Donaldson
Building Income Through Rising Dividends TM

Our Staff

Greg Donaldson

Greg Donaldson, founder of Donaldson Capital Management, has deep experience in the investment industry in a variety of capacities, since starting in 1975. Greg is a 1970 graduate of Purdue University with a BS degree in Industrial Economics. Following graduation, Greg moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he began his career as a Communications Consultant with Indiana Bell. He says his favorite job during his five years at the "Phone Company" was heading the marketing department's new consumer and business products area. In that role, he first became familiar with the company's early product offerings in digital technology, whose functionality was just as amazing then as it is today.

During this same time Greg and a friend started a parking lot company, which grew to be the second largest such company in Indianapolis. The company was later sold to the largest parking lot operator in the country. Greg says of his parking lot days as a case of "moonlight catching fire."

In May, 1975, Greg left Indiana Bell to join Traub and Co., a boutique investment banking firm specializing in bonds. He opened the firm's Evansville office in 1976. Five years later he left Traub and started a branch office for Raffensperger, Hughes & Co., at the time, the largest equity-oriented investment firm headquartered in the state of Indiana. At Raffensperger Hughes, he would become a life-long friend and understudy of the company's president, Gene Tanner, one of the most widely respected investment minds in the Midwest. Greg says that Gene Tanner not only taught him a lot about investing in stocks, but also how to deal with clients in a considerate and instructive way.

In 1991 with Mr. Tanner's encouragement and backing, Greg co-founded Raffensperger Hughes Investment Advisors (RHIA), the money management arm of Raffensperger Hughes and Co. Out of that venture came The Sagamore Funds, a family of mutual funds that included The Sagamore Bond fund, which Greg managed and in 1993 was ranked as one of the top performing bond funds in the country. It was also during this time that Greg began to discover and develop the principles of investing that led to the Rising Dividend investment strategy.

Greg, a leader and innovator in his industry, helped reorganize RHIA into a much larger enterprise when it became a direct subsidiary of one of Indiana's largest companies, the Associated Group. This new company was renamed Anthem Capital Management and its products, services, and staff were dramatically increased. At Anthem Capital, Greg was instrumental in forming a trust company and helping to co-found the Anthem Funds, a family of eight mutual funds. During his time at Anthem, he managed or co-managed his first dividend-oriented fund, a government securities fund, and a municipal fund.

Wanting to run his own shop, Greg left his friends at Anthem in late 1994 and started Donaldson Capital Management. Greg credits the confidence to start his own firm to his many years working with his mentor Gene Tanner.

Greg is Chairman and Director of Portfolio Strategy of Donaldson Capital Management. He is also an investment adviser representative of the firm. Greg serves on the Board of Directors for St. Mary's Heath Systems and is chairman of St. Mary's Audit Committee. In addition, he serves on the board of the Pumphrey Foundation and is a long-time member of the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer Memorial Trust Fund. Greg and his wife, Joyce, are members of Redeemer Lutheran Church. They have two sons, Justin and Nick.


Mike Hull

Mike Hull is President of Donaldson Capital Management, where he's been serving clients since 1997. DCM is the fourth business he has led successfully, and fortunately for us, the one he's decided he likes best.

Mike was trained at one of the best management schools in the country – Purdue University's Krannert School of Management. In 1974, he went on to gain his MBA in Finance and International Business at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, finishing in 1976. During his college years, Mike began his leadership and management experience by starting up a successful house painting business. Even today, he's one of the few people we know who looks forward to that periodic repainting job at home.

Following IU, Mike gained first-hand experience at "big league" financial affairs at Irwin Management in Columbus, Indiana. Irwin Management is the private investment company of the J. Irwin Miller family, the founders of Cummins Engine Co. In 1982, Mike left to lead his second successful business as he became President of Blairex Laboratories, a small, but nationwide marketer of eye care and respiratory therapy products. Through his experience in house painting and at Blairex, Mike learned the critical importance of satisfying individual customers with customized service.

From Blairex, Mike moved in 1988 to Mead Johnson Nutritionals, a $3 billion global subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb. While there, Mike directed the marketing for several important products and also launched a new product. His most important contribution, however, proved to be leading Mead Johnson's initial entry into mainland China. Moving his family to Guangzhou, Mike guided every aspect of building the business from the factory itself to hiring the staff, to developing the business plan, & finally mastering the delicate politics of partnering with the Chinese government.

