Mr. Wurts, Chairman, Founder of Wurts Associates, has been in the investment consulting business for over 45 years. Prior to establishing Wurts & Associates he worked for 23 years as a vice president in the institutional division of Merrill Lynch. In this capacity, Mr. Wurts and his team had the responsibility of providing ongoing consulting to over 50 major clients in the Pacific Northwest. He established Wurts & Associates in Seattle in January 1986 and the Los Angeles office in 1990.

Mr. Wurts has been a featured speaker at numerous meetings of the Western Pension Conference and the International Foundation of Health, Welfare & Pension Plans on subjects relating to institutional investing. Over the years he has also taught a number of investment courses through the Seattle Community College system. Mr. Wurts has served as a past president and a member of the Board of Directors of the Western Pension Conference. He is presently on the Board of Directors for the Seattle Chamber of Commerce and is also a member of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, the Rotary Club of Seattle, and the Rainier Club. Mr. Wurts received his BA from Yale University.