Jack Gregory Barlage

Columbia Management Advisors invests in the US public equity and debt markets. They focus on growth and value stocks of small-cap, mid-cap, and large-cap companies selected on the basis of a top-down approach and thematic and fundamental analysis with a bottom-up stock picking approach to create their equity portfolio mix. The firm benchmarks the performance of its equity portfolios against the S&P 500 Index. Columbia Management Advisors invests in short-term, intermediate-term, and long-term high-quality debt instruments including treasuries, mortgage-backed securities, municipal bonds, agency bonds and asset backed securities to create their debt portfolio mix. The firm uses a combination of their equity and debt strategies to manage balanced portfolios and benchmarks performance against the S&P 500 Index and Lehman Aggregate Index. Though not limited by sector, the firm tends to invests in the stocks of large-cap companies in the technology, energy minerals and consumer non-durables sectors. They maintain a low turnover rate.

STRS Ohio is funded through investment returns and contributions made by members and their employers. Two-thirds of STRS Ohio’s investment assets are managed internally by more than 100 Investment Department professionals. These associates oversee diversified portfolios of equity (common and preferred stock), fixed-income, international, real estate investments and alternative (e.g., private equity). The mix of investments is designed to provide high, long-term yields while minimizing exposure to risk.

Baring North America's (BNA) investment approach focuses on identifying favorable earnings surprise and valuation characteristics through fundamental research. They seek companies and markets whose attractive growth prospects are not fully reflected in their prices. The firm's core equity portfolios are diversified large-cap portfolios that typically offer above market growth characteristics at or at a reasonable premium to market valuations. BNA's growth criteria embrace companies delivering growth in earnings per share in the top 60% of their universes. The firm's systematic equity investment process embraces hands-on fundamental stock research and analysis to generate proprietary earnings forecasts and relative valuation targets and quantitative analysis and screening to focus their research and generate buy and sell ideas. BNA's investment teams use a common framework and template for equity research, which focuses on growth, management, value creation and valuation criteria. Their regional equity teams are responsible for portfolio strategy and stock selection for specialist regional equity portfolios as well as the regional portion of their global and multi-asset mandates. The asset allocation team is responsible for regional/country strategy in their global and multi-asset portfolios and for sector policy at the global and multi-asset mandate level. The output of their fundamental and quantitative research is used to rank each stock and to shape buy and sell decisions. Teams review stocks continuously following company meetings and announcements. BNA's fixed-income processes are characterized by fundamental research and disciplined portfolio construction techniques. They also use technical analysis, particularly in currency allocation research. The firm's credit research leverages off the equity research capabilities of the firm. They invest in bonds issued by governments, agencies, corporates as well as emerging market sovereign, mortgages and asset-backed securities. BNA includes bonds across the rating spectrum from Aaa to Caa, according to the risk tolerance and guidelines of their clients.

CPWA offers a broad opportunity set across asset classes, global geographic regions and managers because in their experience, they found this to be the best way to preserve and grow a client’s assets. The firm has an investment policy committee that oversees their investment policies and strategies. They utilize both fundamental and technical analysis to determine their recommendations and fulfill their respective responsibilities.

Functions as a College/University

Functions as a College/University

CMIA manages no-load mutual funds and separate client-focused equity, fixed-income and balanced portfolios. The firm invests in the growth and value stocks of small-cap, mid-cap and large-cap domestic and international companies. Their investment strategy combines a top-down approach and thematic and fundamental analysis with a bottom-up stock selection process. CMIA’s fixed-income investments focus on short-term, intermediate-term and long-term high-quality debt instruments including US Treasuries, MBS, ABS, municipal bonds and agency bonds. Their balanced investment approach is a blend of their equity and debt strategies. Portfolios are benchmarked against the S&P 500 Index and the Barclays Capital Aggregate Index (formerly the Lehman Aggregate Index).