Kaufman Hall Investment Management Acquires Ponder Investment Company

CHICAGO – Oct 23, 2023 – Kaufman Hall Investment Management, LLC (KHIM), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kaufman, Hall & Associates, LLC (Kaufman Hall), has acquired the assets of Ponder Investment Company (PIC), a registered investment advisory firm based in Brentwood, TN, that provides investment management services to nonprofit healthcare, cultural, and other institutions.

PIC currently manages more than $1 billion in client assets on behalf of healthcare, cultural and other institutions. Specifically, PIC manages high grade, U.S. fixed income portfolios with a focus on short to intermediate duration as it relates to the investment of bond proceeds, board designated funds and short-term liquidity management.

Moving forward, KHIM will assume control of PIC’s business and provide investment management services. Key members of the PIC team joining KHIM include Britt Cesarone, CFA, and David Hiteshew, CFA, who will both serve as Senior Vice President, Portfolio Management.

“I’m delighted to welcome Ponder Investment Company to the Kaufman Hall family,” said Kate Guelich, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Kaufman Hall. “Kaufman Hall Investment Management will provide our clients with critical investment management services—adjacent to our existing treasury and capital markets offerings—to help them navigate financial uncertainty and prepare for the future.”

"We are excited by the opportunity to join Kaufman Hall Investment Management,” Cesarone said. “We look forward to working alongside Kaufman Hall’s treasury and capital markets team to meet the ever-changing investment management needs of our clients.”

The transaction closed Oct. 19, 2023.

Media Contact: Haydn Bush, hbush@kaufmanhall.com

About Kaufman Hall

Kaufman Hall provides management consulting solutions to help society’s foundational institutions realize sustained success amid changing market conditions. Since 1985, KaufmanHall has been a trusted advisor to boards and executive management teams, helping them incorporate proven methods, rigorous analytics, and industry-leading solutions into their strategic planning and financial management processes, with a focus on achieving their most challenging goals.

KaufmanHall services use a rigorous, disciplined, and structured approach that is based on the principles of corporate finance. The breadth and integration of KaufmanHall advisory services are unparalleled, encompassing strategy; financial and capital planning; performance improvement; treasury and capital markets management; mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, and joint ventures; real estate; and clinical documentation support.

Kaufman Hall companies include Claro Healthcare and Gist Healthcare