As a result of this great experience, Mike has a deep understanding of a broad range of businesses, from very small to Fortune 50, from domestic to emerging market, from consumer to industrial to financial. He applies that knowledge to helping DCM choose the right quality companies for our clients' portfolios. He also carries with him one of his earliest lessons…the critical importance of understanding each customer as a unique individual and giving them the excellent service they deserve.

Mike is an investment adviser representative of Donaldson Capital Management, a Registered Investment Advisor, a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor, and a member of TD Ameritrade's National Advisor Panel. Mike also serves on the Boards of Directors for the Evansville Rescue Mission and Vanderburgh County Young Life. He is a founding member of the Lucky Dog Golf League and coaches the Harrison High School boy's tennis team. Mike and his wife, Carol, have five kids. They attend Crossroads Christian Church in Evansville and Sadieville Christian Church in Scott County, Kentucky.


Rick Roop

Rick Roop is Vice President of Portfolio Management for Donaldson Capital Management. He has been with the firm since 2001, and what a time to join the private money management industry! Rick's early days at DCM saw the September 11, 2001 tragedy and the 2 year-long economic recession that followed 9 / 11, plus the ".com" bust in the stock market. Fortunately for DCM and for our clients, Rick was well-prepared for shepherding clients successfully through those difficult times.
 
Rick grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. Demonstrating early on the commitment to sacrifice, the value of a strong work ethic, and the importance of teamwork that would serve him well later in life, Rick was a sports standout in high school and college football.
 
After earning a Bachelors of Science degree in Electrical Engineering Technology from Murray State University in 1980, Rick went on to a successful career in the electric utility industry, working at fossil-fired generating stations. He began his career with the former Southern Indiana Gas & Electric Company, now Vectren, as a Senior Instrumentation Engineer. In 1986, Rick moved his family to Terre Haute, Indiana where he took a position with the Hoosier Energy Merom Generating Station as the Instrument Electrical Engineer, overseeing three departments.
 
Entrusted with responsibility for millions of dollars of staff and equipment from early on in his career, Rick rose through a number of positions, ultimately becoming the General Manager of Hoosier Energy's Frank E. Ratts Generating Station in Petersburg, Indiana. During his time at Ratts, Rick attended Indiana State University, where he earned his MBA in Finance in 1994.
 
While working for Vectren and Hoosier Energy, Rick learned the value of excellent client service that he now brings to his clients on a daily basis. In addition, Rick's education and experience give him a solid foundation of knowledge from which to assess many industrial, technology, & utility industry businesses.
 
Rick is an investment adviser representative of Donaldson Capital Management, a Registered Investment Advisor. He has served his community through involvement with the Economic Growth Council, Chamber of Commerce, and Warrick County Young Life. Over the years, Rick has served as an adjunct professor to three Indiana colleges teaching math and engineering. He currently serves on the Indiana State University Engineering and Technology Advisory Board. Rick is a member and director of Sunday school programs at First Southern Baptist Church where he also serves as an alternate Church Moderator. Rick lives in Newburgh with wife, Laura, and their daughter, Lauren. Their son, Brandon, works and lives in Carmel, Indiana.


Randy Alsman

Randy Alsman came to Donaldson Capital Management after building a track record of success over 35 years in private industry. Graduating from Ball State University in 1973 with a Bachelors of Science in Accounting, Randy joined the audit staff of Price WaterhouseCoopers, one of the world's largest public accounting firms. As part of the firm's new Indianapolis office, Randy earned his CPA certification and spent more hours than he cares to remember examining the operations and financial statements of successful - and not so successful - businesses.

 
In 1976, Randy joined the finance staff of Mead Johnson Nutritionals, a $3 billion wholly-owned subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb in Evansville, Indiana. During more than 31 years with Mead Johnson and Bristol, Randy was promoted through a number of positions of increasing responsibility in what felt like nearly every department, including two years at Bristol's New York headquarters directly supporting the Executive Vice President and President, Consumer Group of Bristol-Myers Squibb.

 
Back in Evansville with MJN, Randy moved through Product Group Marketing Director for Enfamil, MJN's largest product, District Sales Manager, Director of Regional Marketing, Vice President of Sales, Vice President of Finance and Information Management, Vice President and General Manager of Latin America and Canada, and in 2000, President of Mead Johnson's $2 billion US business, having responsibility as well for the global leadership of Research and Development, Supply Chain, Human Resources, Finance, Information Management, Legal, Public Affairs and other functions.

