Market Commentary

Howard Insley

Senior Vice President, EdgeCo Holdings

Howard Insley is Senior Vice President, EdgeCo Holdings, responsible for migration and consolidation activities for acquired entities. He also oversees American Trust operations and administration, onboarding and participant servicing activities as Chief Operating Officer of ATR.

Prior to his current roles, Howard led retirement strategy and M&A integration activities for Ascensus as well as that company’s national TPA, trust company and broker dealer. He also gained experience leading Wachovia’s (now Wells Fargo) retirement operations and service teams.

Howard earned BA in business from Randolph Macon College and his MBA in finance from Wake Forest University. He holds Series 6, 26, 63 licenses.

Kurt Wedewer

Regional President

Kurt Wedewer is Regional President of American Trust and is responsible for all aspects of American Trust’s full-service, bundled Retirement Plan administration product. He is involved in the selling, plan design and ongoing administration of all types of qualified plans; specializing in the areas of complex plan design, compliance and investment selection.

After graduating from the University of Northern Iowa in 1990, Kurt was a pension underwriter with CIGNA before joining American Trust in 1997. He was awarded the Certified Employee Benefit Specialist designation in 1998 by the Wharton School of Business and the Retirement Plan Specialist designation in 2001. In addition to his pension related background, he has a series 7 securities license and is currently pursuing the Certified Financial Planner designation.

John Moody

Chief Executive Officer, EdgeCo Holdings

John Moody is Chief Executive Officer of EdgeCo Holdings. Under his leadership, EdgeCo is evolving a new national model to service retirement plan clients built on an expert organization leveraging best available technologies. The goal is greater personal service combined with cost-efficient processes that help people achieve better retirement outcomes.

Prior to launching EdgeCo, John co-founded and was president of Matrix Financial Solutions, a leading custodian and mutual fund trading provider. He is considered a pioneer in the “open architecture” movement within the 401(k) industry and has long championed the need to create more flexibility and transparency in the system.

In his more than 30 years in industry, John has served on the boards of CiKR (Council of Independent Record Keepers) and SPARK (Society of Pension Administrators and Record Keepers) and has used these platforms to champion industry initiatives.

Micah DiSalvo

Chief Revenue Officer, EdgeCo Holdings

Micah DiSalvo is the Chief Revenue Officer of EdgeCo Holdings, Inc. In this role, he leads the retirement plan sales and client service organization for all portfolio companies of EdgeCo Holdings, a private equity-backed organization focused on delivering innovative retirement solutions to American employers.

With 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, Micah has a history of success in business development and organizational leadership. He is an active member of NAPA (National Association of Plan Advisors) and through this work has met with members of Congress on Capitol Hill to advocate on behalf of American workers for their single largest savings vehicle.

Prior to joining EdgeCo Holdings, Inc. Micah held similar senior leadership roles at Newport Group, BMO Retirement Services and CUNA Mutual Group.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from Edgewood College in Madison, WI. He also holds FINRA Series 7 and 63 securities registrations along with the State of Wisconsin Life License.

Kevin Freehardt

Chief Investment Officer, First Mercantile

Kevin Freehardt is the Chief Investment Officer of First Mercantile Trust Company (First Mercantile). He oversees investment manager due diligence and asset allocation services the company provides. Prior to joining First Mercantile in 2010, He worked as a research analyst at Consulting Services Group and as a financial analyst with First Tennessee Bank’s Wealth Management division.

Kevin received a Master of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and BBA in Finance, both from the University of Memphis.

Phil Maness

Vice President, Client Management

Phil Maness, Vice President, Client Management, guides our team of experienced relationship managers and account managers who support investment advisors, third party administrators and plan sponsor clients.

Prior to this role Phil was Assistant Vice President, Client Management, for MassMutual Retirement Services (EdgeCo Holdings acquired First Mercantile Trust in 2019). His experience spans more than 30 years of experience with retirement plan and trust operations. Phil was previously Executive Vice President of First Mercantile Trust focusing on strategic planning, product development, pricing and key account management. He has served as a member of the First Mercantile Executive Committee and was formerly the chair of the Trust Investment Committee.

He is a 1983 graduate of the University of Memphis with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He holds the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®) designation and has earned the Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA) credential of the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries.

James Pratt

President of First Mercantile Trust Company

As President of First Mercantile, James serves the Company’s broad governance issues, including fiduciary, financial, regulatory, and risk management.

James joined First Mercantile Trust in 2003 as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, and moved into the President role in 2011.

James’s prior experience included serving as chief financial officer for start-up companies, securities industry financial and operational principal, and public accounting.