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Wendi Creed joined LTCI partners in 2011 as part of the team that supports advisors who are financial consultants and other occasional producers. In that role, she will provide sales consultation and advisor training. She began her insurance career in 1999 with Lincoln National where she handled claims adjudication for disability reinsurance products. In 2003, she joined Ash Brokerage as an external marketing consultant. There she worked with advisors and clients in eight states, conducting seminars, coordinating training and teaching sales skills. Wendi, who is a passionate advocate of long-term care insurance, graduated from Northwestern Business College with an associate’s degree in business management and marketing. She is a licensed producer and partnership certified. Her other interests include hockey –she is a Detroit Red Wings fan—and football – she favors the Indianapolis Colts.

Heather Ludwig joined LTCI Partners in 2011 as a member of the Group Business team. In that role, she handles case management, proposal development and other sales support for group and multi-life cases. Heather comes to LTCI Partners from John Hancock where she led the long-term care insurance policy issue team, conducted training for new associates and was an auditor for LTCi policies. She is a graduate of Gateway Technical College in Kenosha, WI, with an associate’s degree in accounting.

Ashley Graw joined LTCI Partners in April 2011 as a member of the Marketing Team. She later transitioned to sales, as part of the team supporting financial planners and other occasional producers. Ashley has worked in the insurance industry for about year. She comes to LTCI Partners from St. Croix Advisors, an independent financial and insurance advisor in Hudson, WI, where she did the marketing for the company. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse where she majored in marketing and organizational communication.

Thomas Kulig joined LTCI Partners in 2010 as brand manager and creative director. He develops and implements the brand strategy of both B2B and B2C channels. Positions LTCI Partners in the marketplace. Plans and executes brand marketing and advertising programs to raise awareness and value. Sets the direction of brands through awareness of market research and consumer trends. Also responsible for the creative strategies and direction of advertising and marketing materials and campaigns. Evaluates and ensures the quality of creative content.

Thomas is a graduate of Bradley University with degrees in both Advertising and Multimedia. He has extensive experience with Fortune 50 Brands and has held various positions within top tier advertising agencies before joining LTCI Partners.

Matt Dean, Vice President, Affinity Group Services, joined LTCI Partners in June 2011. He is responsible for the structure, implementation, and management of large association sales initiatives and leads a national sales force of salaried long-term care insurance consultants who provide advice and guidance to association members. Affinity Group Services is focused on helping associations deepen their member relationships by assisting their members in addressing the financial consequences of long-term care using a consultative, non-threatening sales process. Matt brings 24 years of insurance experience at USAA, where most recently he was responsible for a number of life and health insurance products, including the USAA Life Insurance Company’s proprietary Medicare Supplement product line. Matt is a graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio with a BBA in Finance, holds the FINRA Series 7 license, is a licensed life and health insurance agent, and holds two LOMA designations: Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI), and Associate in Customer Service (ACS). He also holds the Health Insurance Associate (HIA) designation from AHIP and the Certificate of Achievement in Alliance Management (CA-AM) from the Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals. Matt is a member of the American Association for Long-term Care Insurance. He and his wife are active in the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association.

Janet Jansen joined LTCI Partners in September 2011 as a sales consultant. In that role, she works directly with brokers to design policies for their clients, prescreen health conditions for potential insurability and provide quotes. Janet comes to LTCI Partners with over 27 years of insurance experience, including sales, underwriting and post-issue customer service. Most recently, she built a life insurance division (including ancillary products: long term care, disability income and fixed annuities) within an established property-casualty and health agency. There she worked with brokers on product and sales, conducted training and taught life CE classes for the agency’s 2600 brokers. Janet has two adult daughters, and a 12-pound dog named Freddie (she’s a girl!). She spends her free time with her large family and friends, and enjoys traveling and sports.

Matthew VandenLangenberg joined LTCI Partners in 2011 as a support services assistant. In that role, he handles data entry, scanning, faxing, and mail. Matt finished two years at UW-Madison and has recently transferred to Milwaukee Area Techical College to pursue a degree in criminal justice. Matt enjoys reading, exercising, golfing, and watching "The Office."

Pat Bradley began his insurance career as a life and health producer. He joined LTCI Partners (then the Heartland Group) in 1997 in an administrative role. He soon moved into sales, where he held a number of positions including head of the sales team. During the period in which Pat led the sales team, sales for LTCI Partners consistently outpaced the long-term care insurance market. In 2007, he was named senior vice president. Today, Pat has responsibility for accounts affiliated with NFP, LTCI Partners’ parent company. The combined premium of these companies makes them one of the firm’s largest accounts. He is also the company’s compliance officer. Pat’s expertise in LTCi encompasses both traditional and the rapidly growing asset-based product category. He is a certified trainer for the Financial Services Specialist programs that cover insurance products, financial sales training, planning fundamentals and key industry products and services.

