Untitled - Global Platinum Securities

GLOBAL PLATINUM SECURITIES PROFILE 2007
Contents
The GPS Creed
3
GPS Album
9
About Global Platinum Securities
4
GPS Recruiting
10
The Team
5
GPS Administrative Groups
11
Investment Policy Statement
6
GPS Analyst Program
12
Asset Allocation Rationale
7
GPS Founding Student Partners
13
Giving Back
8
GPS Professional Advisory Board
15
2
The GPS Creed
We believe that ethics should take absolute
precedence and profit at the price of integrity is no profit at all.
We believe that those who have been blessed
with prosperity should help those in need
and that donating time and knowledge
is more important than simply writing a
check.
We believe that learning through experience
is just as important as learning the theory
and that the process of learning should be
interesting and intellectually engaging.
We believe that through friendship, we can
learn from each other, and through mentorship wisdom can be passed down so
youth can learn from history.
We believe that people should be active investors having input in their investments
learning about the companies they invest
in learning about the industries they invest
in purchasing the underlying business
rather than the stock.
We believe that by doing what we love, by being well-informed, by being well-educated,
by doing due diligence we can profit.
3
About Global Platinum Securities
The main goal of GPS is to
promote investment education and foster friendship within
future generations of passionate and intellectually curious
business leaders.
Global Platinum Securities™ is a student-run investment fund that seeks to educate the next generation of investors by immersing them in a highly
interactive learning experience that solidifies
the principles of investing while fostering social
responsibility.
GPS, like any profit-seeking enterprise, wishes to
maximize its return on investment. However, we do
not strictly seek financial gains because we cannot
find a more worthy return than knowledge. We
wish to profit by upholding an ethical code of conduct, by educating, by mentoring, and by fostering
life-long friendships and the flow of ideas among
ourselvesand our mentors. Students’ and mentors’
involvement in GPS is an investment in the future.
However, GPS is far from an ordinary investment
vehicle. Its members are a group of students who
hail from some of the world’s most renowned
colleges and universities. Under the guidance of
professional mentors, students work pro bono,
conducting fundamental research that determines
the fund’s holdings. Furthermore, in an effort to
promote financial literacy, Global Platinum Securities™ capitalizes on the group’s diversity and
wealth of knowledge by giving back to the community through charitable and volunteer efforts.
As a member of GPS, students acquire a broad, but
in-depth education and will:
• Learn how to create an investment vehicle from
the ground up
• Learn how to create a balanced portfolio for varying risk levels
• Learn how to establish an investment track record
• Learn a variety of valuation techniques, including
discounted cash flow analysis
• Gain a first hand, in-depth understanding of fiduciary responsibility and entrepreneurship
4
The Team
Sean Meier
Partner
Tim Shannon
Partner
Rufino Mendoza
Partner
Ken Talanian
Partner
Helen Weng
Chief Executive Officer
Harvard University
Onnig Terzian
Chief Operating Officer
Georgetown University
Hoshrav Patel
Portfolio Manager
New York University
Charles Robertson
Portfolio Manager
University of Colorado
Daniel Vyravipillai
Chief Financial Officer
London School of Economics
Sun-Young Chung
Chief Marketing Officer
Harvard University
Michael Plumlee
Chief Technology Officer
Harvard University
Jimmy Zhu
Vice President of Strategic Affairs
Massachussetts Institute of Technology
Howard Chang
Vice President of Internal Relations
Georgetown University
Roman Smukler
Vice President of Internal Relations
New York University
Lauren Carter
Vice President of Eduacation
University of Colorado
Juan Prajogo
Vice President of Education
Massachussetts Institute of Technology
Samir Sheth
Chair of Admissions
University of Pennsylvania
Kaavya Viswanathan
Chair of Admissions
Harvard University
Kent Choi
Member
London School of Economics
Brina Pollack
Member
Georgetown University
Cankut Durgan
Member
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Victor Wang
Member
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Pierre Brunet
Member
London School of Economics
Ken Li Chung
Member
London School of Economics
Subhen Jeyaindran
Member
London School of Economics
Farah Fard
Member
London School of Economics
5
Investment Policy
Statement and
Objectives
The Club seeks regular income, conservation of principal and an opportunity for long-term
growth of principal and income via growth and
value strategies. Principal Investment Strategies
The Club invests in a diversified portfolio of common stocks. In selecting equity investments, the
Club invests in companies that, in our opinion, appear to be temporarily undervalued by the stock
market and have a favorable outlook for longterm growth. The Club focuses on the underlying
financial condition and prospects of individual
companies, including future earnings, cash flow
and dividends. Companies are also selected with
an emphasis on financial strength and sound competitive position. Additionally, GPS may invest the
Club’s assets in bonds, currencies, or cash equivalent investments. The club will not speculate in
any futures (namely commodities).
