Leadership
Providence is comprised of a fellowship of experienced leaders, united by purpose.
Our fiduciary-first, advisory-led approach to every opportunity helps advisors navigate complexity with clarity, confidence, and precision across life insurance and annuity planning.
Jim Schwab
Chairman – CFO
Jim is a Founding Partner and Managing Director of CrimStone Partners, a private equity firm based in Dallas, Texas that partners with entrepreneurs, providing capital and advisory services to help accelerate the growth of their businesses.
From 2003-2018, Jim and his partners acquired, built and exited 5 platform companies creating cash on cash returns in excess of 5x for their investors through a combination of organic growth, operations improvements, and add-on acquisitions. Jim led CrimStone’s first portfolio company as CEO of Pallet Logistics of America. He is also a former board member and Chairman of the National Wooden Pallet and Container Association, and has held board positions in CrimStone portfolio companies, Western Marketing, Cimcon Finishing, Waples Manufacturing, and Greenscape Landscaping.
From February 2019 to January 2021, Jim served as the Director (Assistant Secretary) of the Office of Management Strategy and Solutions at the Department of State. In this role, he led a 120-person team focused on business transformation at the Department. Key lines of effort included improving the Department’s ability to effectively carry out its mission by optimizing alignment of resources with strategic priorities, improving governance processes, and developing an enterprise-wide data analytics and data management capabilities. Jim was also a key leader in the Department’s global COVID mitigation efforts and led the Reimagine Task Force, a department-wide team focused on the future of work, transforming the ability of State Department personnel to be productive while working remotely.
Prior to founding CrimStone, Jim was a Vice President and Managing Principal at Ericsson, AB and was Vice President of Operations for Paging Network, Inc.
Prior to PageNet, Jim spent four years as a consultant and engagement manager with The Boston Consulting Group and five years as an officer in the United States Navy, where he was a nuclear engineer and surface warfare officer, serving aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65) and USS Callaghan (DDG-994), deploying to the Persian Gulf in 1992.
Jim holds a BS (with distinction) in Mathematics from the United States Naval Academy, is a graduate of Naval Nuclear Power School, and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Chairman – CFO
Scott Barnes
Registered Investment Advisor and Business Development Consultant
W. Scott Barnes is an accomplished communicator and business expert with a comprehensive understanding of the consultant sales and marketing process. He has a thorough knowledge of the financial components and needs that drive most businesses. Barnes has established relationships with a wide range of individuals and decision makers, including business owners, management heads, and government officials. He is an experienced salesperson and fundraiser, capable of interfacing with other strategic business advisers including legal, accounting, sales and marketing.
Barnes has a long history of successful business ventures, including WSB & Associates, Inc., which specializes in Life & Health Insurance, Annuity, & Financial Planning for both Individuals and Corporate clientele. He trained a staff of 20 agents in TX for Aversin Financial Associates and achieved personal sales exceeding 1,100 clients. He also founded Telemetry One, LLC & Tesla Vapor, LLC, which specialized in Business Development, Sales, Marketing, Corporate Structure, Corporate Finance, Fundraising, Management, General Business Consulting. Barnes founded and fundraised financing for Tesla Vapor’s start-up and created the ecommerce website.
Prior to these ventures, Barnes founded Sine Cera, LLC, an upscale hair salon and retail business, and managed it for eight years, growing revenues and maintaining existing relationships, building new relationships, and creating new opportunities. He also sold the business assets in January 2011. Barnes was Chief Operations Officer of Wireless Enabled, LLC, an integrator of wireless telemetry services and B2B solutions, where he provided leadership for the organization and identified customer and market needs to formulate and influence product plans. He was also Chief Operations Officer of Datex Spectrum, LLC, a privately owned spectrum acquisition partnership, where he identified and negotiated acquisition contracts of FCC licenses, and raised $18 million of investment capital.
Throughout his career, Barnes has consistently opened doors with leading industry officials, while effectively communicating wireless integration advantages to potential customers. He has also identified and worked hand-in-hand with legal and accounting experts to create private placement memorandums used to solicit both the initial and ongoing funding of companies. Barnes has a proven track record of success in the business world, making him a valuable asset to any company.
Registered Investment Advisor and Business Development Consultant
Jacob Hilton
VP – Wholesale Marketing
Jacob Hilton has spent his entire career working extensively in the Life & Health Insurance industry. Jacob began his insurance career in 2012, where he found his calling working within the senior market.
Working solely with Medicare beneficiaries as an insurance broker for a large agency in St. Louis, Jacob found pride in providing beneficiaries unbiased access to all plans that were available to them. In 2013, Jacob was asked to start St. Louis Insurance Group, an independent Life & Health brokerage general agency.
In 2015, Jacob was responsible for establishing a senior market division for Innovative Brokerage Network. At Innovative, Jacob excelled at working with independent agents and agencies by creating personalized sales strategies through a relationship-focused approach in order to succeed, grow, and surpass long-term goals and expectations.
In the 3 years prior to joining Providence Marketing Group, Jacob worked extensively designing and distributing digital life insurance products that would better serve the needs of agents, advisors, and national marketing organizations.
VP – Wholesale Marketing
Robert Sullivan
COO
Robert Sullivan created CrimStone Partners with James Schwab, his business school classmate and rugby teammate, to build great businesses. Founded in 2003 and based in Dallas, Texas, CrimStone partners with entrepreneurs, and their teams, providing advisory expertise, investment capital, management services, and mentoring primarily to manufacturing, distribution and business services companies.