Tom Riekse, Jr., ChFC, CEBS has been working in the long-term care insurance business since 1991 with an emphasis on executive and group long-term care insurance.

In his career, he has been focused on the education of insurance professionals who provide LTC Insurance to their clients.

He has also worked on the design of an innovative LTCI product for the employer market place and continues to work with producers nationwide on employer-based long-term care insurance.

Tom received his undergraduate degree in from Hope College, Holland Michigan. He subsequently achieved his MBA at the University of Illinois at Chicago, with a concentration in finance and marketing.

He holds the Certified Employee Benefit Specialist designation from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans and the Wharton School and his Chartered Financial Consultant from the American College.

Tom serves on the board of directors of the Society of Financial Services Professionals-Chicago and the Government Affairs Commitee of The National Association of Independent Life Brokerage Agencies.

Drew Davis has 17 years of insurance industry experience, beginning in 1994 as a MetLife agent selling life and health insurance. He later worked for Trustmark where he was district sales manager for group health products. Drew joined LTCI Partners in 2003 and is a member of the sales team that supports financial planners and occasional LTCi producers. He is also a member of the asset-based products team. Drew’s passion for long-term care stems from family experiences of caring for his parents when they suffered from serious illnesses. He spends his spare time with his wife and twin children and is also a fine artist, specializing in painting and sculpting.

Michelle Domino has nine years of experience in the insurance industry and joined LTCI Partners as a sales associate in 2007.  Educating advisors and promoting the importance of long-term care insurance is her passion. In her current Team Lead position, Michelle is part of the team supporting the company’s largest client groups.  She is a knowledgeable and informative speaker/trainer who travels across the country to educate both consumers and advisors about the value of purchasing long-term care insurance.  Michelle is a graduate of Winona State University.  She is fully licensed to sell long-term care insurance and partnership-trained.

Allison Hansen joined LTCI Partners in 2005 as a sales associate.  She was named sales supervisor in 2007.  In that capacity, she managed a 12-person sales team, while continuing to serve as a high volume sales consultant.  She is currently team leader.  In that role, she provides LTCi services tailored to support each customer’s business model.  Allison also consults with advisors on case design and pre-underwriting for individual clients.

Doug Schuetz, sales advisor, Affinity Group Services, aids association members in designing and purchasing LTCi plans. He also supports other sales teams through the Application Partner program, through which he completes consumer applications by telephone, a service offered free of charge to eligible advisors. He leads the company in placement rate for applications taken and Application Partner cases have a lower than average processing time. Doug began his insurance career in 1996 at Trustmark Insurance Company in small group health with multi-benefit services. He joined LTCI Partners in 2001 and worked as a sales consultant handling both individual and group LTCi cases. Doug is licensed in multiple states and partnership certified. He is a graduate of Stanford University who dabbles in the performing arts with a local community theater.

Justine George joined LTCI Partners in 2008 as a case manager in the new business team.  In that role, she expedited processing of insurance applications by checking them for accuracy and working with carriers to facilitate underwriting and approval.  In 2008, she became a new business team lead.  Justine now handles cases for the team supporting banks, broker dealers and financial planners.  Prior to joining LTCI Partners, she spent 16 years as fitness director for a health club chain.  Justine’s passion for customer service and her belief in the value of long-term care insurance inspire her to help agents secure coverage for their clients.

Luke Vike joined LTCI Partners 2007 as a case manager in the new business department.  In 2008, he moved into the contracting and licensing department as a contracting specialist.  In that role, he assists advisors with carrier appointments and helps them meet the contracting and licensing requirements of carriers and states. Luke is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Platteville with a degree in elementary education and a minor in history. Luke is an avid sportsman whose hobbies include fishing, hunting, and softball

Lauren Johnson, sales advisor, Affinity Group Services, joined LTCI Partners in 2000 as a case manager. In 2002, she transferred to sales where she helped advisors design LTC plans for their clients. She later became an account manager for financial services accounts. In that capacity, she structured agreements to tailor services to best meet clients’ business models, traveled extensively to promote LTC sales, and conducted educational teleconferences. In her current role, she aids members of various associations in designing and purchasing LTC plans.

Pat Bradley began his insurance career as a life and health producer. He joined LTCI Partners (then the Heartland Group) in 1997 in an administrative role. He soon moved into sales, where he held a number of positions including head of the sales team. During the period in which Pat led the sales team, sales for LTCI Partners consistently outpaced the long-term care insurance market. In 2007, he was named senior vice president. Today, Pat has responsibility for accounts affiliated with NFP, LTCI Partners’ parent company. The combined premium of these companies makes them one of the firm’s largest accounts. He is also the company’s compliance officer. Pat’s expertise in LTCi encompasses both traditional and the rapidly growing asset-based product category. He is a certified trainer for the Financial Services Specialist programs that cover insurance products, financial sales training, planning fundamentals and key industry products and services.