for on-trend product line and sustainable, positive income streams. We seek to minimize risk via
thorough analysis of the company focus, product
line, financial condition, and management team.
Our typical analysis process includes:
1) Thorough analysis of company focus and
competitive strategy (Porter Five Forces
Analysis)
2) Financial models based on discounted
cash flow schedules, operating margins,
and intrinsic value
3) Review of management history and potential changes in management direction
4) Scalability/Addressable Market analysis
5) Macroeconomic and sector analysis
6) Federal policy/Regulatory analysis
We at GPS follow tried and true portfolio
theories. We believe in line-by-line, bottom-up
fundamental analysis and accounting review, but
center our faith and beliefs on the foundations of
cash flow yield investing. We seek companies
This six core focus minimizes risk in times
of stable economic conditions.
6
Asset Allocation
Rationale
The Club seeks long term capital
appreciation. Thus, performance must be
measured over the course of a market cycle.
Investments will be selected and monitored
with the skill, care and diligence that a prudent individual acting in a like capacity would
undertake.
We subscribe to buy and hold theory,
but constantly review our picks to consider
asset reallocation. We feel that such investment from a business perspective, a complete
bottom-up, fundamental analysis of each
company, not only limits risk, but teaches our
group invaluable lessons in corporate finance,
accounting, quantitative and qualitative economic indicators, valuation, and the ins and
outs of successful business practices.
Our investment portfolio will be
initially divided amongst fifteen to twenty
equities, which represent the companies that
we expect to outperform the market in the
long term. In designing our investment portfolio, we will employ the time tested security
analysis strategies of Benjamin Graham, Peter
Lynch, Warren Buffett, and Charlie Munger,
among others. We will focus on both growth
and value. A company must show both a positive growth outlook and be deemed attractive
according to its intrinsic value.
In addition to bottom-up financial
analysis, we will employ top-down macroeconomic strategies to determine proper sector
weightings. We will benchmark our asset allocation and performance to the S&P 500 index
yearly weightings (underweight, marketweight,
overweight).
7
Giving Back
“We make a living by what
we get, we make a life by
what we give.”
Elemental in the development of any
leader is the practice of reaching out to one’s own
community. We at GPS know the true value of
both time and monetary charities to the communities that have been instrumental in creating who
we are today. These commitments, coupled with
a significant donation of funds made possible by
successful investment in the GPS portfolio, make
up GPS Giving Back.
Sir Winston Churchill, 1874-1965
The majority of GPS student members
work together in small teams on college campuses across the nations, enabling them to not
only research together, but make an impact on
their community together. We recognize that
donations are not limited to money, but are most
dramatic when time and energy are added. GPS
will donate money and time to charities whose
mission echoes our own of developing the leaders
of tomorrow and have demonstrated the ability
to produce quality deliverables on donations it
receives. As an investment club, we also have a duty
to provide returns on the capital with which our
investors entrust us. Our goal of making a minimal
donation of $1,000 to charities of our choice from
realized portfolio gains ensures adherence both to
our fiduciary promise as well as our commitment
to the community.
