the qualified plan experts

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Biographies

CORPORATE OFFICERS

Keith J. Gredys, J.D., CTFA, AIF®
CEO & COO

Keith Gredys co-founded Kidder Benefits Consultants in 1996 and has more than 25 years of investment, trust and pension administration experience. He is a recognized expert in investment management, fiduciary issues and qualified plan administration and has served a wide range of clients and sponsors — from sophisticated small plans to complicated large plans with participants and individual accounts exceeding $100 million.

Keith possesses a law degree (J.D.) and earned the professional designation of Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA), which covers the disciplines of fiduciary law, insurance, tax law, and investment management. He also has obtained the professional designation of Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®), which covers investment fiduciary standards of care and investment due diligence. He has conducted numerous seminars and continuing education programs on qualified retirement plans and fiduciary topics for individuals and professional groups across the Midwest. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Nebraska State Bar Association and was previously a Board member of the Central Iowa Chapter of the International Association for Financial Planning (now known as Financial Planning Association) and the Iowa Trust Association.

James L. Kidder, CPA, CPC
President

Jim Kidder co-founded Kidder Benefits Consultants in 1996 and has more than 25 years of pension consulting, design, and administration experience. As a Certified Pension Consultant (CPC) as well as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Jim has moderated numerous AICPA pension courses, including Pension and Profit Sharing Compliance, Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), and Advanced Problems in Pension and Profit Sharing Plans. He also conducts continuing legal and professional education seminars on qualified plans for CPA firms, law firms, bank trust departments and other professional associations. Jim previously served as employee benefits consultant and manager with a large public accounting firm and a large regional third-party administration firm.

Jim is a recognized expert in the design and implementation of Qualified Retirement Plans,
401(k) Plans, Flex Benefit/Cafeteria Plans, and Employee Stock Ownership Plans. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Iowa Society of CPAs and the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries. He has served on the AICPA Relations and Actuaries Committee, the Editorial Advisory Committee for the Journal of Accounting, and the AICPA Retirement Committee. Jim was the 1989–90 President of the Iowa Society of CPAs. He has served as a delegate for the National Summit on Retirement Savings sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor and hosted by the President and Congress.

John A. Feldt, CPC, QPA
Treasurer
Manager of Document and Design Services

John joined KBC in January 2005 and is responsible for overseeing document services, plan design services and compliance of all qualified plans, including preparation and drafting of all documents and related materials. John has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics from Iowa State University and brings more than 17 years of administration and document experience to our firm. He was most recently Manager of Pension Administration Services with Milliman, Inc., a national qualified plan consulting and administration firm. He was previously with American Century Retirement Plan Services and Aon Consulting, Inc., being responsible for their Defined Benefit Administration services. John is a Certified Pension Consultant (CPC) and a Qualified Pension Administrator (QPA) through the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries.

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CONSULTANTS

Stacy G. Van Blair, CRSP, QKA, AIFA®
Omaha, Nebraska

Stacy Van Blair is Manager of Sales and Marketing and has been an Regional Pension Consultant with KBC since 2001. He is responsible for managing all KBC Regional Pension Consultants and for developing and implementing sales and marketing plans for KBC. In addition, he is responsible for business development, plan design, consulting, and client servicing in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Western Iowa. Stacy has more than 25 years of experience in the pension field, working with plan design, consulting, sales and administration of plans ranging from small to very large and complex accounts with over 7,000 employees. He was previously Vice President/Senior Trust Officer and manager of Retirement Plans Services for First National Bank of Omaha, where he was responsible for over 400 accounts and assets of $1.2 billion.

Stacy has a bachelor’s degree from Upper Iowa University. He has earned the Certified Retirement Services Professional (CRSP) designation from the Institute of Certified Bankers, as well as the Qualified 401(k) Administrator designation (QKA). Stacy has also received the professional designation of Accredited Investment Fiduciary Auditor (AIFA®) sponsored through the Center for Fiduciary Studies and covers fiduciary standards of care and investment best practices related to qualified plans. He is also a member of the Pension Council of the Midlands and the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries.

Robert K. Abt, AIF®
Albuquerque, New Mexico

Bob Abt, Regional Pension Consultant, has nearly 20 years of qualified plan, investment, and private banking experience, serving the financial needs of business and high net worth clients. Bob is responsible for consulting, client service and business development in New Mexico, southern Colorado and northern Texas. He has obtained the professional designation of Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®), which covers investment fiduciary standards of care and investment due diligence. He has conducted numerous seminars and continuing education programs on qualified retirement plans and fiduciary topics for individuals and professional groups across the Southwest. He graduated Magna cum Laude from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut with a B.S. Degree in Business Management. Prior to joining KBC in 1999, Bob had a 12-year career with a large East Coast banking institution.