Steve Cain joinedLTCI Partners in 2009 as executive vice president, sales leader.  Cain brings over 12 years experience in specialized insurance solutions, most recently as senior vice president and national sales leader of long-term care insurance for Marsh Private Client Services, a division at Marsh USA, Inc.  During his tenure there, Cain helped build Marsh into one of the industry’s largest wholesale and retail distributors of LTCi. His focus at LTCI Partners is on long-term care as an employee and executive benefit and institutional long-term care relationships.

Prior to joining Marsh, Cain worked for a third-party administrator introducing several insurance carriers’ products to the brokerage market.  With additional experience that ranges from the home office to retail sales, to the brokerage market, Cain has gained valuable insight into all aspects of the industry, from sales and marketing, underwriting, policy administration, and claims.

Cain is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara and is a certified continuing education instructor.  He regularly addresses industry groups such as state bar associations, the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI), the Society of Actuaries (SOA), the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU), the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA).  Before entering the insurance industry, he had a brief career in professional baseball, pitching in the farm systems of three major league teams.

As Chief Technology Officer for LTCI Partners, Daniel Freund is responsible for helping drive the company’s technological innovations and strategy.  He advises management on all aspects of technology and is the liaison to external technology partners. 

 With his strong skill sets in the tactical and management aspects of technology, he pushes the organization to stretch beyond its current capabilities.  Daniel is a 25 year veteran in the insurance industry. 

Sandra Latham is the Chief Administrative Officer and a partner in LTCI Partners LLC. She is responsible for LTCI Partners operations overseeing new business processing, contracting and licensing, commission accounting and LTCI Partners' web-based data management system.

A licensed insurance agent since 1981, Sandra has specialized in Long-Term Care Insurance since 1984. She has a degree in computer programming and a CTM certificate from Toastmasters International. She has also completed Six Sigma Green Belt training and has received her LTCP Designation from HIAA-a program for which she is also a trainer. Additionally, Sandra has been a moderator and presenter at the National SOA Convention.

Thomas Long was raised and educated in Minnesota. After attending Duluth Business University he started his career in the insurance industry with Aetna Life and Casualty, where he was made "Rookie of the Year". After accepting a managerial position Tom moved to Madison, Wisconsin with his wife Mary and two daughters.

In 1981 he started Wisconsin Insurance World, a highly successful regional brokerage agency. This agency merged with The Heartland Group in 2001 to form LTCI Partners, LLC.

LTCI Partners is America's leading insurance brokerage firm focused solely on Long-Term Care Insurance. The organization represents over 30 years in providing answers and solutions to your Long-Term Care Insurance needs.

Tom has always participated in industry affairs serving as an officer in several trade associations.

Tom was one of the original founders of the National LTC Network. The Network is currently comprised of 25 of the nations leading insurance wholesalers, whose production in 2005 surpassed $59 Million dollars. Tom currently serves as the Chairman of the Network.

Tom Riekse, Jr., ChFC, CEBS has been working in the long-term care insurance business since 1991 with an emphasis on executive and group long-term care insurance.

In his career, he has been focused on the education of insurance professionals who provide LTC Insurance to their clients.

He has also worked on the design of an innovative LTCI product for the employer market place and continues to work with producers nationwide on employer-based long-term care insurance.

Tom received his undergraduate degree in from Hope College, Holland Michigan. He subsequently achieved his MBA at the University of Illinois at Chicago, with a concentration in finance and marketing.

He holds the Certified Employee Benefit Specialist designation from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans and the Wharton School and his Chartered Financial Consultant from the American College.

Tom serves on the board of directors of the Society of Financial Services Professionals-Chicago and the Government Affairs Commitee of The National Association of Independent Life Brokerage Agencies.

Tom Riekse entered the Insurance industry in Detroit, Michigan directly after graduating from Hope College in 1962. He spent 28 years with one company in various Field and Home Office roles (both individual and group) progressing to Chief Agency Officer.

In January, 1991 he founded The Heartland Group, Inc., an organization which had as its' mission to act as a "brokers' broker" or wholesaler of Long Term Care insurance to insurance producers. As such, the company provided product, training and plan advice to brokers. In January of 2002 The Heartland Group merged with Wisconsin Insurance World to become LTCI Partners, LLC.

Tom is a founding member and past president of the National Long Term Care Network. He writes frequently for various insurance publications on the subject of LTC and was a speaker at the 1st Annual Long Term Care Producers' Conference in Cincinnati. In addition, his trade affiliations are NALU, NAHU, CLU.

Mark Schau first entered the insurance field in 1985 as an agent.  He has successfully led large agent-based sales organizations.  In his tenure at G.E. Financial Assurance, he became a quality black belt leading process improvement projects.  Mark joined LTCIP in 2007 and is responsible for operations.  He is a graduate of Purdue University.