8
GPS Album
1
3
2
4
1) Founding student members meet with Matt
Lauer, Katie Couric, and Ann Curry at the Today
Show in New York City
2) Beau Beckley and Tim Shannon pose with
Warren Buffett’s bull at the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting in Omaha,
Nebraska.
3) Founding members Tim and Beau meet with
“the Fruits of the Loom” at the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Exposition.
5
9
4) Harvard Chapter at Berkshire Hathaway with
Warren Buffett.
5) Team GPS attends a speech by Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger at PGA West Resort in
La Quinta, California.
GPS Recruiting
What do we look for in GPS candidates?
G Generous, grounded, group-oriented
P Proactive, passionate, people-oriented
S Sincere, savvy, smart, studious
A strong GPS candidate is:
Passionate
Intellectually curious
Creative
Proactive
GPS Student Member Responsibilities:
Weekly:
• Attendance at GPS company-wide meeting
(2 hours).
• Attendance at sector specific meeting (1
hour).
• Participation in one of the administrative
group meetings (1 hour).
• Selection of sector specific articles.
Monthly:
• Submission of GPS report on a security of
choice.
10
GPS Administrative
Groups
GPS divides operating tasks beyond security analysis among the following administrative
groups. Members apply for administrative positions each September and are chosen based on
individual skill sets and expressed interest.
professionals and senior student members;
and (4) seeks out conferences, lectures, and
programs that would educate members.
The Technology Group
The Technology Group is responsible for the
maintenance and development of GPS internal
software, with the goal of six sigma reliability.
They also develop the private sections of the
website.
The Admissions Group
The Admissions Group actively seeks out passionate, proactive young people for summer
internships and full student membership.
The group constantly reviews the admissions
process and conducts on-campus interviews
at various universities across the country. The
goal of The Admissions Group is to discover
the most talented students who live by the
GPS ideals of generosity, passion, and service.
The Internal Relations Group
The Internal Relations Group (1) arranges all
GPS annual meetings; (2) creates opportunities
for professional and student member interaction in the form of conference calls, dinners, lectures, and training sessions; (3) seeks out new
professional mentors; and (4) reviews operating
policies related to client services.
The Education Group
The Education Group helps our members
learn about macroeconomic analysis, fundamental company analysis, technical analysis,
and business principles. The group (1) com
piles study guides and learning materials; (2)
maintains the GPS reading lists; (3) arranges all
online and phone training sessions between
The Marketing Group
The Marketing Group is responsible for the
management of the GPS brand. They maintain the public spaces of the website, develop
new advertising concepts, and keep existing
promotional materials up to date.
11
GPS Analyst
Program
We do not require former investment experience, but any exposure to equities, bonds, or other
investments shall be looked upon favorably.
The GPS Analyst program provides a comprehensive professional and educational summer
experience designed to prepare candidates for full
membership and hone skills that will benefit students in finance-related careers and beyond. Analysts work alongside GPS members and mentors to
develop and demonstrate financial, business, and
trend analysis skills needed for full membership in
the investment club. Participants in the program
shall produce meaningful, “real” work such as industry overview reports, company fundamental analysis, financial models, visual basic coding models for
Microsoft Excel and more.
The unpaid analysts “graduate” in August
with the opportunity to invest time and capital in
GPS as a full member. Analysts may participate in all
activities of GPS including investor relations meetings, conference calls, and annual meetings, but
they may not invest personal funds in GPS until they
reach full membership status.
Candidates may submit resumes to [email protected] starting March 1st. Please
include a cover letter detailing your interest in GPS.
Each school conducts interviews on their respective
campuses. We will accept a few expectional candidates from each chapter school every year.
GPS Admissions Directors
We seek college freshman and sophomores
who can balance competition and teamwork, intensity and integrity, and intellectual curiosity and
leadership potential. Both liberal arts majors and
business students may apply, provided they share a
genuine interest in the financial markets and have
demonstrated a passionate and proactive spirit
throughout their academic and
extra curricular careers.
