: David Zakutansky	Acacia Research Corp.	ACTG
Jeff Hoffmeyer Senior Mentor: Tim O'Donnell	Bank of Marin Bancorp	BMRC
Colleen Osborne Senior Mentor: Peter Stucki	Ebix Inc.	EBIX
Harrison Davis Senior Mentor: Shannon Lawton	Exact Science Corp.	EXAS
Sajid Bhimani Senior Mentors: Christina Starkey and Ethan Matter	Giant Interactive	GA
James Carlson Senior Mentor: Kyle Boser	Nelnet Inc.	NNI
Nick Hiller Senior Mentor: Andrew Freedman	Omnivision Technology	OVTI
Dan Leibforth Senior Mentors: Kristin Holzhauer and Mark Rutherford	Horsehead Holdings Corp.	ZINC

Notice: You can now follow the AIM program on a variety of social media. Future presentations will be covered and posted live on Twitter. Follow the links below to choose your favorite social media source for the latest on the AIM program:

Website: MarquetteBuz/AIM

AIM Blog: AIM Program Blog

Twitter: Marquette AIM

Facebook: Marquette AIM

AIM Class of 2012 Assumes Portfolio Responsibilities and Makes Their First Stock Pitches

Dr. David Krause, Applied Investment Management director, said, "Thus far the AIM Class of 2012 student equity presentations have been successful. The first three sets of student pitches were well received and six of the stocks have already been added to the AIM Fund."


Entering the portfolio from the Heartland Advisors presentation were: American Campus Communities (ACC); WuXi PharaTech (WX); and Sensient Technologies (SXT). The stocks from the Timpani presentation selected into the AIM Fund were: Rio Tinto (RIO); Sotheby's (BID); and DoMoCo (DMC). The three stocks presented on April 20th in the AIM room will soon be voted upon by the students in the Class of 2012, who assumed responsibilities for the portfolio as of April 1.


The following contains the listing of the five sets of presentations to be delivered before the end of the spring semester:
  

In Chicago on Friday, April 29th, eight students will present the following stocks.

Finally, on Friday, May 6th at 2 pm, the following students will be making the final AIM equity presentations of the semester (in the AIM Room and on-line). These students, also in the Class of 2012, are still in the process of evaluating the stocks they are going to be presenting.

All past AIM equity write-ups since the inception of the program in 2005 can be viewed and searched at the AIM web site. Dr. Krause said, "We continue to work to enable our student presentations to be viewed on-line via video-conferencing. Stay tuned for more information as to how you can join us remotely for the May 6th presentations."

RSVP to Attend the AIM Program's Chicago "Road Show" Next Friday, April 29th

Marquette University’s AIM students are pitching eight stocks in Chicago on Friday, April 29, beginning at 11:00 am at 155 N. Wacker Drive. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to Dr. David Krause at: david.krause@marquette.edu or Jennifer Sloan (in Marquette's Chicago office) at: jennifer.sloan@marquette.edu. You can also call Jennifer at (312) 739-2424 if you need directions or additional information about the event. We hope you can attend.

The first set of four AIM student presentations will begin at 11:00am and should last until about noon. We will then have a 15 minute lunch break that will be followed at 12:15pm by the second set of four AIM student presentations which should last until about 1:15pm. (You are invited to both sets of presentations; however, we understand that some of you will only be able to participate in one of the two sessions.) The order of the presentations is alphabetical by ticker.

Each student will spend about 3-5 minutes presenting their formal recommendation – which will then be followed by about 5-7 minutes of questions and answers. Students’ names and presentation materials will be sent to you a few days before the event – and it will be posted on Tuesday, April 26th at: AIM equity write-ups.

If you cannot attend, please feel free to e-mail questions that you would like asked during the Q&A period. You are also welcome to invite a colleague to join you for the presentations. We believe you will enjoy being a part of the fourth AIM Chicago “Road Show.”