Robert G. Miller, QPFC
West Des Moines, Iowa

Bob Miller, Regional Pension Consultant, has more than ten years of qualified plan design, document and administration servicing experience and is responsible for business development, consulting and client servicing in Central and Eastern Iowa and Illinois. He joined KBC in 2005 and has earned his Qualified Plan Financial Consultant (QPFC) designation awarded by ASPPA and is currently working towards his Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) designation awarded by the Center for Fiduciary Studies. Bob has conducted numerous seminars and continuing education programs on qualified retirement plans for individuals and professional groups throughout the Midwest. He graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a B.A. in History and Education. He was previously Manager of the Benefit Plans Services Division of McDermott & Miller, P.C., the third largest CPA firm in Nebraska. He also has worked with Principal Financial Group in Qualified Plan Administration.

Eric W. Thronson, QKA, QPFC
Rochester, Minnesota

Eric Thronson, Regional Pension Consultant, has seven years of qualified plan, investment, and financial consulting experience, serving the financial needs of business and high net worth clients. He is responsible for consulting, client servicing, and business development in Minnesota, Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Eric has obtained his Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA) designation and his Qualified Plan Financial Consultant (QPFC) designation awarded by ASPPA and is currently working towards his Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) designation awarded by the Center for Fiduciary Studies. He has conducted seminars and continuing education programs on qualified retirement plans and fiduciary topics for individuals and professional groups throughout the upper Midwest. He attended Concordia College of St. Paul, Minnesota and has participated in extensive continuing education covering Advanced Financial Planning, Corporate Training, Business Succession and Alternative Investments. Prior to joining KBC in 2006, Eric had a six-year career with two national financial services firms.

Lynn Karabinas, CFP
Tucson, Arizona

Lynn Karabinas, Regional Pension Consultant, has more than 20 years of experience in qualified plan administration and is responsible for plan design, consulting and business development in Arizona. She was the founder and owner of Karabinas & Associates in Tucson, Arizona, which later became Pension Specialists, Inc. and was merged into Kidder Benefits Consultants in 2007. Lynn earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio State University in 1977 and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1981. Lynn has earned the CFP designation and is a member of the National Institute of Pension Administrators, the American Society of Pension Actuaries and the Western Pension Conference. She managed the corporate trust department of a Minneapolis bank prior to moving to Tucson in 1982.

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KEY ADMINISTRATION CONTACTS — West Des Moines

Judy A. King, QPA
Employee Benefits Administrator
Manager of Pension Services

Judy joined KBC in 2001. She is responsible for providing quality plan administration and recordkeeping services for Defined Contribution and Defined Benefit Plans. She is also responsible for 401KBC.com recordkeeping and is involved with setup and plan takeover services. Judy has more than 20 years of experience in qualified plan administration and recordkeeping services, working with large complex Defined Contribution and Defined Benefit plan clients and is a Qualified Pension Administrator (QPA). She previously served as Retirement Plan Services Operations Manager in the trust department for First National Bank of Omaha. She has additional experience with two third-party administration firms in Omaha as well as Principal Financial Group. Judy attended Iowa State University and is a member of the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries.

Carla B. Burgin, CPA (inactive), QPA
Senior Employee Benefits Administrator
Team Leader

Carla joined KBC in 1996. With more than 15 years of experience, she is responsible for providing qualified plan administration and recordkeeping services for our clients and is the technical expert for our Administration Software and 401KBC.com administration and operations. Carla holds a certificate as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), has been designated a Qualified Pension Administrator (QPA), is a member of the Iowa Society of CPAs and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. She is a graduate of Drake University, and she previously served as Pension Administrator at a CPA firm in Des Moines, Iowa.

Deena S. Dewbre, QKA
Employee Benefits Administrator

Deena has more than nine years of experience in employee benefits. She is responsible for providing quality plan administration and recordkeeping services for our clients. Prior to joining KBC in 2005, Deena served as a Pension Administrator at Padgett, Stratemann & Co., L.L.P. in San Antonio, Texas. She also has proven experience in third-party administration with Ameriprise Trust Company, formerly American Express Trust Company. Deena has been designated a Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA) and is a graduate of College of Santa Fe in Santa Fe, New Mexico, earning a degree in Business Administration with an Accounting concentration.