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Kaavya Viswanathan
[email protected]
Samir Sheth
[email protected]
Global Platinum Securities
Founding Student Partners
Sean Meier, Partner
University of California – 2006 Graduate
Sean’s calling as an investor began at the young age of four. His father, Kim, turned on CNBC whenever he came
into the room to see if Sean showed any interest. Captivated by the ticker from the moment he saw his father eye it on
the television screen, Sean eagerly picked up his first investment books at an early age. He constantly asked his father
questions about the ticker symbols, stock market, and analysts’ opinions.
In 1996, Sean met with the Owner/Editor in Chief of Profit Magazine. Upon this meeting, Sean was granted $1500
by the owner, Jayne Lanza, to put into the stock market and trade as he pleased with the guidance of a Merrill Lynch
stock broker. From January 1996 until March 1997, Sean worked as a researcher, writer, and junior stock-trader for Profit
Magazine. While working for Profit Magazine, he researched the stock market, economy, mutual funds, equities, and
companies’ quarterly, semi-an he researched the stock market, economy, mutual funds, quities, and companies’ quarterly, semi-an nual, and annual reports. During this time Meier made gains in his personal portfolio, and regularly added
money that he received as allowance fromhis parents. Additionally, he wrote two articles that were eventually published
in the magazine.
To further his knowledge, Sean met with family friend Vince Schriber. Schriber, a day-trader in the bond market,
illustrated to Sean the importance of reading in order to gain more knowledge about investing. Schriber guided Sean
by giving him different books to read on investing which were written by investment gurus Warren Buffet and Michael
Porter. By having great mentors, such as Kim Meier and Vince Schriber, along with the expertise of investment authorities,
Sean Meier gained extensive knowledge of the markets.
In order to continue to learn and mentor others, Meier and fellow investor Tim Shannon started an investment
club under the name Global Platinum Securities – which they hope will eventually lead to an investment career.
Tim Shannon, Partner
Georgetown University - 2007 Graduate
Tim’s interest in investment began one Christmas morning in 1996 when his father, Michael Shannon, shed light
onto the fabulous world of investment by opening up a Union Bank of Switzerland Resource Management Account for
Tim. Instead of the generic Super Nintendo or Argyle sweater set, Tim opened a card with a small check beneath the
Christmas tree. At first Tim merely picked out stocks of companies he had heard of from others, but soon enough Tim
read Robert Gardiner’s The Morgan Stanley Guide to Personal Investing and moved onto classics such as Michael Porter’s
Competitive Strategy and Robert Hagstrom’s The Warren Buffett Way.
At age seventeen Tim met with Leigh R. Crawford, Cofounder of Anacapa Asset Management and former manager of the Select Equities Portfolio for Trust Company of the West, to plan out a basic curriculum to learn even more about
the markets. Under the tutelage of Mr. Crawford, Mr. Mark Foster of the Union Bank of Switzerland, and other mentors,
Tim read through Berkshire Hathaway Anual Reports, financial accounting texts and investment strategy books to learn
the basics of quantitative and qualitative analysis.
Tim’s passions lie in business and healthcare. He actively combines his interests via internships and job shadow
programs. At Steadman Hawkins Biomechanics Research Laboratory in 2003, Tim worked on a golf swing analysis project
as a preliminary study for a Pfizer Pharmaceuticals analgesic drug trial. During 2004, Tim witnessed the political nature of
healthcare first hand as he interned in the Office of the Secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services. Tim
aided in external communications as a personal assistant to Secretary Tommy G. Thompson and Director of Global Health
Affairs, William Steiger, PhD. Tim currently works in the accounting department for The Corporation, Inc., the largest
student-run business in the country and joined Mr. Leigh R. Crawford at Anacapa Asset Management as a summer analyst
for the hedge fund in 2005. The following summer, Tim worked for Marsico Investments in Denver Colorado. He currently
works as a research associate for JPMorgan Asset Management.
