Brooke Corporation Announces Management Changes
OVERLAND PARK, Kan., March 12 // PRNewswire-FirstCall // -- Robert D. Orr, Chairman and founder of Brooke Corporation (Nasdaq: BXXX) announced the appointment of Leland Orr as President and CEO of Brooke Corporation as of March 11, 2008 to replace Keith Bouchey, who will resign as President and CEO of Brooke Corporation to pursue opportunities in the community banking market.
Leland Orr has been a director, CFO, Treasurer and Assistant Secretary of Brooke Corporation and has been a director and officer of the company since its inception in 1986. He will resign his positions as CFO, Treasurer and Assistant Secretary of the company to assume the role of President and CEO and will remain a director of the company. Leland Orr will continue to serve as CFO of Brooke Capital Corporation (Amex: BCP), a majority-owned subsidiary of Brooke Corporation. Prior to serving as CFO, Leland Orr served as President of Brooke State Bank, Jewell, Kansas, and as an accountant with Kennedy McKee and Company, LLP (formerly Fox & Company) in Dodge City, Kansas. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of each of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Kansas Society of Certified Public Accountants. Leland Orr received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas.
"Leland and I have worked diligently to build this organization, and I look forward to leveraging his knowledge, skills and leadership capabilities in his new role," commented Rob Orr. "Keith has been an asset to Brooke and its affiliates for years, and I want to personally thank Keith for his numerous contributions to our organization and wish him much success in his future endeavors."
Brooke Corporation also announced the appointment of Travis Vrbas as CFO, Treasurer and Assistant Secretary and the appointment of Carl Baranowski as Senior Vice President and General Counsel.
Mr. Vrbas, director of internal audit at Brooke Corporation since January 2004, will take his new role as CFO, Treasurer and Assistant Secretary from Leland Orr. Mr. Vrbas has been with Brooke Corporation since March 2003. Since joining the company, Mr. Vrbas was responsible for the Sarbanes-Oxley compliance of the company and its subsidiaries. Mr. Vrbas has worked closely with the company's external auditors during quarterly reviews, SOX testing and year-end audits. Since January 2004, Mr. Vrbas has also served as a liaison to the CFO with respect to the Company's SEC filings and other accounting matters. Mr. Vrbas received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Kansas State University and is a Phi Kappa Phi.
Mr. Baranowski has been Senior Counsel and Corporate Secretary of the company since September 2007 and will remain Corporate Secretary. Previously, he served as counsel for Jabil Circuit, Inc. a leading electronics manufacturing and design services provider with 75,000 employees and facilities in 20 countries. Mr. Baranowski has also served as general counsel of Honeywell Advanced Circuits, Inc. and as senior counsel of Gateway, Inc. with responsibility for corporate/securities, finance and international operations. Mr. Baranowski has two Bachelor of Science degrees and a Master of Science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mr. Baranowski also has a law degree and an MBA degree from Stanford University. Mr. Baranowski is co-author of "Representing High-Tech Companies", is a Phi Beta Kappa and was an editor of the Stanford Journal of International Law.
Concerning these appointments, Rob Orr stated, "Travis has been a key part of our finance team for some time. His skill and energy are well-suited to being CFO in our dynamic and fast-paced environment. Carl's experience, education and intellect significantly strengthen our management team. I look forward to Carl assisting me with strategic planning, investment analysis and my other responsibilities."
About Brooke Corporation
Brooke Corporation is listed on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol "BXXX". Brooke Corporation owns 100% of Brooke Savings Bank, a banker agent thrift institution, 82% of Brooke Capital Corporation (AMEX: BCP), an insurance company and insurance agency, and 62% of Aleritas Capital Corp. (a d/b/a of Brooke Credit Corporation; OTCBB: BRCR), a finance company specializing in insurance lending.
About Brooke Capital Corporation
Brooke Capital Corporation is an affiliate of Brooke Corporation that operates a life insurance company and has agreed to acquire an auto insurance company. As the result of a recent merger with Brooke Franchise Corporation, the company's insurance company business is supported by a network of independent insurance agency franchises. For more information, visit http://www.brookeagent.com.
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