Martin Wildy, CFA

Co-Founder

Mr. Wildy is a co-founder of Investment Research Partners and has over 19 years of direct investment experience.

Martin holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance from the Pennsylvania State University and has held the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation since 2003. He is an active volunteer and consultant with the CFA Institute, supporting the CFA examination and grading functions. He has also been an author and contributor to the CFA digest publication. Martin resides in State College, PA with his wife and two children. He sits on the board and investment committee of two preservation focused non-profits and is the head basketball coach for the Special Olympics program in Centre County.

Prior to co-founding Investment Research Partners, Martin oversaw three income- and dividend-focused portfolios for Eventide Asset Management, a mutual fund manager in Boston, MA. While with Eventide, he was also involved in building and managing an equity income model portfolio and a multi-asset class strategy for a large foundation. In addition to portfolio management responsibilities, he worked directly on researching companies and presenting investment ideas to the broader Eventide team. Martin has spoken before numerous conferences on sustainable investing and on investment opportunities within the renewable energy industry.

Prior to joining Eventide, Martin was a Senior Portfolio Manager with Aris Wealth Services, which is currently a division of AssetMark, Inc., where he worked from 2006 to 2014. At Aris, he was involved in the design, launch, and management of a number of investment strategies including those in the sustainable investing and multi-asset income categories. He also performed macro research that helped to inform the overall portfolio allocations for the firm. Prior to Aris, he was an equity analyst at 1620 Investment Advisors, Inc. where he was responsible for equity research and recommendations, primarily within the telecommunications, technology, and regional banking sectors.

Geoff Caber, AIF^®

Co-Founder

Mr. Caber is a co-founder of Investment Research Partners and has over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry.

Geoff holds a bachelor’s degree in Operations Management from the University of Arizona and has held the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) designation since 2005. He also attended the Central Atlantic School of Trust and Investment Management. Geoff resides in State College, PA with his fiancée and dog. He is an assistant basketball coach for the Special Olympics program in Centre County.

Prior to co-founding Investment Research Partners, Geoff was the Chief Investment Officer for Abundance Wealth Counselors in State College, PA from 2004 to 2018. While with Abundance, Geoff chaired the Investment Committee and managed the Investment Department. In addition to this investment management responsibilities, Geoff was a member of the Executive Management Team and was the Chief Compliance Officer from 2012 to 2014. Geoff has extensive experience in the areas of portfolio construction, qualified plan management, technical analysis, and in the structure and management of individual bond portfolios.

Prior to joining Abundance, Geoff was an Investment Officer for Susquehanna Trust and Investment Company where he assisted with the transition of portfolio management to an institutional approach which included communicating the investment process to both team members and clients. Prior to STIC, he was a Senior Portfolio Manager for Aris Wealth Services and a Financial Advisor for First Union Securities.

Brett Greenfield

Partner

Mr. Greenfield is a partner of Investment Research Partners and has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry.

Brett holds a bachelor’s degree from James Madison University in Accounting.  Additionally, he became a CFP® professional in 2012, a Chartered SRI Counselor™ in 2019, and graduated from the Pennsylvania Bankers Association Trust School.  Brett resides in Virginia Beach, VA with his wife and two children.

Prior to joining Investment Research Partners, Brett served as a Portfolio Manager focusing on ESG and sustainable investing at AssetMark, Inc. In this role, he built and delivered sustainable and ESG-integrated solutions for a platform that serves financial advisors and clients nationwide. The role included due diligence, portfolio construction, portfolio management, marketing and sales responsibilities. In addition, Brett frequently spoke at financial advisor events and conferences on a variety of subjects related to sustainable investing.

Brett served in a similar role with Aris Wealth Services, a firm that was subsequently acquired by AssetMark, Inc. In this role, he was actively involved in the Investment Committee that was responsible for the firm’s total return, absolute return, values-based, income-oriented, and retirement solutions. Prior to joining Aris, Brett served as a mutual fund accountant at T. Rowe Price Associates, a registered representative at Greenville Financial Consultants, Inc., and a Portfolio Analyst and Assistant Vice President at First National Bank Investment Advisors.

Derek Varner, CFA

Partner

Mr. Varner is a partner for Investment Research Partners and has nearly 15 years of investment management experience.

Derek holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the University of Pittsburgh and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. He is a volunteer for CFA Institute and a member of the CFA Society of Pittsburgh. Derek resides in State College, PA with his wife and three daughters.  Derek is also a volunteer member of the investment committee of Centre Foundation, a community-focused foundation supporting Centre County.

Derek's experience includes management of the endowment fund and excess working capital for Bucknell University as the Associate Director of Investments. This role included conducting research on financial markets, asset classes, as well as public and private investment opportunities. He also participated on the University's retirement plan oversight committee, and regularly presented to students on the topics of investment & endowment management. Derek also participated on panel discussions at institutional investment conferences to discuss investment management topics on behalf of the University.

Prior to joining Bucknell, Derek served as Portfolio Manager and Investment Committee member with Aris Wealth Services, which is currently a division of AssetMark, Inc., from 2008 to 2014. At Aris, he participated in all aspects of management of the firm's investment strategies, including total return, absolute return, values-based and income-oriented portfolios, and he worked directly with clients and their financial advisors in order to achieve client-specific goals and objectives.

Thomas Konrad, Ph.D., CFA

Consultant

Tom is a financial analyst, portfolio manager, and freelance writer specializing in renewable energy and energy efficiency investing.

Tom has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) designation and has a Ph.D. in mathematics from Purdue University where he wrote his thesis on Complex Dynamics, a branch of chaos theory.  His study of chaos theory led to his conviction that knowing the limits of our ability to predict is much more important than predictions themselves, a lesson he applies to both climate science and the financial markets.