Tim feels incredibly fortunate to interact with such dedicated mentors and passionate, proactive students. He
teamed up with Sean R. Meier, a longtime friend and investment partner to create an investment vehicle, GPS, to continue to learn, to mentor others, and to give back to those who helped him develop his passions and skills.
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Ken Talanian, Partner
Georgetown University - 2006 Graduate
Kenneth Richard (“Ken”) Talanian Jr. is a graduate of Wellesley High School in Wellesley Massachusetts. He currently attends Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business with a double major of Finance and Management.
At an early age Ken found various forms of business intriguing. From learning how to read newspaper stock reports in
the first grade, to opening vegetable stands, to buying small quantities of silver and following the swings of the commodities market, Ken has tried to experience it all.
A determined worker Ken found a place in the working force at the ripe age of 11 as a Caddie for the Weston Country
Club in Weston, Massachusetts, where he continued to work for 9 years. His dedication to work and academics did not
go unnoticed when he reached high school. In the spring of his senior year he was offered an internship at a local Smith
Barney branch. This opportunity was possible through the school’s “senior project” program, but was far different from
the more independently based projects of his fellow classmates.
The financial consultant he worked with was so impressed with his analytical and technical skills, that she in invited
him to join her for a summer internship during the summer of 2002. Here he aided in portfolio structuring, client communication and investment research for individuals, businesses, and non-profits. The following summer he was invited back
to be shared among 3 top performers in the branch. He worked for a financial consultant, a Vice President specializing in
futures, and a Senior Vice President Portfolio manager. Here Ken was able to put together skill sets that would be useful in
almost every facet of investment services.
During the summer of 2004 Ken took an internship at Morgan Stanley’s office in Boston, Massachusetts. Here he partnered with a financial analyst to build a client base as well as research possible venture opportunities, and devise strategies to fund new research and acquire existing companies.
The summer of 2005 provided Ken an opportunity to work on Wall Street Continental Advisory Services, LLC, a boutique investment bank. Ken was able to provide research for real estate developments in addition to managing initial tax
and legal planning for a luxury fractional ownership business.
Currently Ken works as a research analyst for JPMorgan Asset Management. He hopes to bring together his investment experience to aid Global Platinum Securities in planned investment decisions and strategy as a partner, as well as
further expand his investment knowledge.
Rufino Mendoza, Partner
Georgetown University - 2007 Graduate
Rufino Mendoza attended Stuyvesant High School in New York City. He currently attends Georgetown University
and plans to double major in International Business and Finance. Throughout most of his life, he has taken positions of
management and leadership while maintaining academic excellence.
He was exposed to the concepts of investing at an early age. As a child, he often accompanied his parents on real
estate deals. His first exposure to the equity markets was in fifth grade, when his math teacher taught financial education
in conjunction with mathematics.
In high school Rufino worked on two start-up school periodicals. Rufino was brought on board The Stuyvesant
Standard as Chief Financial Officer to handle the financial aspects of the newspaper. As he took on more editorial responsibility, his role expanded to include Chief Operating Officer. When he left The Stuyvesant Standard, it had enough liquid
assets to publish several issues. The Stuyvesant Standard started as an eight-page periodical.
Now, with twenty pages and a color front page, it con- tinues to conclude fiscal periods with large cash reserves. During
his period at The Stuyvesant Standard, Rufino wrote his first business plan and also received extensive experience on organizational governance. Rufino also had a brief advisory role on another school start-up, the newsmagazine In Perspective as both a managerial and editorial consultant.
Currently, Rufino is a research associate for JPMorgan Asset Management. He is also the Executive Vice President
of the Rufino Mendoza Group, LLC, a company that invests in real estate. As a member of that company, Rufino does
internal auditing, information technology, and property analysis. As a partner of Global Platinum Securities, Rufino hopes
to bring his extensive knowledge of economics and politics to the team. He also brings his leadership and management
experience to supplement his financial education.
