About Us

Coons Advisors is an independent investment adviser registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The firm provides investment advisory services to individuals, families, and institutions, including non-profits, government entities, and depository institutions and provides Asset-Liability Management services to community banks and thrifts. Coons Advisors is owned and operated by seasoned investment professionals with extensive experience in financial markets. The principals are directly responsible for developing and implementing investment strategies, managing portfolios, and communicating with clients.

Professional Staff Board of Advisors

Professional Staff

James W. Coons

Jim Coons is Principal and a licensed investment professional. Mr. Coons provides financial consulting services, manages investment accounts, and is a member of the firm’s Investment Policy Committee. Mr. Coons chairs the Ohio Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors and is a member of the Executive Order of the Ohio Commodores. Prior to forming Coons Advisors in 2003, Mr. Coons served as Chief Economist for Huntington National Bank, where he also led the bank’s Investment Management Department. Mr. Coons has taught Macroeconomics in the Executive MBA program of the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University and Investment Management and Money and Banking at Capital University. The author of a book on interest rate forecasting, Mr. Coons has written for The Columbus Dispatch. His articles have also appeared in USAToday, the Chicago Tribune, Investor's Business Daily, and other major publications. Mr. Coons holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in economics and mathematics from DePauw University. He graduated first in his class with a Master of Arts degree in economics from Ohio University and graduated first in his class from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking, where his thesis on predicting interest rates received the Stonier Library Award.

Robert J. Hoffman, CFA

Bob Hoffman is Principal and Chief Investment Officer. Mr. Hoffman provides financial consulting services, manages investment accounts, and is a member of the firm’s Investment Policy Committee. Mr. Hoffman has nearly 20 years of financial market experience. Immediately prior to joining the firm in 2005, he served as Senior Vice President and Director of Balance Sheet Management for Huntington National Bank. Mr. Hoffman also served as Director of Equity Research, Senior Vice President of Interest Rate Risk Management and Vice President of Derivative Hedging, where he built the bank’s derivative hedging capabilities. Mr. Hoffman holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois and has served as a guest lecturer for Capital University’s MBA program.

Keith M. Blankemeyer

Keith Blankemeyer is Principal and a member of the firm’s Investment Policy Committee. Mr. Blankemeyer has 9 years of investment experience. Prior to joining the firm, he founded Foresight Wealth Management, Inc. where he served as President and principal member; that firm had over 100 million dollars in assets under management. Earlier in his career he was director of operations for a private non-profit foundation, where his responsibilities included oversight of a large investment portfolio. Mr. Blankemeyer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toledo.

Alan Pankratz, PhD

Alan Pankratz is Senior Research Advisor. Dr. Pankratz provides equity and options research and contributes to the formulation of overall investment policy. Dr. Pankratz most recently served as President of Private Value Investments Incorporated, which he founded in 1994. In this capacity, he successfully applied the principles of value investing to clients’ accounts from 1994 to 2005. Dr. Pankratz has also served as Senior Professor of Economics and Management at DePauw University during 1999-2004, Professor of Economics during 1970-1999, and President of Ecostat Associates Incorporated during 1983-1994. Dr. Pankratz is the author of two books and numerous journal articles on forecasting and was a leader in the development and application of statistical forecasting techniques. Dr. Pankratz holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in economics and mathematics from Valparaiso University and a Ph.D. in economics with concentrations in monetary theory and policy, economic development, and finance from the University of Illinois (Urbana).

Stephen A. Sims

Steve Sims is a Senior Consultant for J. W. Coons Advisors, LLC, specializing in small business lending services. Mr. Sims has 30 years of experience in providing financial assistance to small businesses. Most recently he was Senior Vice President in the Specialized Lending Division of Bank of America. Previous positions held at BofA include Southeastern Regional Manager and National Sales Manager. For seven years prior to leaving BofA, Mr. Sims was in charge of the BofA factoring unit in Latin America. Mr. Sims holds a B.A. degree from Ohio Wesleyan University and an M.A. in Economics from Ohio State University.

Board of Advisors

James C. Blankemeyer

Jim Blankemeyer is a successful entrepreneur and ministry leader. In 1969, he founded MetoKote Corporation, an innovator in the application of high-quality industrial coatings and paints. He continues to serve as chairman of MetoKote, now the largest company of its kind, with 41 plants in eight countries. Since committing his life to Jesus Christ in 1976, Jim has been active in many ministries and serves on numerous boards, traveling extensively around the world. In 1988, Jim and Carolyn, his wife, started their own family foundation to teach their children Biblical principles of responsible stewardship over God's resources of time, talents, relationships and money in the ministry of furthering the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Donald L. Feinstein