 
From 2004 through 2008, Randy also worked for BMY in Princeton, New Jersey with the $8 billion US Pharmaceutical Division, as Senior Vice President of their managed care group. While in New Jersey, Randy led a cross-industry team to create and launch the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA.) Since its launch in 2006, the PPA has provided free or nearly free prescription drugs to over five million uninsured patients throughout the United States

 
Eager to start a third career and move back to Evansville near family and long-time friends, Randy retired from Bristol-Myers Squibb in August of 2007. In a turn of events he considers his luckiest, he was able to join Mike Hull – one of those long time friends he wanted to spend more time with – and the staff of Donaldson Capital Management.

 
Randy is an investment adviser representative of Donaldson Capital Management, a Registered Investment Advisor. Randy engages in occasional strategic management consulting assignments, while also serving on the Business Retention and Expansion Committee of the Greater Evansville Growth Alliance, an organization working to continually support growth and economic vitality of businesses in the greater Evansville area. Randy also serves on the University of Evansville Board of Visitors and the University of Southern Indiana Board of Directors. Randy and his wife, Cheryl, have three married children: Grant, who lives in Chicago, Blake, & Brooke, who both live and work in Evansville.


Laura Roop

Laura became the third member of Donaldson Capital Management’s team in December of 1996.  Prior to joining DCM, she worked in the Financial Aid Department at Ivy Tech State College, Terre Haute, Indiana.
 
As a part of the young DCM, Laura learned many facets of the business from the services side to operations.  Through the years, she’s successfully transferred that knowledge base to DCM’s tremendous staff of Client Services and Operations personnel and has enjoyed watching each of them grow into innovative, productive members of DCM’s team.  “Having the range of personalities we do at DCM is a vital part of who we are.  Lively discussions are an integral part of our decision-making processes and lead to some great results.”
 
Laura earned a BS in Management from Indiana State University.  She is currently studying for the Investment Advisers Compliance Certificate exam.  Being active in the community, she is on the Warrick County Young Life committee and volunteers for the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center’s special activities.  Laura attends First Southern Baptist Church where she leads the Greeters Ministry.  Since her son’s college graduation, she no longer has football games to keep her busy, so she’s taken up golf in her spare time.  She lives in Newburgh with husband, Rick, and daughter, Lauren.  Her son, Brandon, lives in Carmel, Indiana


Carol Stumpf

Carol joined Donaldson Capital Management in 2001 as Director of Client Services.  Prior to joining DCM, she worked in the Department of History at Butler University, was a Marketing Manager for a computer publishing firm and ran her own event planning business while raising her two children.
 
Carol and the entire Client Services Department focus on getting to know each of our clients well enough to anticipate ways we can better serve their needs.  Carol’s ability to connect with our clients allows her to deliver customized client service to each one on a personal level.  Every Client Service Manager is teamed with a Portfolio Manager; Carol is teamed with Greg Donaldson.
 
Carol states, “The most enjoyable part of my job is working with such wonderful people every day.  Our clients are simply the nicest people I know, and I have made some life-long friends in the process of serving their financial needs.  And then, I also get to work alongside my best friends every day at DCM.  Life is good.”
 
Carol graduated from Butler University with a BA in English.  She and her husband, John, are members of Christ the King Catholic Church.  She enjoys reading, gardening and wearing out the road to Chicago to be with her grandchildren.
 


Tom Piper

Tom, known to his family and friends as “Butch,” came to Donaldson Capital Management from Old National Bank in 2000 where he held several positions including Branch Assistant, Annuity Sales Manager, and Computer Applications Specialist.  He was also part of the team that implemented the bank’s internet website.
 
As Director of Information Technology at DCM, Tom is responsible for making sure we stay ahead of the latest trends in computers, systems, and applications. He has implemented systems to expedite the massive flow of information both internally and externally to our clients.  He also diligently monitors the systems responsible for protecting client data by ensuring all anti-virus software is regularly updated and the necessary firewalls are in place to prevent any attempt to breech security.  Tom also works directly with our clients as a Client Services Manager and is teamed with Mike Hull.  Why Tom Piper chose to work at DCM:  “I like the fact that at Donaldson Capital Management our clients’ worth is not determined by the size of their portfolio but their value as a human being.”
 
