Gordon Spellman Fund
The Gordon Spellman Fund
- students achieve real world experience as investment analysts and portfolio managers
- fund was established in 2004 by Kevin Spellman
- first trade was made in February 2006
Participation in the Fund's management educates students on how to participate in actual financial markets through security analysis and portfolio management. Students gain practical experience in current financial markets and learn to balance emotional reaction to current news with long-term objectives. In the process students establish a strategic outlook in order to analyze current and future economic conditions and their impact on the Fund.
Students working with the fund have access to state-of-the-art technology in the Kaplan Finance Lab, as well as financial data via our Telemet Software. Students in the Investment Club evaluate each sector's outlook to facilitate and better determine the portfolio's target sector allocation. Students present on their valuation and other background information when making presentations to the Faculty Advisory Board and Business Advisory Board.
As of June 2022, the fund is currently around $360,000 in value. Disbursements from the fund provide funding to support data costs, Telemet Orion Finance Lab software, annual Value Line subscriptions, and the annual costs of our Rise Display Ticker outside the Kaplan Finance Lab, in addition to hosting dinner after the presentations for students and Advisory Board.
Top Fund Holdings:
| Company Name | Ticker | % Weight |
| UnitedHealth Group Inc | UNH | 7.98 |
| Union Pacific Corp | UNP | 7.2 |
| Alphabet Inc Class A | GOOGL | 5.56 |
| Rio Tinto PLC ADR | RIO | 4.89 |
| Mastercard Inc Class A | MA | 4.57 |
| Nexstar Media Group Inc Class A | NXST | 4.44 |
| Apple Inc | AAPL | 4.44 |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co | JPM | 4.01 |
| Applied Materials Inc | AMAT | 3.95 |
| Microsoft Corp | MSFT | 3.51 |
| Qualcomm Inc | QCOM | 3.45 |
| Procter & Gamble Co | PG | 3.4 |
| American Tower Corp | AMT | 3.28 |
| NextEra Energy Inc | NEE | 3.28 |
| CVS Health Corp | CVS | 3.13 |
Pratham Arora – arora6484@uwlax.edu
Pratham was born and raised in India. He has resided in Switzerland and now the US for nearly 10 years. He is currently interning at Wipfli LLP, as a Tax intern this semester. He is currently perusing a bachelor’s in sciences degree, with a concentration in accounting and finance. Pratham is intrigued about understanding the stock market and learning various investment strategies to growth a stock portfolio. He is member of Investment Club and was also one of the first inaugural members of the Investment Management Team and is the current director of the team at UWL.
Cole Greco – greco5965@uwlax.edu
Cole Greco is originally from the Milwaukee area graduating from Whitnall High School. He is a transfer student from the St. Cloud State University where he studied accounting. Currently, he is pursuing his bachelor's in finance with a minor in business analytics. Also, during the spring semester he has been interning with a small private equity search fund that specializes in manufacturing. This summer he will be interning with BMO Harris Bank as a summer analyst in their credit division. Cole became interested in investing through his desire to stay up to date with current events and market news. Cole is a member of the Investment Club and a 2-year member of the Investment Management Team.
Jack Hansen – hansen3705@uwlax.edu
Jack Hansen a is member of the Investment Management Team (IMT) here at UW-La Crosse. He is a sophomore with a major in Finance and a minor in Psychology. Jack got involved with the IMT to develop a better understanding of how the markets work and are constantly changing along with wanting to develop more knowledge of the various sectors. Having more knowledge on these topics have helped him keep more informed about world/country news and events which he has enjoyed greatly. The other aspect that Jack enjoyed by joining this team is the friendships that have been made with other team members. Jack says, “Working alongside with the team members have made this experience the best that it can be, and I have learned a lot from them given that they are upperclassman. Joining IMT was one of the best decisions I have made regarding my education here at UW-La Crosse.”
Weston Davis – davis9369@uwlax.edu
Weston Davis is currently a sophomore here at La Crosse studying Finance. He joined the IMT team the start of sophomore year and has gained multiple skills that he can use in his future career. As being a part of the team, Weston’s biggest takeaway has been to learn how to present in a professional manner. Overall, the team has been an asset for him and has helped him get his foot in the door for internships.
The following provides the list of current members of the Gordon Spellman Fund Advisory Board. All board members are alumni of UW-La Crosse.
Casey Sambs, CFA - Senior Portfolio Manager at Columbia Threadneedle Investments in Milwaukee, WI
Tyler Lynch, CFA – Director of Global Fixed Income, Currencies & Commodities at BMO Capital Markets in Milwaukee, WI
Robert Allen – Retired, formerly Senior Vice President at Stifel in La Crosse, WI
Nick Ziarek, CFA, AIF – Financial Planner at Shakespeare Wealth Management in Pewaukee, WI
Adam Pugh, CFA – Alternative Investments at CUNA Mutual Group in Madison, WI
Brandon Hellenbrand, CFA – Senior Investment Analyst at Trust Point in La Crosse, WI
Dr. Kevin Spellman, CFA – Senior Lecturer and David O. Nicholas Director of Investment Management at UW-Milwaukee
Eddie Hebert, CFA – Managing Director and Client Portfolio Manager at PPM America in Chicago, IL
Brian Wilmet, CFA – Investment Advisor Representative at High Point Capital Group in Milwaukee, WI