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GPS Professional
Advisory Board
Leigh R. Crawford
Leigh R. Crawford is Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Anacapa Asset Management. Anacapa’s primary
business is a directional, long/short equity hedge fund. Prior to Anacapa, Mr. Crawford worked at Trust Company of the
West for nearly 12 years, first as an industry vertical analyst (studied a variety of industries with emphasis on financial
services and technology) in the TCW Equities Research Department from 1994 to 1999, then as an industry generalist
analyst dedicated to the Concentrated Core large cap US equity growth fund from 1999 to 2002, and finally as Co-Portfolio Manager of Concentrated Core in calendar 2003. During Mr. Crawford’s 5 year involvement with Concentrated Core,
assets under management increased from approximately $3B to $25B. Before TCW, he spent several years at University of
California at Berkeley, where he studied Mathematics, Literature, and Language. Mr. Crawford holds a B.A. from Claremont
McKenna College, where he studied Literature and Mathematics. In addition, Mr. Crawford is Chairman of the Claremont
McKenna College Center for the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights, which supports work, study, and travel experiences to educate undergraduates to become morally responsible leaders in business, government and other professions.
Steve Haber
Steve Haber founded Bolle America Eyewear as Chairman and CEO and led the company to a successful December 1995 Initial Public Offering. Steve sold out of Bolle to retire to his passions – the mountains, lakes and rivers of Alaska
and Colorado. However, soon enough Steve felt the entrepreneurial urge yet again. He cofounded Digital Alchemy, a
leading supplier of customer relationship management (CRM) services to the hotel and resort industry in 2001. Steve
also serves as a Director Emeritus of the Vail Valley Foundation. He recently joined the board of the Crosman Corporation,
the world’s largest producer of airguns and paintball markers. Steve plans to launch Haber Vision, a new performance
eyewear company, in 2006. Steve graduated from the University of Vermont in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts. He finished post-graduate studies in business management at the University of Denver.
Richard Knowlton
Born in 1932 in Austin, Minnesota, Richard Knowlton was third in a family of seven children. His father was a
life-long employee of the nearby Hormel Company. At 16, Dick also began working at the plant. He told his father he was
thinking of quitting school because he felt good about the money he was making at Hormel, but his father wouldn’t hear
of it.
An excellent student, Knowlton was a member of the National Honor Society in high school as well as a star
football player. He went to the University of Colorado on a football scholarship. Upon graduation, Knowlton received an
offer to play professional football, but he took a job with Hormel, where he had worked every summer. He’s been with the
company ever since.
Following a steady line of promotions, Knowlton was elected president of Hormel in 1979, followed by appointments as chief executive officer and chairman. In January 1996, he completed his 48-year career with Hormel Foods
Corporation, and has stayed on as chairman of the Hormel Foundation. Knowlton is the only food company CEO to ever
receive all three of the highest awards in his industry. Recently, the Knowlton Award was established in his name to annually recognize the person who has made the best and most innovative contributions to the food industry.
The Horatio Alger Association presented Mr. Knowlton with the Horatio Alger Award in 1992, a distinction honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals in our society who have succeeded in spite of adversity and inspired
young people to pursue their dreams through higher education. Knowlton says, “My passion for Horatio Alger is one that
continues to grow.” Knowlton has served on the Horatio Alger Board of Directors for a number of years, most recently as
chairman. “My interest and commitment to Horatio Alger has intensified,” he says. “Education
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needs have reached new dimensions. One of the most satisfying accomplishments with the Association has been the dramatic increase in the number and amount of scholarships we award. The State Scholarship programs are rapidly expanding and will one day extend to every state. This is one of the most gratifying aspects of my involvement with the Horatio
Alger Association.” Nancy and Dick Knowlton also fund scholarships to the University of Colorado and Austin High School.