A 1974 graduate of ITT Technical Institute, Tom received an Associates degree in Electronics Engineering Technology.  He also attended the American Institute of Banking.  Tom enjoys singing, drawing portraits, and traveling, and he and his wife, Brenda, are active in the music and outreach ministries at Grace and Peace Lutheran Church. They have three children:  Christopher, Amber and Brandon. 


Beth Dietsch

Beth came to Donaldson Capital Management in 2001.  All of us have come to know Beth as the epitome of a person with a servant’s heart.  Beth’s prior work experience included customer service positions in the banking industry and in the regional offices of the Subway Sandwich Shops.
 
Beth is the Client Service Manager teamed with Rick Roop.  They make a great duo because they each continually seek ways to keep in touch with our clients.  Her ability to follow-up with our clients on their specific requests makes her a valuable part of DCM’s team.  Beth’s extraordinary desire to serve and assist our clients with their financial needs becomes readily apparent to anyone who gets the chance to work with her.
 
Beth and her husband, Mike, live in Newburgh with daughter, Megan, and son, Seth.  Beth says keeping up with all of the children’s activities is her second full-time job.  She does, however, enjoy sports and dance activities with her children, as well as horseback riding and reading when she can fit it in.  They attend Cross Roads Christian Church.

 


Ciavon Hartman

Ciavon graduated from the University of Southern Indiana in 2002 with a BS in Accounting and immediately joined Donaldson Capital Management as the Business Information Manager.  Since that time, Ciavon has proved to be an incredibly quick study and is now the Director of Finance for DCM.  Her responsibilities include all financial recordkeeping and reporting for DCM as well as preparing quarterly billing for clients. 
 
Ciavon’s attention to detail and her ability to improve current reporting and billing processes allows us all to provide our clients with the best possible service.  She also has an innate enthusiasm for learning and teaching us about healthy life styles.  She works out regularly and enjoys biking and swimming.  While working her way through college, she worked at a local healthcare facility and developed a love and appreciation for working with the elderly.
 
Ciavon and her husband, Matt, live in Evansville with their son, Landon.  They attend the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer.

 


John Hull

John H. joined Donaldson Capital Management in November of  2006.  Prior to DCM, he was a technician for a car dealership in Indianapolis. 
 
As the Business Information Manager, John executes all trades for client accounts held with various custodians.  In addition, he performs many vital Client Services’ duties including file creation and maintenance plus assists Portfolio Managers in preparing for client meetings.
 
Currently, John is enrolled at Ivy Tech State College where he attends night classes towards his Associates degree in Business. John plans to continue his education by pursuing a BS in Business at the University of Southern Indiana.  For fun, he participates in a variety of activities, including white water kayaking, snowboarding and – his passion – working on cars.  John lives in Evansville with his treasured dog, Jackus Maximus Thadius the Secondus, affectionately known as “Jack.” 
 


John Stumpf

In 2004, John Stumpf joined the Donaldson Capital Management Staff as a student intern while studying Graphic Design and Communication.  In 2008, John joined us full time as our Client Communications Manager.  Prior to joining DCM, John was a Quality Control Manager at Jasper Rubber Products.
 
John’s responsibility includes the editing and maintenance of the Donaldson Capital Management website, www.dcmol.com.  John is also responsible for a robust new customer relationship management data system which will track all communications with our clients in order to give each the best service possible plus he files those Class Action Litigations that DCM chooses to pursue.  Additionally, John meets and greets prospects, clients and guests who visit or call the DCM office.
 
John lives in Evansville.  In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, fishing, going to the movies and taking his dog, Ellie, to the park.
 


Kyle Markle

Kyle joined DCM in December of 2008 as a Client Services Manager.  He graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 2005 with a BBA in Finance and Management.  Prior to joining DCM, Kyle worked as a Project Coordinator for a custom home building company in Cincinnati. 

As a Client Service Manager, Kyle is teamed with both Mike Hull and Randy Alsman.  Kyle has always had an interest in the financial industry and intended on entering this industry sooner.  However, upon his graduation from UC, an excellent opportunity presented itself in the real estate industry where he worked for three years.  That experience provided him with insight into certain markets, but more importantly taught him a great deal about business.

Kyle and his wife, Abby, live in Evansville with their Labradoodle, Arnold.  Kyle is originally from Evansville and decided to attend the University of Cincinnati to play baseball for the Bearcats.  His hobbies include playing golf, watching baseball and working around their new house.  Abby and Kyle attend Holy Rosary Church.


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