Don Feinstein is Chairman of the Board and a principal owner of Emerald Foods Inc., Emerald Land Company, LC, Diamond Foods, LLC and Diamond Land Company, LLC. Combined these entities own and operate 61 Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburger restaurants in Texas and Louisiana and own much of the real estate where they operate the restaurants. Mr. Feinstein also owns an interest in Cedar Enterprises Inc., a 134 store Wendy’s franchise and sits on Cedar’s Board of Directors. Mr. Feinstein is also an attorney and is of counsel to the law firm Roetzel & Andress where his expertise is in acquisitions, bank financing and general business matters for the franchise community and as an estate planning attorney. In addition to sitting on the Board of the Wendy’s franchise companies afore mentioned, Mr. Feinstein sits on the Board of Directors of The Old Fashioned Franchise Association (Wendy’s franchise association), Airwaves Inc (a company that manufactures heat transfers and sells garments) and the Columbus Community Health Association (which owns the real estate and operates the health facility that was the former Columbus Community Hospital). Mr. Feinstein is a member of the Columbus Bar Association and the Ohio State Bar Association. Mr. Feinstein earned a B.A. from the University of Oklahoma and received his J.D. Law Degree from the University of Kansas.

Harold J. Green

Hal Green is an Adjunct Professor at Ohio State University and an independent business consultant. He teaches senior level courses on Financial Management, Investment Management, Derivatives, Real Estate Finance, Portfolio Management and International Finance. Mr. Green has extensive experience advising a diverse group of clients in the formulation and implementation of operating and market development plans and acquisition strategies. He formerly served as Corporate Director of Development at Borden, Inc., in which capacity he was responsible for managing all acquisitions and divestitures for the corporation. Prior to that, Mr. Green had P&L responsibility for the $50 million coffee products operating unit. Mr. Green earned a B.A. degree in economics and an M.A. degree in economics from Youngstown State University and an M.B.A. degree from Youngstown/Ohio State University.

Stephen C. Landerman

Steve Landerman is President of Landerman Management Associates, Inc., a full-service legislative and regulatory government affairs firm representing the interests of clients located in Ohio and elsewhere in the nation before the Ohio General Assembly and various administrative agencies. The company also helps county and local officials achieve their regulatory objectives. Landerman Management has lobbied on behalf of clients in areas such as health care, finance, transportation, higher education, energy delivery and economic development for more than 20 years. Mr. Landerman has served as Executive Director for the Ohio Orthopaedic Society for 18 years. Prior to starting the firm, Mr. Landerman was the Secretary-Treasurer and Director of Development for Shepherd Hill Corporation and, prior to that, was the Assistant Director of the Ohio Department of Industrial Relations in the administration of Governor James A. Rhodes. Mr. Landerman has volunteered on numerous political campaigns and has served on various boards and commissions. Mr. Landerman served on the Finance Committee of the gubernatorial campaign for Ohio Governor Bob Taft and been a key fundraiser for the Republican Governor’s Association.

Edwin McCausland, CFA

Win McCausland is President of Investment Perspectives LLC, a management consulting practice specializing on investment management issues. Clients include insurance companies, asset management firms, and endowment organizations. Prior to forming the firm, Mr. McCausland was Chief Investment Officer at Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, where he was responsible for portfolio investments in excess of $55 billion. Prior to joining Nationwide, Mr. McCausland was Vice President and Managing Director at Mass Mutual Life Insurance Company in Springfield, Massachusetts. Previous positions included Vice President, Pension Operations, at Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company in Hartford, Connecticut and Investment Officer at Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company, also in Hartford. Mr. McCausland earned a B.A. degree in economics at Wheaton College, an M.B.A. degree in Finance at the University of Hartford, and the Chartered Financial Analyst designation from the CFA Institute. Mr. McCausland served as Vice Chairman of The Ohio State University, Business Technology Center and Trustee and Vice President for Strategic Planning for Opera Columbus and as a director of MML Reinsurance Bermuda, and RP&C International, a UK based investment bank.

Ken Pierce

Ken Pierce is a long-time member and current chairman of board of National Church Residences, a major provider of affordable housing for seniors. Mr. Pierce was vice president and chief financial officer of The Columbus Dispatch and affiliated companies, where he worked from 1973 until his retirement in 1999. He was secretary-treasurer and a director of The First Columbus Corporation, a stockbrokerage and investment banking firm, during the four years prior to joining The Columbus Dispatch. Prior to that, he worked for Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co., the last six years as an audit manager. Mr. Pierce’s extensive community and professional service has included: former board member of the American Red Cross of Greater Columbus, former board member and treasurer of the Council for Ethics in Economics, former board member of Prevent Blindness, former board member of the St. Anthony Medical Center, former president of the Central Ohio Chapter of the Financial Executives Institute, and former treasurer and vice president of The Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants, from which he received the Gold Medal for Meritorious Service to the Accounting Profession. Mr. Pierce is a member and past president of The Athletic Club of Columbus and a member since youth of the Boulevard Presbyterian Church, where he was ordained as a deacon and as an elder and has served as treasurer.

J.W. Coons Advisors, LLC
1151 Bethel Road, Suite 204,
Columbus, Ohio 43220
(614) 459-4001
jcoons@coonsadvisors.com
© 2005-2009 J.W. Coons Advisors, LLC