Red Oak Commodity Advisors

Red Oak Commodity Advisors offers commodities and futures trading investment services to Qualified Eligible Persons (QEP) including public and private pension funds, commodity pools and funds, endowment funds, charitable foundations, and other institutional investors. <br><br> Red Oak Commodity Advisors, Inc. was established in 1989 and has been a registered Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA) and National Futures Association (NFA) member since 1991. Red Oak was jointly founded and is owned by its two principals, Gary A. Gerstein and Phyllis Weaver. Its offices are located in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. <br><br> Manager Biography: <br><br> Gary A. Gerstein is the co-founder, Managing Director, Chief Investment Officer, President, and Secretary of Red Oak Commodity Advisors. In these roles he is responsible for all investment aspects of the firm. Gary developed the firms fundamental investment approach and discretionary trading methodology, and is responsible for the research and implementation of the strategy. He directs and supervises Red Oak's trader and oversees all aspects of trading, accounting, and performance reporting. He is a principal, associated person, and member of the NFA. Prior to entering the managed futures industry, Gary was a managing director in Red Oak Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisory firm. Red Oak Advisors and Red Oak Commodity Advisors merged, and the combined company took the name Red Oak Commodity Advisors, Inc. Red Oak no longer provides such securities investment advisory services. Gary and co-founder, Phyllis Weaver, are partners in business and in life. They formed Red Oak three years after their marriage. Both partnerships are highly successful. For the clients it means that there are no gaps in communication and the clock doesn't stop when the office doors close. The strategy in managing commodities and futures is grounded in Gary's highly distinguished career as an equity money manager. His strategy is driven by economic and financial fundamentals, and his experience in and knowledge of the different commodity and commodity-related markets and the various fundamental factors that affect each market. Gary is a contrarian, more likely to be attracted to the buy side of declining markets and to the sell side of those rising. An economist by training, he knows history and cycles and he sees changes coming that others either miss or do not have the confidence to act on. He seeks investment opportunities that have not yet been reflected in markets, but have a high probability of doing so. He is looking not for short-term blips but long term major moves in the diversified markets he trades. After serving in the United States Army and working for the Federal Deposit Insurance Agency, Gary began his investment career in the Trust Department at the then Chase Manhattan Bank. He was an analyst, a portfolio manager, and eventually the Director of Research. With Chase Investment Management Corp. he held the position of Investment Officer, Vice President, and he was Senior Vice President at the time of his departure. Gary was employed as a Portfolio Manager and Vice President for Neuberger & Berman, a registered broker-dealer, and he was Co-Chief Investment Officer and Co-Managing Partner of Century Capital Associates, an investment advisory firm. Gary received an MA in Economics from Rutgers University and a BS in Economics from New York University. He also has obtained the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Gary and Phyllis Weaver founded the Urban Education Internships to introduce highly intelligent and motivated college students to The Young Women's Leadership Networks schools and programs. Gary and Phyllis funded six Metcalf Summer Fellowships for University of Chicago undergraduate students to work in nonprofit organizations. They recently endowed the Red Oak Odyssey Scholarships at the University of Chicago to provide support for worthy and deserving undergraduate students. Phyllis Weaver is co-founder, Treasurer, and Compliance Officer of Red Oak Commodity Advisors. In these roles, she oversees marketing and client services, financial accounting, and all aspects of administration. As Compliance Officer she works directly with ACA Compliance Group keeping Red Oak up to date and fully compliant with all relevant CFTC and NFA regulatory requirements. She is a principal, associated person, and member of the NFA. Phyllis and co-founder, Gary Gerstein, are partners in business and partners in life. They formed Red Oak three years after their marriage. Both partnerships are highly successful. For the clients it means that there are no gaps in communication and the clock doesn't stop when the office doors close. Ms. Weaver earned an MBA from Stanford University, Graduate School of Business, and began her investment career on the New York Institutional Sales desk of Goldman Sachs & Co. as a Research Liaison. She moved to the High Net Worth Individual Sales group, and was Vice President at the time of her departure. Phyllis's expertise, demonstrated both at Red Oak and at Goldman Sachs, is attracting financial assets. She built her book of business at Goldman largely by cold-calling prospective clients, and when she and Gary Gerstein founded Red Oak, she used those same skills to put Red Oak on the CTA map. Phyllis credits her earlier academic training and career in teaching and research for her success in marketing and client services. With an MEd in Higher Education and a PhD in Language Communications, both from the University of Pittsburgh, she joined the faculty of the Harvard University Graduate School of Education where she was first an Assistant then an Associate Professor. She taught and advised masters and doctoral students; wrote and edited books and articles, secured research grants from the Office of Naval Research and The Spencer Foundation, among others; and was an author of one of the most widely used K-8 reading series in the nation. She was granted a BS in Education from Ohio State University. Phyllis is a very active philanthropist in urban education. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Young Women's Leadership Network in New York City, chairing the Girls Education Committee. In 2011 she and Gary Gerstein founded the Urban Education Internship Program to introduce highly intelligent and motivated undergraduate and graduate students to The Young Women's Leadership Network's schools and programs. Phyllis directs the program and serves as mentor to four interns per year. Previously, she was very active in development for the University of Chicago. During their son, Charlie Gerstein's, undergraduate years, she was founding Chair of the Parent and Family Leadership Council, the major gifts arm of the Parents Program. She remained Chair for an unprecedented three years. Over those same years, Phyllis and Gary funded six Metcalf Summer Fellowships for University of Chicago undergraduate students to work in nonprofit organizations. In addition, they endowed the Red Oak Odyssey Scholarships to provide support for worthy and deserving undergraduate students.