AIM Class of 2012 adds 3 more stocks to the portfolio

Following their second set of AIM equity presentations that were held on Friday, April 15, the students in the Class of 2012 voted to add three more stocks to the AIM small cap equity and international equity funds. Dr. Krause, AIM program director, said, "The second round of AIM presentations was well received by the professionals at Timpani Capital Management. I was pleased with the quality of the write-ups and oral presentations. The second ‘road show’ by the students in the AIM Class of 2012 was also a success."

Added to the AIM International Equity Fund were:

NTT DoCoMo, Inc. [Ticker: DCM].
Jon Nolan presented the stock to the AIM students and a group of professionals at Timpani Capital Management last Friday. NTT DoCoMo, Inc. provides wireless telecommunications services, packet communications services, and satellite mobile communications services in Japan. It offers wireless voice and data communication services, such as second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G) cellular services, and mobile multimedia services. The company has more than 56 million cellular subscribers. 

Rio Tinto, plc [Ticker: RIO]. 

Jake Brull presented Rio Tinto, plc. The company engages in finding, mining, and processing mineral resources. RIO produces aluminum products, including bauxite, alumina, and aluminium; copper, gold, molybdenum, silver, and nickel, as well as sulphuric acid; diamonds; industrial minerals, such as borates, titanium dioxide feedstocks, talc, high purity iron, salt, metal powders, zircon, and rutile; thermal and coking coal, and uranium; and iron ore. It primarily operates in Australia, North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and Africa. The company was founded in 1873 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. 

Added to the AIM Small Cap Equity Fund was the following:

Sotheby’s [Ticker: BID].

Chris Gwinn presented BID before the AIM students and professionals at Timpani Capital Management. Sotheby’s was founded in 1744 and is headquartered in New York, New York. BID operates as an auctioneer of fine and decorative art, jewelry, and collectibles primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and France. The company operates in three segments: Auction, Finance, and Dealer.


Copies of all AIM student write-ups in PDF format can be found at: AIM web site.

AIM CLASS OF 2011

Large Group of Faculty and Students Attend Today's AIM Equity Presentations

Over 40 people were in attendance today in the AIM Room in the Marquette College of Business Administration to view the three AIM student equity presentations. The AIM students in the Class of 2012 that presented were: Rupali Varma, Caitlin McMahon, and Patrick Keeley. The stocks they presented are displayed in the table below (click on the image below to enlarge the image).

Besides the 23 students in the AIM Class of 2012, the audience included 12 students in the Class of 2011, Daniel Knight, Ross Michler, Brady Endl, and the following faculty and administrators:

• Dr. Linda M. Salchenberger the James H. Keyes Dean of the College of Business Administration
• Dr. Mateo Arena, Assistant Professor of Finance
• Dr. Don Giacomino, Professor of Accounting
• Dr. Steven Lysonski, Professor of Marketing and Miles Research Scholar
• Dr. Jamshid C. Hosseini, Director of International Business Studies



Rupali Varma presents ELNK



The presentations were well received. The students presented for about 5 minutes and then answered audience questions for 10 minutes. Dean Linda Salchenberger was impressed with the quality of the presentations. She said, "I enjoyed the student pitches. They were well prepared and did an excellent job answering questions on the fly. I continue to be impressed by the students in the AIM program; they are well prepared to enter the world of finance."

Dr. David Krause, AIM program director, stated, "These were some interesting stocks that the students presented today. An Internet company, a baby clothier, and a specialty fuel wholesaler. I believe that this assortment of companies gave our guests a good idea about the diversity of sectors and companies that the students follow in the AIM program. I was very pleased that my colleagues were able to attend the pitches today - I know it might have been a bit more pressure for the AIM student presenters, but they did a nice job."



Dean Salchenberger and students at AIM presentations



Today's student write-ups can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/3pqpyoa and all AIM equity write-ups can be found at: http://business.marquette.edu/centers-and-programs/aimp-student-equity-write-ups.

The next set of student presentations will be held on April 29th in Chicago. Eight AIM students will present their research before a group of Marquette alumni who work in the Chicago financial community. Additional information will be posted next week about the upcoming presentations.