When asked what his advice is to youth, Knowlton says, “Establish work and social habits that form a strong value
system within. Later, that foundation will provide a sound basis for the thousands of decisions and choices you have to
make along the way. Always remember, it’s the little things you do that make up who you are as a person. Leaders should
be measured by how well they serve their people, both in the workplace as well as in the community.” Knowlton says that
it was his strong value system that got him through a difficult time at Hormel, when the casualty rate in the industry was
nearly 100 percent. “Our company needed to reinvent itself to survive,” he says. He restructured the company and guided
Hormel each step of the way, using what he calls “points of difference” to help his company succeed when others were
failing. “Always remember you can make a difference,” he says. “Always search for a better way. Establish those qualities
that are so much a part of you that it guides you in every situation.”
Reiji Kodama
Reiji Kodama studies Sociology and Criminology, Law and Society at the University of California at Irvine. He has
shown a passion for business and law throughout his life. Reiji’s past ventures include an ownership stake in Spotlight
Truck and Auto of Coachella, California, a summer as director of the Desert Junior Golf Association’s Mobile Golf Program,
and an internship with the local Re/Max Real Estate Consultants. Under the supervision and advice of friend, Lorenzo
Lombardelli, Reiji was introduced to a vast array of knowledge and education with regard to the real estate business.
Lombardelli, RE/MAX’s Owner/Broker of 2003 for Southern California and Hawaii, continues to advise Reiji as to potential
investment strategies. The advice and education would later serve to inspire Reiji to complete all necessary coursework in
order to attain a real estate salesperson’s license in the State of California.
Currently Reiji is a member of Sigma Pi Fraternity International at UC Irvine and the American Society of International Law. In the 2005-2006 academic year, Reiji hopes to attain admissions to law school in order to develop a better
understanding of the current legal environ
It is through his parents Kody and Jeannette, and his godfather, Kaiser Morcus, that Reiji finds the encouragement to better himself as both a student and investor. Reiji’s personal values and beliefs combined with his determination
and experience will serve as an asset in the development of Global Platinum Securities. His thirst for knowledge and dedication creates a sense of security in relationship to accomplishing all that is set before him. Ultimately, his main objective
is to serve the wants and needs of the investor while simultaneously incorporating his own ethics and personal values in
to the framework of Global Platinum Securities.
Zav Liebling
Zav Liebling, 72, married, is a retired businessman and real estate broker and currently dedicates his time to
mentorship, charity and his investments which include several start-up companies. He has worked with the founding student members of GPS to develop the club’s business plan. Although retired, he works tirelessly to aid the next generation
of business professionals from his home in Newport Beach, California.
Kim Meier
Kim Meier started working twelve hour shifts for his father at Meier’s Masterbuilt when he was only twelve years
old. The company sold pools, patio furniture, recreational equipment, and built fences. Meier’s solid work ethic and dedication allowed him and his brother to buy the business from their dad in the early 1980s. Together Kim and his brother
built the business into a success. In spite of this, Kim decided that he wanted to sell the business so he could meet a new
challenge.
Nearly twenty years ago, after reading various books on investing, Meier decided to become an individual trader
on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. He worked in the gold pits for several years and learned the ins and outs
of the trading game during his tenure on the floor. However, Kim wanted to expand his horizons and further his career
by heading in yet another new direction. Kim Meier built his own home and enjoyed the process so much that he turned
his hobby into a business. KLM Builders opened its doors in 1987. Six homes quickly became eight and Meier, sensing opportunity, teamed up with his best friend Barry McMahon to develop Orchard Bluff Estates in northern Illinois in 1990.
The team built 12 homes that year. In 2000, they completed 75 new homes. Operating about 50 miles northwest
of Chicago, KLM is one of the area’s leading custom builders with sales of more than $20 million reported in
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2002. However, KLM is now building over 100 new homes per year and still expanding. At the present time, KLM has five
projects in the works with all new homesites.
