2014 Capital Market Outlook

Presented by Ferguson Wellman

March 12, 2014

Speakers:

Ralph Cole, CFA – Executive Vice President of Research

Lori Flexer, CFA – Executive Vice President

James Coats - Executive Vice President

Ferguson Wellman is pleased to participate in the March meeting for the Western Pension & Benefits Council. We will be presenting our 2014 Capital Market Outlook which provides our forward-looking analysis on the global economy and what we believe its impact will be on the markets in the coming year, including the possible implications for retirement and pension plans.

Founded in 1975, Ferguson Wellman Capital Management is a privately owned investment advisory firm, established in the Pacific Northwest. With more than 650 clients, the firm manages more than $3.8 billion in assets that comprise union and corporate retirement plans; endowments and foundations; and individuals with portfolios of $3 million or more. In 2013, we launched our new division, West Bearing Investments. West Bearing is dedicated to serving emerging and established wealth from $750,000 and above.

Speaker Biographies:

Ralph Cole, CFA, is a member of Ferguson Wellman’s equity team and Investment Policy Committee. Cole is our global financials analyst and is the lead portfolio manager on our REIT and International investment strategies. He also assists in the management of our industrials sector.  Before joining Ferguson Wellman in 1998, Cole worked as an investment officer for U.S. Bancorp of Oregon and Washington, and as a financial consultant for Merrill Lynch. While pursuing his master’s degree, he worked at Payden & Rygel Investment Council in Los Angeles, where he assisted in the development of two mutual funds.  Cole earned his M.B.A. from the University of Southern California and received his B.S. in finance and marketing from the University of Oregon.  He is a member and past president of the Chartered Financial Analysts Society of Portland; past president and current board member of the Oregon Club of Portland; vice chair and board member of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Oregon Chapter; and investment committee member for the Multnomah Athletic Club.  Cole is also past chair of United Way New Leaders Steering Committee. 

Lori Flexer, CFA, is executive vice president and portfolio manager for Ferguson Wellman and a member of the equity team managing consumer staples. She joined the firm in 1999 after a 14-year career with Standard Insurance Company, where she managed their securities department and served as an officer of the company. Flexer earned her B.A. in business administration from the University of Puget Sound.  She is a member of the Chartered Financial Analysts Society of Portland and has been recognized as one of Portland Monthly’s Five Star Professional Wealth Managers for three consecutive years.  Flexer is a board member of the Oregon Health & Science University Foundation, the Children’s Institute and the Portland Business Alliance. She was the founding chair of the Circle of Giving for the Center for Women’s Health at Oregon Health & Science University. Flexer is also past chair of the Oregon Trail Chapter of the American Red Cross, past chair of the Friends of the Children and is currently the Chair of the Friends of the Children Foundation. She is also a member of the President’s Council for the College of Urban & Public Affairs at Portland State University. Flexer was recently recognized by Portland State University’s Center for Women, Politics and Policy as the recipient of the 2013 Leadership Award in the civic category. 

Jim Coats leads efforts to introduce Ferguson Wellman’s investment expertise and services to prospective clients. Coats serves as a relationship manager for institutional clients and is a member of the firm’s alternative investments team.  Coats joined the firm in 2006 after serving as an associate consultant for R.V. Kuhns & Associates in Portland, Oregon. Upon completing a master’s degree with a concentration in international finance from Columbia University in 2001, Coats joined Morgan Stanley Capital International in New York City as a hedge fund index product manager and business development associate.  Coats graduated from Oregon State University with a B.A. in communications and a minor in Chinese. During his undergraduate studies, he studied at the Beijing University of Minority Nationalities and later taught English at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. Coats currently serves on the Oregon State University Alumni Advisory Committee and the Investment Committee for the Oregon State University Alumni Association. He is past treasurer of Boys & Girls Club of Portland.