Molly L. Griswold, QKA
Document Design Specialist

Molly has nearly 20 years of experience in qualified retirement plan design and administration. She is responsible for the production of design, plan documents, amendments and selected documents for our clients. Prior to joining KBC in 2005, Molly was a Trust Administrator/Supervisor for a Division of Security National Bank. She also brings twelve years of experience as a Pension Administrator with Principal Financial Group. She has been designated a Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA) and continues to pursue continuing education in her area of expertise.

Jennifer S. Jensen, QKA
Employee Benefits Administrator
Team Leader

Jennifer has more than 13 years of experience in employee benefits. She is responsible for providing quality plan administration and recordkeeping for our clients with a special emphasis on Employer Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP). Jennifer has earned her Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA) designation awarded by ASPPA. Prior to joining KBC in 2004, Jennifer was Administrative Manager with Qualified Pension Services, LLC. She also has six years of experience with US Bank, where she was an Account Manager and technical resource for clients’ and participants’ administrative and compliance questions. Jennifer is a graduate of Buena Vista College with a B.A. degree in Accounting.

Kenneth N. Lenzmeier, CPC, CLU
Employee Benefits Administrator

Ken joined KBC in March 2008 and is responsible for providing qualified plan administration and recordkeeping services for our clients. He has more than 33 years of qualified plan administration experience in consulting firms, insurance companies and bank trust departments. He has provided administrative services for complex Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution Plans ranging in size from sole proprietors to a national firm with more than 40,000 participants. Immediately prior to joining KBC, Ken was the manager of retirement administration for an accounting firm headquartered in Mankato, Minnesota. He graduated from St. Thomas College in St. Paul and received his Certified Pension Consultant (CPC) designation from the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries.

Connie S. McCleary, J.D., QPA
Employee Benefits Administrator
Team Leader

With more than nine years of experience in qualified plan administration and human resources, Connie is responsible for providing qualified plan administration and recordkeeping services for our clients. She has obtained her Qualified Pension Administrator (QPA) designation awarded by ASPPA. Connie graduated from the University of Iowa with a bachelor’s degree and also received her law degree from the University of Iowa. Prior to joining KBC in 2006, Connie was the Compliance Analyst for the pension and 401(k) plans of a major global aerospace contractor located in Sacramento, California. She has additional prior experience with a West Coast third-party administrator, as well as with Watson Wyatt Worldwide.

Patricia G. Rubin, CRSP
Senior Employee Benefits Administrator
Team Leader

Trish has been with the KBC team since 1998. With more than 17 years of experience, she is responsible for providing qualified plan administration and recordkeeping services for our clients utilizing technology-driven investment solutions. She received the Certified Retirement Services Professional designation (CRSP) from the Institute of Certified Bankers, which demonstrates her expertise and professionalism in employee benefits. Trish graduated from William Penn College with a double degree in Accounting and Management. Prior to joining KBC, she was Assistant Vice President and Trust Officer with Union Planters Bank, N.A., now known as Regions Bank, in Des Moines, Iowa. She is also currently serving as Treasurer for the Iowa Chapter of the National Institute of Pension Administrators.

Melissa C. Ryan
Employee Benefits Administrator

Melissa has more than 15 years of experience in retirement benefits. She is responsible for providing quality plan administration and recordkeeping for our clients and is working towards obtaining her Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA) designation. Prior to joining KBC in 2007, Melissa worked as a retirement consultant for a third-party administrator in Spokane, Washington, and also with Principal Financial Group. She is a graduate of Iowa State University.

Brenda K. Sickels, QKA
Senior Employee Benefits Administrator
Team Leader

Brenda has more than 17 years of employee benefit, trust, and investment experience, working primarily with larger clients. She joined KBC in 2001 and is responsible for providing quality plan administration and recordkeeping services for our clients. Brenda previously served as Relationship Manager and Account Manager for employee benefit plans at US Bank. She has been designated a Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA) and is a graduate of Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa with a degree in International Business.

Neelkamal Manglik, CPA (inactive), QKA
Assistant Employee Benefits Administrator

Neel is responsible for providing recordkeeping services for our clients. Prior to joining KBC in 2003, she worked as a tax professional with H & R Block. She is a graduate of the University of Lucknow in India with a Masters Degree in Economics and has achieved the requirements for her QKA designation.

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KEY ADMINISTRATION CONTACTS — Tucson

Tammy Shinohara
Employee Benefits Administrator
Manager of Pension Services

Tammy joined the organization in 2001 and is responsible for providing quality plan administration services for Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution plans. Tammy manages all administration activities in our Tucson location and has more than 10 years of qualified plan administration experience. She is a 1987 graduate of the University of Arizona.