From 2003-2018, Robert served on the Boards of every CrimStone portfolio company, managed relationship responsibilities with CrimStone’s debt partners, and when appropriate, performed leadership roles within the portfolio companies.
From 2005-2016, Robert served as Co-President and Co-Chairman, with Jim Schwab, to lead the growth and development of CrimStone’s first portfolio company, Pallet Logistics of America. During this period, the PLA team built the company into one of the largest and most respected wooden pallet recycling companies in the United States, ultimately leading to a successful sale and recapitalization.
From 2010-2017, Robert served as Co-Chairman of Western Marketing, and Western Marketing’s CEO from September 2016 through the eventual May 2017 sale, implementing various operational practices and management tools developed while leading PLA.
From November 2017 through April 2018, Robert served as interim CFO for Waples Manufacturing.
From June 2015 through May 2017, Robert served as a very active Chairman of Greenscape Outdoor Services.
Prior to founding CrimStone, Robert worked with Engles Urso Follmer Capital Corporation (“EUFCC”), a Dallas, Texas based private equity investment firm. He sourced investment opportunities, led or participated in closing acquisitions as well as raising the required capital to consummate these transactions. Then he worked closely with the management teams to execute the acquired company’s business strategy and various strategic initiatives.
Prior to EUFCC, Robert served under the Chief Operating Officer and the Vice President of Logistics at Dal-Tile International, North America’s largest manufacturer and distributor of ceramic tile products and an AEA Investors portfolio company. At Dal-Tile, he led an operation and participated in various profitability improvement programs, restructurings and acquisition integration.
Robert’s financial experience also includes investment banking tenures at Wasserstein Perella & Co. and Bear Stearns & Co., providing both advisory and transaction execution services. He focused on mergers, acquisitions, valuations, financings and financial alternatives designed to enhance shareholder value.
Robert holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BBA in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin, where he earned four varsity football letterman awards.
Robert has been married to his wife, Angie, for 35 years and the couple have two married adult children and four grandchildren. He serves the Church as a men’s leader, mentor, deliverance/freedom minister and a highly active faith based investor. He loves to learn and seeks new athletic experiences, having previously played rugby and completed two marathons.
COO
Claude Bethea
CTO
An Information Technology visionary with over 35 years of industry and technical experience. From a very young age Claude was developing software solutions specifically for solving complex business issues and outcomes. Designed, developed and maintained industry leading applications for Fortune 100 companies including Coca-Cola, Hewlett Packard, Subway, Delta Airlines and the Chicago Board of Trade. A proven leader, Claude has most recently led an impressive team of Senior Executives and Partners to 5 years of triple-digit growth and has the rare distinction of having Transformyx listed on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies for 5 straight years.
Founder & CEO of RockHopper Systems – 1987 – 1999
Founder & CEO of Explore Baton Rouge – 1990 – 1996
Founder & CEO of Explore Interactive – 1997 – 2002
Founder & CEO of RallyPoint, LLC – 2006 – Present
Founder & CEO of Transformyx – 2002 – 2019
Honors & Awards:
2018 Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America
- Ranked #3473 Nationally on a 3-Year Sales Growth of 109%
- Ranked #18 in Louisiana
- Ranked #5 in Baton Rouge
2017 Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America
- Ranked #3201 Nationally on a 3-Year Sales Growth of 102%
- Ranked #26 in Louisiana
- Ranked #8 in Baton Rouge
2016 Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America
- Ranked #732 Nationally on a 3-Year Sales Growth of 540%
- Ranked #5 in Louisiana
- Ranked #2 in Baton Rouge
2015 Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America
- Ranked #1177 Nationally on a 3-Year Sales Growth of 358%
- Ranked #10 in Louisiana
- Ranked #4 in Baton Rouge
2014 Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America
- Ranked #697 Nationally on a 3 Year Sales Growth of 652%
- Ranked #6 in Louisiana
- Ranked #1 in Baton Rouge
2011 Computerworld Laureate for Innovation
The Computerworld Honors Program aims to recognize those whose visionary applications of information technology promote positive social, economic and educational change in the world today.
1997 United Way Community Partner Award
1998 Lantern Award of Excellence
2001 Business Reports Top 40 Under 40 Award
2002 Web Developer of the Year Award
2004 All American Relay Award – American Cancer Society
2007 Innovator of the Year Recipient – N.O. City Business
2015 Present LSU ISDS Advisory Board & Executive Committee
2016 SME Excellence in Sales & Marketing Award Recipient
Contact Info: cbethea@pmgimo.com
CTO
Debbie Kohlenberger
Administrator
Debbie’s career in the insurance industry spans over two decades, starting in the home office of General American / MetLife in 1997. Throughout the years, she has held various positions with general agencies and with The Marketing Alliance, Innovative Brokerage Network, and now PMG – all increasing her knowledge of insurance products and operations processes.
Some of Debbie’s past experience includes servicing orphaned policyholders and managing an inbound policyholder call center. Debbie also headed up the Competition Desk at The Marketing Alliance where she was in charge of case design and on-site agency training. Debbie’s key focus at Providence Marketing Group is to ensure contracts and licensing are complete and help our valued agents grow their business.
Debbie’s role encompasses a wide spectrum of duties – including educating agents on products, ensuring that applications are complete, and helping agents grow their businesses. One of the things that Debbie enjoys most about being a part of PMG is the integrity and innovation of the leadership team.
Debbie lives in Blackwell, MO. In her free time, she enjoys photography, hiking, motorcycle riding with her husband, and spending time with her family and friends.
Administrator
