Chase is the Managing Director of Heartland Partners, responsible for the daily operations of the organization.

Chase has over 30 years of leadership in both the public and private sector. After retiring from the Air Force as a Colonel in 2015, Chase joined FlightSafety International, becoming their Vice President of Program Management for FSI-Defense where he oversaw the company’s defense portfolio. He then joined Heartland Partners in 2022 as President of Spectrum Aeromed, one of our operating companies. Under his leadership, his team produced the top two revenue years in the company’s 34-year history.

During his Air Force career, Chase was deployed multiple times to combat theaters, including early operations in Afghanistan. He had two different tours in the Pentagon working on strategic issues before finishing his military service leading maintenance operations on the Nation’s B-2 bomber fleet.

Tom is Managing Director - Emeritus, and was responsible for overseeing the company’s operations.

Tom’s 40-plus-year professional career includes a wide range of leadership roles and entrepreneurial ventures including various consulting and management roles at Coopers and Lybrand, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, and Platinum Group.

Growing up in his family’s logging and lumber business on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula imparted to Tom the critical role privately held businesses play in providing jobs and supporting communities. These origins helped shape Tom’s work ethic, which he carried to Northern Michigan University, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Finance.

Mark, one of the founding Principals and Board Members at Heartland Partners, is a seasoned wealth manager and business strategy consultant with over 40 years of experience.

He is the Chairman and Founder of Orgel Wealth Management, an investment advisory and consulting firm with roots going back to 1984. At Orgel Wealth Management, Mark serves as a Senior Relationship Manager and advisor to numerous individuals and businesses in a variety of industries.

Mark is also a champion for educational excellence and opportunity, most recently through his deep commitment to the creation and support of Venture Academy, an innovative, independent Christian school in Chippewa Falls, WI.

Tim is a Principal and Board Member of Heartland Partners. Prior to joining Heartland, he served as Chairman and CEO of Extrusion Dies Industries (EDI), a global service provider to plastics manufacturing companies. Tim and his partners purchased EDI in the wake of a private equity fueled bankruptcy, and ultimately restored it to become a global leader in its industry, driving annual sales from $23 million to $50 million while retiring all of the company's significant debt load. Prior to heading EDI, Tim held roles of increasing responsibility at both EDI and Johnson Controls, focusing on engineering and manufacturing.

John is a Principal and Board Member at Heartland Partners. In addition, John owned and operated his own business, JEH Government Services, Inc.  for over 17 years.  Through JEH, John specializes in working with small and large companies interested in working with the Department of Defense (DoD) to research, develop, and advance dual use technologies for military defense and commercial applications. He has been involved with selling and marketing to the U.S. government for over 20 years, securing over 400 million dollars in defense contracts that are strategically aligned with his client’s core competencies and capabilities.  Prior to JEH, John was Director of Government Affairs working for Rayovac Corporation for 17 years.

Joe is a Principal and Board Member at Heartland Partners. In addition, Joe is Founder and CEO of Laux Family Partners, a private investment firm focused on long term growth of its platform companies. Prior to this, Joe was President and CEO of River States Truck and Trailer, La Crosse Truck Center, and Minnesota Truck and Trailer. All focused on the heavy truck industry. River States and the family of companies were named by Deloitte as one of the 75 largest in Wisconsin by sales from 2014 – 2024. Additionally, River States earned Freightliner Truck Dealer of the Year and named a successful dealer in Truck Dealer of the Year magazine.

Jerry is a Principal and Board Member at Heartland Partners. Jerry has worked in his family-owned business, Bauer Built, Inc., since 1967. In 1976 he replaced his father as President and in 1980 as CEO and Chairman of the Board. In 2013 Jerry’s son Tad became President while Jerry continued as Chairman and CEO, a position he still holds today. The company has been in Jerry’s family for over 80 years and has become one of the largest independent tire dealers and retread manufacturers in North America.

Jerry has been serving on the Board of Directors of Marten Transport, LTD since January 1997. He was also on the Board of Directors of Security Financial Services Corporation from 1992 to 2022 serving as Chairman from 2008 to 2022.

Jon is honored to be a Principal and Board Member of Heartland Partners. He was previously the Co-Founder of Allied 100 in Woodruff, Wisconsin, and the Vice-President of Annuvia in San Francisco, California.

His career began as a director for an international air transportation company where he spent 10 years. Following, Jon turned his career toward entrepreneurship. He simultaneously launched Allied 100, LLC, an enterprise which expanded the world market for life-saving automated external defibrillators (AEDs), Allied Group, LLC, a niche air-medical transportation company, as well as a luxury vacation resort located in Northern Wisconsin.

Ron is a Principal and Board Member at Heartland Partners. Ron also serves as Chief Financial Officer of Snap Loc Cargo Control Systems, LLC. Prior to joining Heartland, Ron was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Extrusion Dies Industries (EDI) in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Ron and his partners purchased EDI in the wake of a private equity fueled bankruptcy, and ultimately restored it to become a global leader in its industry. A Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Ron has more than 40 years of experience in financial services, primarily serving manufacturing-related companies.

Ron grew up in upstate New York, and received his Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from the State University of New York (SUNY), Geneseo. He earned his MBA in Finance from the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater.