Executive Summary

Retirement Planning

If you own a company or are the Human Resource Officer (HRO) of a major corporation, then the retirement plan that your company chooses not only affects the company and employees, but you personally. Selecting the wrong type of plan could limit your contribution levels and affect your tax situation and retirement planning. Additionally, you can be held personally liable if your employees aren’t treated fairly under the plan. There are many different types of retirement plans and many financial advisors do not have the expertise to help you select the right plan for your company and provide the ongoing support and fiduciary service required by law. The Retirement Planning service provides the expertise needed to help your company make the right decisions for yourself and your employees. We’ve developed a Retirement Planning Process that helps ensure that owners, management and employees are all on the right track towards investing for their retirement.

Service Methodology

Performance Analysis: Year-long, continual monitoring of your investments; Independent Advice; Recommendations regarding positioning of funds within your employer provided retirement plan; Development of an “Investment Policy” to be used by trustees and advisors to guide the direction of the plan (optional).

Investment Options: Mutual Funds and Stocks; Managed Accounts; Corporate Bonds; Annuities; Life Insurance.

Semi-Annual Reviews: Comprehensive review of your returns for the trustees; Employee meetings to educate employees; Retirement Review- for members preparing for retirement; Comparison of returns to benchmark; Free consultations with your third party administrator; Staying up-to-date on and presenting new tax laws and retirement plan legislation.

Plan Design: Plan Type Review- SEP, SIMPLE, 401(k), 403(b), Defined Benefit, Money Purchase etc; Plan Design and Analysis- Age Weighted, Social Security Integrated, New Comparability; Non-Qualified Executive Retirement Plans (Deferred Compensation, Executive Bonus, etc.); Comparative analysis of retirement plan vendors.

Client Services & Communications: Weekly email market updates; Special reports on how to reduce your taxes and other important topic; Quarterly Newsletter detailing our firm’s research, analysis and view of the current state of the investment markets; Educational Workshops- on topics like Social Security, Market Updates, Tax Planning.

Service Options

Companies can elect whether they just require Appleton Greene for advice and support with the Bronze Client Service, for research and performance analysis with the Silver Client Service, for facilitating departmental workshops with the Gold Client Service, or for complete process planning, development, implementation, management and review, with the Platinum Client Service. Ultimately, there is a service to suit every situation and every budget and clients can elect to either upgrade or downgrade from one service to another as and when required, providing complete flexibility in order to ensure that the right level of support is available over a sustainable period of time, enabling the organization to compensate for any prescriptive or emergent changes relating to: Customer Service; E-business; Finance; Globalization; Human Resources; Information Technology; Legal; Management; Marketing; or Production.

Service Mission

The service mission is to provide a money management system for your company’s retirees and pre-retirees. This is a conservative system. The average person does not understand that the classic brokerage house and bank brokerages use a buy-and-hold methodology. This does not work for the average employee. It does work well for the broker and his/her firm. Folks have no idea where they will be in 5, 10, or 15 years financially. All they end up with is a hope and a prayer portfolio. Don’t you think that your employees deserve more? We think so and you do have options. We strive to provide successful investment solutions that are low in volatility and risk. Our strategies are designed to help you and your employees reach your financial goals. Each employee has different needs and we help design and implement their own type of investment strategy that will work for their individual circumstances. We take the time to get to know you and your key employees, as well as your actual needs and risk tolerance. We believe that having a well thought out plan in both accumulation and distribution stages is critical in achieving a successful, worry-free retirement. Our thorough, comprehensive planning process allows us to address all of your investment concerns, including protection from market volatility, income planning, retirement goals, legacy planning, tax planning, and most importantly, peace of mind.

We act as a fiduciary where we make recommendations on funds, monitor investments, provide employee education and assist the employer in meeting all their requirements. We are an advisor to the plan trustees and the employees and we do not have discretion to make decisions without employer authorization. We will always disclose any fees we received or any conflicts of interest. We know that you are already likely to have a plan in place, but that doesn’t mean that it’s the right plan. If you have any doubts about your retirement plan, we would be happy to meet with you and provide a general review to help you understand potential issues that you may have with the existing plan or if your plan has been set up correctly.

Service Objectives

The following list represents the Key Service Objectives (KSO) for the Appleton Greene Retirement Planning service.

1. Exploring Options
   We understand that the success of a business relies both on the quality and commitment of its people and the organization’s ability to plan and operate strategically. We listen to you and work to understand your goals and challenges. Focused on priority objectives, we set out to develop solutions that improve plan performance and deliver tangible value to the bottom line. Start your planning today by exploring your options, including corporate benefits planning, employee benefits, 401(k) and corporate retirement plans, executive benefits, and business owner and executive succession.
2. Employee Planning
   In today’s complex benefit planning environment it is essential that you are positioned to assess benefit plan structure, claims impact, cost sharing, and various risk transfer strategies. We have experienced how a strategic approach to benefit planning and risk transfer techniques adds value to your employee benefits offering and materially improves plan performance. In light of the increased regulatory landscape and with benefit costs continuing to escalate, many businesses are rethinking their offering of employee benefits. This service provides a comprehensive analysis of your current employee benefit programs and provides a framework to: Assess cost drivers of medical and pharmacy plans; Evaluate alternative funding options; Integrate plan resources; Educate employees; Benchmark plans; Leverage technology; Negotiate premiums; Improve communications. This service assures that you have a leading, cost effective core benefits program aligned with corporate objectives to attract, retain and reward your people. The review can cover the following areas: Medical insurance: HMO, POS; Cafeteria plans; Disability; Dental; Life and AD&D; Vision; Long-term care; Critical illness; Voluntary benefits; Employee assistance programs.
3. Corporate Planning
   Having a framework to support informed decision making aligned with fiduciary roles and responsibilities is critical to meeting regulatory requirements and fulfilling participant expectations. Your organization has specific goals, and your corporate retirement plan should be responsive to those goals. Key considerations, such as corporate structure, business objectives, and cash flow are factors in the decisions related to the appropriate corporate retirement plan design for the business. We have seen how a strategic approach to fiduciary responsibility can drive improved participant outcomes, help minimize fiduciary risk and supports ability to adapt plan to changing business environment and goals. Now more than ever plan sponsors are rethinking their corporate retirement plans. This service provides plan sponsors with a framework to: Assess fiduciary risk; Review competitiveness of participant outcomes; Coordinate plan resources to maximize results. This service will help you to assess fiduciary risk, review participant outcomes and determine areas for improvement. Reviews include: 401(k) plans; Profit sharing plans; Pensions and defined benefit plans; Employee stock ownership plans; 403(b) plans and tax-sheltered annuities; 412(i) plans; Small business plans; Non-qualified retirement plans.
4. Executive Planning
   Having carefully aligned strategies for executive compensation and benefits is essential to sustained organizational success. Whether managing a family owned business, a closely held business or a public company, this service understands how financial strategies in Executive compensation and benefits, supports organizational growth and profitability while providing stability and incentives within an executive team. In today’s competitive business environment companies are seeking ways to complement core compensation strategies with targeted executive benefit programs that help those select participants to build and protect wealth. This service enables companies to evaluate their existing offerings and creates a framework to create programs that: Align executive incentives with corporate objectives; Recruit executive talent; Define goals and reward success. This service will enable you to review your current offerings to your executive team within the context of corporate goals and current market conditions. Review can include the following areas: Non-qualified deferred compensation planning; Supplemental executive retirement plans; Key man insurance planning; Stock option planning and incentive compensation.
5. Succession Planning
   Planning for the successful exit of an owner or key person from your business is essential to sustained success. Every business owner, at some point, leaves their business. Whether a sale to a third party, or a transfer to an insider such as key person or family member. This service proves how well thought through exit strategies can help you realize maximum value for your ownership interests. Thousands of companies will transition ownership and leadership over the coming decade. Many businesses do not have a plan for the current ownership to successfully exit and transition the business. This service helps you and the business to: Define the owner’s or executive’s exit objectives; Establish a framework to review and refine the exit plan; Motivate owners to execute the plan; Realize maximum value from the business; Evaluate tax planning alternatives; Instill confidence and success within succession. This service centers on the goals the business must achieve for you or a key person to leave it in style. Reviews can include the following areas: Buy-sell planning; Business valuation planning; Merger and acquisition support; Preparing for and structuring the business sale; ESOP and qualified retirement plan strategies.

Testimonials

Banking & Financial Services

“Performance improvement has to be the core objective of any training program. At Appleton Greene, this is achieved by ensuring that each program incorporates the implementation of a tangible business process. As they say, processes drive business, but it is always people who drive processes. Therefore, this kind of productive and interactive training is mission critical for any company that trades internationally.”

A quotation taken from a client reference within the Banking & Financial Services.

Insurance

“Risk assessment is our business. So, we are drawn towards products and services which are inherently risk-averse. Appleton Greene’s programs are cost-efficient, time-efficient, process-efficient and risk-efficient. There is therefore no apparent risk involved because their processes merely assist our staff to undertake an internal analysis into our own processes and procedures and any changes that are made are made by us at our discretion.”

A quotation taken from a client reference within the Insurance industry.

Aviation

“Managed outsourcing is the key to successful manufacturing these days. It would appear that the same principle applies to good education. The high points of my MBA and DBA were the opportunities to interact with industry specialists and successful business leaders. Appleton Greene recognizes this and is developing an impressive catalog of tangible programs and encourages learning providers to outsource to specialist consultants and business leaders as much as possible. This helps to bring the programs to life in the real world and engages and challenges employees.”

A quotation taken from a client reference within the Aviation.

Retail

“The retail industry has changed considerably during the past 50 years. Much of our success today is based upon our ability to collaborate and to form strategic alliances with a variety of national and international business partners. Appleton Greene has embraced this philosophy with great effect and although they are still a small lean company, they are truly multi-national and multi-industrial in their approach.”

A quotation taken from a client reference within the Retail> industry.

Manufacturing

“Successful growth on a global scale is determined by the quality of strategic partnering or strategic alliance management. Appleton Greene has been a real find in terms of corporate training services because their flexibility and international coverage makes them a valuable asset to have.”

A quotation taken from a client reference within the Manufacturing industry.

More detailed achievements, references and testimonials are confidentially available to clients upon request.

Industries

This service is primarily available to the following industry sectors:

Banking & Financial Services

Assets of the largest 1,000 banks in the world grew by 6.8% to a record US$96.4 trillion while profits declined by 85% to US$115 billion. Growth in assets in adverse market conditions was largely a result of recapitalization. EU banks holds the largest share of the total, 56%. Asian banks’ share amounts to 14%, while the share of US banks amounts to 13%. Fee revenue generated by global investment banking totals US$66.3 billion. The United States has the most banks in the world in terms of institutions i.e. 7,085 including 82,000 branches. This is an indicator of the geography and regulatory structure of the USA, resulting in a large number of small to medium-sized institutions in its banking system. China’s top 4 banks have in excess of 67,000 branches with an additional 140 smaller banks. Japan has 129 banks and 12,000 branches. Germany, France, and Italy each had more than 30,000 branches – more than double the 15,000 branches in the UK. Financial services are the economic services provided by the finance industry, which encompasses a broad range of organizations that manage money, including credit unions, banks, credit card companies, insurance companies, accountancy companies, consumer finance companies, stock brokerages, investment funds and some government sponsored enterprises. The financial services industry represents 20% of the market capitalization of the S&P 500 in the United States. Finance industry income as a proportion of GDP is 7.5%, and the finance industry’s proportion of all corporate income is 20%. The financial services industry constitutes the largest group of companies in the world in terms of earnings and equity market capitalization. However it is not the largest category in terms of revenue or number of employees. It is also a slow growing and extremely fragmented industry, with the largest company (Citigroup), only having a 3% US market share.

Insurance

Global insurance premiums grew by 2.7% in inflation-adjusted terms to $4.3 trillion, climbing above pre-crisis levels. The return to growth and record premiums generated during the year followed two years of decline in real terms. Life insurance premiums increased by 3.2% and non-life premiums by 2.1%. While industrialized countries saw an increase in premiums of around 1.4%, insurance markets in emerging economies saw rapid expansion with 11% growth in premium income. The global insurance industry was sufficiently capitalized to withstand the financial crisis and most insurance companies have restored their capital to pre-crisis levels. With the continuation of the gradual recovery of the global economy, it is likely the insurance industry will continue to see growth in premium income both in industrialized countries and emerging markets. Advanced economies account for the bulk of global insurance. With premium income of $1.62 billion, Europe is the most important region, followed by North America $1.409 billion and Asia $1.161 billion. Europe has however seen a decline in premium income in contrast to the growth seen in North America and Asia. The top four countries generated more than a half of premiums. The United States and Japan alone account for 40% of world insurance, much higher than their 7% share of the global population. Emerging economies account for over 85% of the world’s population but only around 15% of premiums. Their markets are however growing at a quicker pace. The country expected to have the biggest impact on the insurance share distribution across the world is China, which is expected to be the largest insurance market in the next decade or two. The insurance industry comprises establishments that are primarily engaged in the pooling of risk by underwriting insurance (i.e., assuming the risk and assigning premiums) and annuities. The insurance industry is a highly fragmented and includes segments such as life insurance and non-life insurance. The European region currently dominates this industry; however, Latin America, eastern Europe, and the Middle East are expected to lead the industry in the future. Asia is expected to grow the fastest over the next decade.

Retail

Retail is the sale of goods and services from individuals or businesses to the end-user. Retailers are part of an integrated system called the supply chain. A retailer purchases goods or products in large quantities from manufacturers directly or through a wholesale, and then sells smaller quantities to the consumer for a profit. Retailing can be done in either fixed locations like stores or markets, door-to-door or by delivery. An increasing amount of retailing is done using online websites, electronic payment, and then delivered via a courier or via other services. Rising GDP growth, burgeoning population, greater disposable income, and increasing consumer spending are combining to drive the Global Retail industry and opportunities for retail segment players. The market is forecast to reach an estimated $20,002 billion with a CAGR of 3.9% over the next five years. The retail industry comprises establishments engaged in selling merchandise or commodities for personal or household consumption, mainly consisting of apparel and accessories, technology, food and beverages, home improvement, specialty, pharmaceuticals, and others. Recently, as developed nations begin to emerge from recession, their economies recover, and unemployment rates begin to fall, the market segments are experiencing some renewed growth. The retail industry is highly fragmented and is dependent on macroeconomic factors such as GDP, disposable income, and consumer spending. Asia Pacific (APAC) dominates the industry, representing 35% of the global market. The APAC retail industry is expected to drive the market and grow at the highest rate among all regions. The global economic recession, inflation, and high unemployment rates are some of the challenges that are negatively affecting the retail industry. Conversely, some factors that are likely to boost sales in the industry include urbanization, technological growth, increase in product demand and selection, and the continued popularity of online purchasing. A combination of factors such as demographics and consumer spending habits impacts market dynamics significantly.

Aviation

Aviation is the practical aspect or art of aeronautics, being the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is a vital part of the increasingly globalized world economy, facilitating the growth of international trade, tourism and international investment, and connecting people across continents. The aviation industry itself is a major direct generator of employment and economic activity, in airline and airport operations, aircraft maintenance, air traffic management, head offices and activities directly serving air passengers, such as check-in, baggage handling, on-site retail and catering facilities. Direct impacts also include the activities of aerospace manufacturers selling aircraft and components to airlines and related businesses. The world’s airlines carry over 2.6 billion passengers a year and 48 million tons of freight. Providing these services generates 8.4 million direct jobs within the air transport industry and contributes $539 billion to global GDP. Compared with the GDP contribution of other sectors, the global air transport industry is larger than the pharmaceuticals ($445 billion), the textiles ($236 billion) or the automotive industries ($484 billion) and around half as big as the global chemicals ($977 billion) and food and beverage ($1,162 billion) sectors. Air transport also has important ‘multiplier’ effects, which mean that its overall contribution to global employment and GDP is much larger than its direct impact alone. These include employment and activities of suppliers to the air transport industry for example, aviation fuel suppliers; construction companies that build airport facilities; suppliers of sub-components used in aircraft; manufacturers of goods sold in airport retail outlets; and a wide variety of activities in the business services sector (such as call centers, information technology and accountancy). Over 9.3 million indirect jobs globally are supported through the purchase of goods and services by companies in the air transport industry. These indirect jobs contribute approximately $618 billion to global GDP.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing is the production of merchandise for use or sale using labor and machines, tools, chemical and biological processing, or formulation. In a free market economy, manufacturing is usually directed toward the mass production of products for sale to consumers at a profit. In a collectivist economy, manufacturing is more frequently directed by the state to supply a centrally planned economy. In mixed market economies, manufacturing occurs under some degree of government regulation. Modern manufacturing includes all intermediate processes required for the production and integration of a product’s components. Some industries, such as semiconductor and steel manufacturers use the term fabrication instead. The manufacturing sector is closely connected with engineering and industrial design. According to some economists, manufacturing is a wealth-producing sector of an economy, whereas a service sector tends to be wealth-consuming. Emerging technologies have provided some new growth in advanced manufacturing employment opportunities in the Manufacturing Belt in the United States. Manufacturing provides important material support for national infrastructure and for national defense. On the other hand, most manufacturing may involve significant social and environmental costs. The clean-up costs of hazardous waste, for example, may outweigh the benefits of a product that creates it. Hazardous materials may expose workers to health risks. These costs are now well known and there is effort to address them by improving efficiency, reducing waste, using industrial symbiosis, and eliminating harmful chemicals. The increased use of technologies such as 3D printing also offer the potential to reduce the environmental impact of producing finished goods through distributed manufacturing.

Locations

This service is primarily available within the following locations:

Miami FL

Miami is a major center of commerce, finance, and boasts a strong international business community. According to the ranking of world cities undertaken by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network (GaWC) and based on the level of presence of global corporate service organizations, Miami is considered a “Alpha minus world city”. Miami has is ranked 20th worldwide in GMP, and 11th in the United States. Several large companies are headquartered in or around Miami, including but not limited to: Akerman Senterfitt, Alienware, Arquitectonica, Arrow Air, Bacardi, Benihana, Brightstar Corporation, Burger King, Celebrity Cruises, Carnival Corporation, Carnival Cruise Lines, CompUSA, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company, Espírito Santo Financial Group, Fizber.com, Greenberg Traurig, Holland & Knight, Inktel Direct, Interval International, Lennar, Navarro Discount Pharmacies, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Oceania Cruises, Perry Ellis International, RCTV International, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Ryder Systems, Seabourn Cruise Line, Sedano’s, Telefónica USA, TeleFutura, Telemundo, Univision, U.S. Century Bank,Vector Group and World Fuel Services. Because of its proximity to Latin America, Miami serves as the headquarters of Latin American operations for more than 1400 multinational corporations, including AIG, American Airlines, Cisco, Disney, Exxon, FedEx, Kraft Foods, LEO Pharma Americas, Microsoft, Yahoo, Oracle, SBC Communications, Sony, Symantec, Visa International, and Wal-Mart.

Tampa FL

Finance, retail, healthcare, insurance, shipping by air and sea, national defense, professional sports, tourism, and real estate all play vital roles in the area’s economy. Hillsborough County alone has an estimated 740,000 employees, a figure which is projected to increase to 922,000. Several large corporations, such as banks and telecommunications companies, maintain regional offices in Tampa. Several Fortune 1000 companies are headquartered in the metropolitan area, including OSI Restaurant Partners, WellCare, TECO Energy, and Raymond James Financial. Tampa’s port is now the seventh largest in the nation and Florida’s largest tonnage port, handling nearly half of all seaborne commerce that passes through the state. Tampa currently ranks second in the state behind Miami in terms of cruise ship travel. Besides smaller regional cruise ships such as Yacht Starship and SunCruz Casino, Tampa also serves as a port of call for three cruise lines: Holland America’s MS Ryndam, Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur of the Seas and Radiance of the Seas, and Carnival’s Inspiration and Legend. MacDill Air Force Base remains a major employer as the parent installation for over 15,000 active uniformed military, Department of Defense(DoD) civil service and DoD contractor personnel in the Tampa Bay area. A significant majority of the civil service and contractor personnel are, in fact, themselves retired career military personnel. In addition to the 6th Air Mobility Wing, which is “host wing” for the base, MacDill is also home to Headquarters, United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), Headquarters, United States Special Operations Command(USSOCOM), the 927th Air Refueling Wing, Headquarters, United States Marine Forces Central Command (USMARCENT), Headquarters, United States Special Operations Command Central (USSOCCENT), and numerous other military activities of the active and reserve components of the armed forces. Tampa has seen a notable upsurge in high-market demand from consumers, signaling more wealth concentrated in the area.

Orlando FL

As one of the world’s most visited tourist destinations, Orlando’s famous attractions form the backbone of its tourism industry: Walt Disney World, located approximately 21 miles (34 km) southwest of Downtown Orlando in Bay Lake, opened by the Walt Disney Company in 1971; the Universal Orlando Resort, opened in 1999 as a major expansion of Universal Studios Florida. With the exception of Walt Disney World, most major attractions are located along International Drive. The city is also one of the busiest American cities for conferences and conventions; the Orange County Convention Center is the second-largest convention facility in the United States. Orlando also has a major industrial and hi-tech center. The metro area has a $13.4 billion technology industry employing 53,000 people and is a nationally recognized cluster of innovation in digital media, agricultural technology, aviation, aerospace, and software design. More than 150 international companies, representing approximately 20 countries, have facilities in Metro Orlando. Orlando has the 7th-largest research park in the country, Central Florida Research Park, with over 1,025 acres (4.15 km2). It is home to over 120 companies, employs more than 8,500 people, and is the hub of the nation’s military simulation and training programs. Near the end of each year, the Orange County Convention Center hosts the world’s largest modeling and simulation conference: Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC). Metro Orlando is home to the simulation procurement commands for the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. Lockheed Martin has a large manufacturing facility for missile systems, aeronautical craft and related high tech research. Other notable engineering firms have offices or labs in Metro Orlando: KDF, General Dynamics, Harris, Mitsubishi Power Systems, Siemens, Veritas/Symantec, multiple USAF facilities, Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Delta Connection Academy, Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, GE, Air Force Agency for Modeling and Simulation (AFAMS), U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation (PEO STRI), United States Army Research, Development and Engineering Command United States Army Simulation and Training Technology Center (STTC), AT&T, Boeing, CAE Systems Flight and Simulation Training, Hewlett-Packard, Institute for Simulation and Training, National Center for Simulation, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon Systems.

Jacksonville FL

Jacksonville’s location on the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean proved providential in the growth of the city and its industry. Jacksonville has the largest deepwater port in the South (as well as the second-largest port on the U.S. East coast) and a leading port in the U.S. for automobile imports, as well as the leading transportation and distribution hub in the state. However, the strength of the city’s economy lies in its broad diversification. Jacksonville is home to many prominent corporations and organizations, including the headquarters of four Fortune 500 companies: CSX Corporation, Fidelity National Financial, Fidelity National Information Services and BI-LO (United States) including it’s subsidiary Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. In addition to CSX, the Florida East Coast Railway as well as Swisher International Group and the large short line railroad holding company RailAmerica are also based in Jacksonville.

Atlanta GA

The Atlanta metropolitan area is the eighth-largest economy in the country and 17th-largest in the world. Corporate operations comprise a large portion of the Atlanta’s economy, with the city serving as the regional, national, or global headquarters for many corporations. Atlanta contains the country’s third largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies, and the city is the global headquarters of corporations such as The Coca-Cola Company, The Home Depot, Delta Air Lines, AT&T Mobility, UPS, and Newell-Rubbermaid. Over 75 percent of Fortune 1000 companies conduct business operations in the Atlanta metropolitan area, and the region hosts offices of about 1,250 multinational corporations. Many corporations are drawn to Atlanta on account of the city’s educated workforce; nearly 43% of adults in the city of Atlanta have college degrees, compared to 27% in the nation as a whole and 41% in Boston. Delta Air Lines, the city’s largest employer and the metro area’s third largest, operates the world’s largest airline hub at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and has helped make Hartsfield-Jackson the world’s busiest airport, both in terms of passenger traffic and aircraft operations. Media is also an important aspect of Atlanta’s economy. The city is a major cable television programming center. Information technology, an economic sector that includes publishing, software development, entertainment and data processing has, garnered a larger percentage of Atlanta’s economic output. Indeed, Atlanta contains the fourth-largest concentration of information technology jobs in the United States.

Clients

This list comprises a selection of international organizations, from within each industry sector, that have employed the services of Appleton Greene Consultants, Learning Providers, Standard Programs, or Bespoke Programs, either directly or independently. This provides clients with an insight into the extensive international industry experience that is available from Appleton Greene.

Banking & Financial Services

Agricultural Bank of China
Allianz
American Express
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group
Aviva
AXA
Banco Bradesco
Banco do Brasil
Bank of America
Bank of China
Barclays
Berkshire Hathaway
BNP Paribas
China Construction Bank
Citigroup
Commonwealth Bank
Crédit Agricole
Credit Suisse Group
Deutsche Bank
Fannie Mae
Freddie Mac
Generali Group
Goldman Sachs Group
HSBC
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
ING Group
Itaú Unibanco
Japan Post Bank
JPMorgan Chase
Lloyds Banking Group
Metlife
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group
Mizuho Financial Group
Morgan Stanley
Munich Re
National Australia Bank
Prudential
Royal Bank of Canada
Santander Group
Sberbank of Russia
Société Générale
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group
Toronto-Dominion Bank
UBS
Wells Fargo
Westpac
Zurich Insurance Group

Insurance

ACE
Aflac
Allianz
Allstate
Aviva
AXA Group
Cathay Financial
China Life Insurance
China Pacific Insurance
CNA Financial
Generali Group
ING Group
Manulife Financial
MetLife
Munich Re
Ping An Insurance Group
Prudential
Prudential Financial
QBE Insurance Group
Sun Life Financial
Swiss Re
The Travelers Companies
Tokio Marine Holdings
Zurich Financial Services

Aviation

Air France-KLM Group
Airbus SAS
All Nippon Airways Group
American Airlines
AMR Corporation
Antonov
ATR
BAE Systems
Boeing
Bombardier
British Airways
Britten-Norman
COMAC
Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA
Delta Air Lines
Embraer
FedEx Express
Fokker
Iberia
Ilyushin
Japan Airlines Corporation
Let Kunovice
Lockheed Corporation
Lufthansa Group
Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation
Saab AB
Shenyang Aircraft Corporation
Sukhoi
Swiss Air
The Emirates Group
Tupolev
United Continental Holdings
Xi’an Aircraft Industrial Corporation
Yakovlev

Retail

Aeon Co Ltd
Aldi Einkauf GmbH & Co
Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc
Amazon.com, Inc
Best Buy Co Inc
Carrefour SA
Casino Guichard-Perrachon SA
Centres Distributeurs E Leclerc
Coop Group
Costco Wholesale Corporation
CVS Caremark Corp
Delhaize Group SA
Edeka Zentrale AG & Co KG
El Corte Ingl
Groupe Auchan SA
Grupo P -Brazil
HE Butt Grocery Company
Inditex SA
ITM D
J Sainsbury plc
JC Penney Company Inc
Kohl’s Corporation
Koninklijke Ahold NV
Loblaw Companies Limited
Lowe’s Companies Inc
Macy’s Inc
Mercadona SA
Metro AG
Migros-Genossenschafts Bund
Publix Super Markets Inc
Rewe Group
Rite Aid Corporation
Safeway Inc
Schwarz Unternehmens Treuhand KG
Sears Holdings Corp
Seven & i Holdings Co Ltd
SuperValu Inc
Syst
Target Corp
Tesco PLC
The Home Depot Inc
The IKEA Group (INGKA Holding BV)
The Kroger Co
The TJX Companies Inc
Walgreen Co
Wal-Mart Stores Inc
Wesfarmers Limited
WM Morrison Supermarkets PLC
Woolworths Limited
Yamada Denki Co Ltd

Manufacturing

Apple
ArcelorMittal
BASF
BMW
Boeing
Bosch
Cardinal Health
Caterpillar
China Minmetals
Daimler
Dell
Dongfeng Motor Group
Dow Chemical
EADS
Exor
FAW Group
Ford-Automotive
Fujitsu
General Electric
Hewlett-Packard
Hitachi
Hon Hai Precision Industry
Honda
Hyundai Motor Company
IBM
Johnson & Johnson
Mitsubishi
Mitsui
Nestle
Nissan
Novartis
Panasonic
PepsiCo
Peugeot
Pfizer
POSCO
Procter & Gamble
Renault
SAIC Motor
Saint-Gobain
Samsung Electronics
Siemens
Sinochem
Sony
ThyssenKrupp
Toshiba
Toyota
Unilever
United Technologies

Service Benefits

Bronze Service

Monthly cost: USD $1,500.00
Time limit: 5 hours per month
Contract period: 12 months

Bronze service includes:

01. Email support
02. Telephone support
03. Questions & answers
04. Professional advice
05. Communication management

SERVICE DESCRIPTION
The Bronze Client Service (BCS) for Retirement Planning provides clients with an entry level option and enables client contacts to become personally acquainted with Mr. Hodgkinson over a sustainable period of time. We suggest that clients allocate up to a maximum of 5 Key Employees for this service. Your Key Employees can then contact the consultant via email, whenever they feel that they need specific advice or support in relation to the consultant’s specialist subject. The consultant will also be proactive about opening and maintaining communications with your Key Employees. Your Key Employees can list and number any questions that they would like to ask and they will then receive specific answers to each and every query that they may have. Your Key Employees can then retain these communications on file for future reference. General support inquiries will usually receive replies within 48 hours, but please allow a period of up to 10 business days during busy periods. The Bronze Client Service (BCS) enables your Key Employees to get to know their designated Appleton Greene consultant and to benefit from the consultant’s specialist skills, knowledge and experience.

Silver Service

Monthly cost: USD $3,000.00
Time limit: 10 hours per month
Contract period: 12 months

Bronze service plus

01. Research analysis
02. Management analysis
03. Performance analysis
04. Business process analysis
05. Training analysis

SERVICE DESCRIPTION
The Silver Client Service (SCS) for Retirement Planning provides more time for research and development. If you require Mr. Hodgkinson to undertake research on your behalf, or on behalf of your Key Employees, then this would understandably require more time and the Silver Client Service (SCS) accommodates this. For example, you may want your consultant to undertake some research into your management, performance, business, or training processes, with a view towards providing an independent analysis and recommendations for improvement. If any research and development, or business analysis is required, then the Silver Client Service (SCS) is for you.

Gold Service

Monthly cost: USD $4,500.00
Time limit: 15 hours per month
Contract period: 12 months

Bronze/Silver service plus

01. Management interviews
02. Evaluation and assessment
03. Performance improvement
04. Business process improvement
05. Management training

SERVICE DESCRIPTION
The Gold Client Service (GCS) for Retirement Planning is intended for more detailed evaluation and assessment, that may require your Key Employees to have monthly meetings or interviews with Mr. Hodgkinson These meetings and interviews can be conducted over the telephone, Skype, or by video conference if required. The consultant can also attend your business premises, an Appleton Greene office, or another mutually beneficial location, but please note that clients are responsible for the costs of any disbursements separately, including travel and accommodation. This service enables you to integrate the specific skills, knowledge and experience of your designated consultant into your Key Employee management team. The Gold Client Service (GCS) can also incorporate training workshops, business presentations and external meetings with customers, suppliers, associations, or any other business-related stakeholders.

Platinum Service

Monthly cost: USD $6,000.00
Time limit: 20 hours per month
Contract period: 12 months

Bronze/Silver/Gold service plus

01. Project planning
02. Project development
03. Project implementation
04. Project management
05. Project review

SERVICE DESCRIPTION
The Platinum Client Service (PCS) for Retirement Planning is our flagship service and will be required if you need Mr. Hodgkinson to facilitate the planning, development, implementation, management, or review of a particular project relating to his specialist subject, which would obviously require more time and dedication. This service enables you to reserve up to 12.5% of the consultant’s working month and provides a more hands-on service as and when required. If you need more time than this, then this can always be arranged, subject of course to the consultant’s ongoing availability. The benefit of having an external consultant involved in projects is they provide an independent perspective and are not influenced by internal politics, day-to-day responsibilities, or personal career interest. They provide objectivity, specific knowledge, skills and experience and will be entirely focused upon the tasks at hand. The Platinum Client Service (PCS) will provide your organization with a valuable resource as and when you need it.