Kathy Casavant
Employee Benefits Administrator

Kathy joined the company in 2001 and is responsible for providing quality plan administration services for Defined Contribution plans. She has more than 15 years of qualified plan administration experience. Kathy is a 1981 graduate of Thomas Jefferson Medical University and attended University of Alaska with an emphasis in business administration and accounting.

Pamela Reil
Employee Benefits Administrator

Pam joined the organization in 2005 and is responsible for providing quality plan administration services for Defined Benefits and Defined Contribution plans. She has 25 years of qualified plan administration experience, working with both small and large plans. Pamela graduated from San Jose State University in 1976.

Melody Dunlap
Employee Benefits Administrator

Melody joined the company in 2005 and is responsible for providing quality plan administration services for Defined Contribution plans. She has more than 20 years of qualified plan administration and finance experience. Prior to joining our company, Melody served with Morgan Stanley. Her expertise on the brokerage side of the administrative process has proven to be of great value to our company and our clients.

Donna Bujnovsky
Document Design Specialist

Donna joined the organization in 2004 and has more than 25 years of experience in qualified retirement plan design and administration for both small and mid-sized plans. She is responsible for the production of design, plan documents, amendments and selected documents for our clients.

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CLIENT AND EDUCATION SERVICES

Jamie L. Bowlin
Investment Services Consultant

Jamie joined KBC in 2006 and is responsible for communicating with and serving our clients and financial professionals on investment issues, such as investment selection, usage, and investment policies. She assists KBC Consultants, Primary Administrators, and outside Financial Representatives in determining the appropriate investment vendor relationships for prospective clients. Jamie also conducts participant enrollment and education meetings for clients throughout the Midwest. Jamie has more than six years of qualified plan administration and investment services experience. She previously was employed with Liberty Bank in the Investment Services area and is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa.

Janis E. Reese, FLMI, ACS
Senior Investment Services Consultant

Janis joined the KBC team in 2001 and is responsible for communicating with and serving our clients and financial professionals on investment issues, such as investment selection, usage, and investment policies. She assists KBC Consultants, Primary Administrators and outside Financial Representatives in determining the appropriate investment vendor relationships for prospective clients. She also conducts participant enrollment and education meetings for clients throughout the Midwest. Janis has more than 25 years of qualified plan administration, trust, investment and banking services experience. She previously was with Principal Financial Group, where she administered large multi-million dollar plans. She was awarded the Fellowship of Life Management Institute (FLMI) designation, which demonstrates expertise in insurance-related matters.

Karen J. Rich
Client Services Coordinator

Karen provides educational and training support to KBC clients, as well as liaison services with our professional investment vendors, including insurance companies, mutual funds and brokerage operations. She coordinates employee educational programs for participants of retirement plans and works closely with the human resources and payroll departments of our clients and professional investment vendors. Karen has more than 25 years experience in securities and trust operations, most recently as a Trust Officer with US Bank. She joined KBC in 2001.

Tammy S. Braness
Client Services Coordinator

Tammy joined KBC in 2007 and provides educational and training support to our clients, as well as liaison services with our professional investment vendors, including insurance companies, mutual funds and brokerage operations. She coordinates employee education programs for participants of retirement plans and works closely with the human resources and payroll departments of our clients and professional investment vendors. Tammy has more than 18 years of experience in banking and trust investment services. Prior to joining KBC, she was with US Bank.

Ada K. Zimmerman
Manager — HR & Systems

Ada joined the firm in 2000 and manages our Human Resources, Office Management and Systems areas. She is responsible for employee staffing and benefits, as well as ensuring that we have the physical, technical and operating resources necessary to provide high quality services to our clients and centers of influence. She has more than 20 years experience in client services, marketing and database management. Prior to joining KBC, Ada was with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines.

Karol L. Morris, CPA, QPA
Senior Accountant

Karol serves our organization as Senior Accountant and has been with KBC since 1996. In this capacity, Karol is responsible for Financial Accounting and Reporting as well as Billing Services. She previously was Manager of Pension Services. Karol holds a certificate as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), has been designated as a Qualified Pension Administrator (QPA), and has over seventeen years of accounting and employee benefits experience. She is a graduate of Park College in Parkville, Missouri and has previously served as Employee Benefit Administrator with William M. Mercer, Inc., a large, national Employee Benefits Consulting and Administration firm. Karol is a member of the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Iowa Society of CPAs.

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