Aside from homebuilding and developing, Meier continues to trade equities, mutual funds, and bonds today
while doing much of his own research. Therefore, he has an extensive understanding and knowledge ofcommodities,
bonds, equities, mutual funds, and the overall economy. Meier has provided his son, Sean R. Meier, with indepth knowledge and guidance during the course of his lifetime in numerous ways. His experience will aid Global Platinum Securities
in becoming an investment inspiration to others.
Cameron Nazemi
Cameron Nazemi graduated from Palm Springs High School at the top of his class, and received the Bill Sommer’ Scholarship. Not only did he excel in academics, but Cameron also excelled on the tennis court, having attained the
Desert Valley League Title his junior and senior years of high school. A Boys State of California graduate, Cameron pursued
his academic future at the University of California, Irvine with interests in criminology, law, and society.
His academic abilities were further reinforced when he graduated from college in three years, at age twenty. He
attended college for three years straight, without a summer break, and creatively scheduled time in for recreation and extracurricular activities. Not only did he graduate in three years, but did so with dean’s honors. Currently, Cameron attends
the University of San Diego Law School, where he has already established the foregrounds for a successful career. At the
University of San Diego Law School, Cameron has already attained Deans Honors, as well as a ranking within the top 15%
of his class. Furthermore, in Fall 2004, Cameron was initiated into the prestigious legal fraternity of Phi Alpha Delta.
Cameron’s record of balanced determination also carries over well to the professional arena. As a result of his
involvement in the Bulk Gully Project, for example, he became adept at grant writing and received a crash course in public speaking and diplomacy. By interfacing daily with board members, city counsel, and occasionally the mayor of Irvine,
California, Cameron recognized his skills in team work and collaboration. Additionally, due to his reputation for indefatigable spirit and high quality work, he was granted increasing levels of responsibility. In the process, his confidence in
his professional skills blossomed. Moreover, he began to recognize why a career in the law would be an especially good
match for his analytical, problem solving, and public speaking skills.
His position at the Allen Ellis Credit Repair Corporation only reinforced his decision to pursue a legal career. Allen Ellis solidified his confidence in his ability to assume a leadership role, especially since his managerial position there
required holding daily conferences and spear-heading group efforts. Furthermore, Cameron has already completed all
eight courses necessary to obtain his California Real Estate Broker’s License, receiving A’s in all classes. Nevertheless, he
yearns for a challenge that will further test his limits and provide additional avenues for growth and intellectual challenge. Most of all, he craves a career that will ultimately make a difference in his life.
Cameron´s work and academic history establish a pattern of tenacious dedication to hard work, unflinching
commitment to academic and career goals, and an unwavering sense of confidence in his ability to tackle any obstacle
with which he is faced.
Eric Resnick
Eric founded KSL Management in 2004 as Chief Financial Officer, after the sale of KSL Recreation, where he
served as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of KSL Recreation since February 2001. From May 1996 to
January 2001, he worked at Vail Resorts, Inc. where he served as Vice President, Strategic Planning and Investor Relations
after having been Corporate Treasurer and serving in other capacities. Prior to Vail Resorts, he was a consultant with McKinsey and Company. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Cornell University, receiving a B.A. with distinction in Mathematics
and Economics.
Mike Shannon
Michael founded KSL Management in 2004 after the sale of KSL Recreation, a leading owner/operator of resort
hotels, which he founded in 1992, serving as Chief Executive Officer of both companies. Prior to establishing KSL Recreation, he served as President and CEO of Vail Associates, Inc. (owner of Vail and Beaver Creek ski resorts), in Vail, Colorado,
from 1986 to 1992. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Conseco, Inc., ING Direct, the Vail Valley Foundation
and the Palm Valley School Board. Michael is a past Director of TCA Cable TV, Inc., Startek, Inc. and ING Americas Holdings.
He is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization. He holds a B.A. in Finance and Accounting from the University of
Wisconsin and a degree as a Master of Management in Accounting and Finance from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of
Management.
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