Retro - Washington Manufacturers Council

Washington Manufacturers Council is a subsidiary of Risk Finance & Investment Corporation based in Olympia, Washington.

Risk Finance & Investment Staff
	Robert A. Hauk, President bob@riskfinance.net Bob has worked for WMC since September 2002. He earned a bachelors degree from the University of Cincinnati. Bob has over twenty-five years experience in accident prevention, program implementation and administration, and worker’s compensation claims costs control. He is a Certified Safely Professional (CSP), an Associate in Risk Management (ARM) and served as the Puget Sound Chapter President of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE). Bob possesses high personal standards for excellence, and takes pride in his leadership and problem-solving skills. He enjoys gardening, reading, golfing and attending sporting events.
	Dawn Peterson, Senior Claims Manager dawn@riskfinance.net Dawn began her career in industrial insurance at the Department of Labor & Industries. Dawn served the Department for eight years - with five of those years spent in Claims Administration working in customer Service and claims management. After Labor & Industries Dawn spent four years in the self-insurance industry at Nova Pro Risk Solutions where she managed worker compensation claims throughout the United States. Dawn then joined Approach Management Services, where she honed her skills managing claims for a retrospective rating group. After six months, Dawn was promoted to Managing Director of the Washington State Hotel & Lodging Association retrospective rating group; managing that group until she joined Risk Finance and Investment Corp. as Senior Claims Manager in October 2008.
	Michael Couthran, Senior Claims Manager michael@riskfinance.net Michael spent nine years at L&I working with claims, including 3 years as a claims manager. He completed over 550 hours of formal instruction in administering industrial insurance law. At L&I, Michael gained a reputation for his effective time-loss reduction and claim-closure rate. He received several awards for outstanding customer service, and was selected to participate in several elite projects due to his excellent claims management skills.
	John Barker, Vice President of Marketing & Operations john@riskfinance.net John has twenty years of experience in insurance and financial services. He has worked closely with businesses and individuals to develop solutions to manage their risk, control costs and accumulate for retirement. He has experience in group benefits, life insurance, disability income insurance, long-term care insurance, pension and retirement planning, commercial insurance, and personal lines insurance. John is licensed for securities and insurance. He received his MBA from Brigham Young University. John’s wife Christine and their son Glenn also work in the insurance industry.
Board of Directors
	Brent Kohler, Chairman of the Board brent@riskfinance.net Brent has led Risk Finance & Investment Corporation, WMC's parent corporation since 1987. Prior to that he was President of Interface, Inc. Brent attended Brigham Young University. Under Brent's leadership, WMC has grown from 6 members to over 200. That growth has been attributed to WMC's tremendous success. Brent and his wife Katie have 4 children.
	Cheryl Peterson Cherry Peterson, recently retired, was president and majority owner of Norse Construction, Inc., a midsize construction company specializing in federal and commercial tenant improvements and remodeling projects, which is jointly owned with her eldest son. Cheryl has been in the construction industry since 1982 and in 1996 formed her own construction company. Education: BA from BYU, married and mother of four, socially and personally committed to her church and community.
	Walter L. Schefter Walter is a principal with Adams and Schefter, Attorneys at Law, having practiced since 1975. Walter was born in Langdon, North Dakota. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Dakota in 1970 and his law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law in 1975. Walter was admitted to the Washington State Bar Association in 1995. He is also a member of the Thurston County Bar Association and the United States Court of Claims.
	Bill Jacobs Bill is a partner with Edward Jones Investments in Tumwater, Washington. He has been with Edward Jones since May of 1987 and has run offices for the company in Layton, UT, Desoto, TX and since 1995 he’s managed the office in Tumwater. He and his wife Judy have three married children and five grandsons. They make their home in Olympia and enjoy gardening, walleyball, the rain, old British sports cars and globetrotting.