About Us
Kyle Kollmorgen | President
Kyle Kollmorgen was born and raised in Lincoln Nebraska. He is a graduate of Lincoln Southeast High School and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. A football scholarship athlete, Kyle was a four-year football letterman and was a member of the 1997 Cornhusker National Championship football team. From this exceptional experience, Kyle has applied the same work ethic and discipline to his professional career. In 2003, Kyle joined his father’s business, Kollmorgen & Associates, where he helped grow the group health insurance side of the business. For 16 years, he has built trusting relationships with insurance carriers and businesses to craft, implement, and service the most effective employee benefits package tailored specifically for each business based on their needs.
In 2018, upon his father’s semi-retirement, Kollmorgen & Associates became Kollmorgen Benefits, Inc. With the experience and knowledge that Kyle has gained from the years spent working alongside his father, businesses within the community, and learning the intricacies of each insurance carrier and product, Kollmorgen Benefits, Inc is not a “new company” but a continuation of insurance expertise. Today, Kollmorgen Benefits oversees 150 business accounts in which he manages their group health, disability, vision, and dental insurances.
Kyle and his wife Kristy, live in Lincoln and are the proud parents of their daughter and son, Payton and Brecken. As a family, they enjoy spending time together poolside as both kids are active competitive swimmers. Kyle and his family enjoy all youth sports, being active within the community and are members of Messiah Lutheran Church.
Karl L. Kollmorgen | Senior Sales Executive
Karl Kollmorgen is a Lincoln native and a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Kearney. Karl is a retired career agent for New York Life in which he earned the honor of “Agent of the Year” in both the life and security sales divisions. In 1990, Karl founded Kollmorgen & Associates in which he has been recognized for his expertise and experience within the insurance industries. For 39 years, Karl has been a qualifying and life member of the “Million Dollar Round Table.” He is a member and past officer of the National Association of Financial Advisors-Lincoln Chapter (NAFA) and was a course moderator for Life Underwriter Training Council (LUTC) Insurance Consultant. Karl is an active member of the Lincoln Independent Business Association (LIBA) and LIBA Foundation, a member of Messiah Lutheran Church, and is involved in various community services and organizations.
Outside of his professional life, Karl enjoys everything family. Spending summer vacations with his wife, children, and grandchildren at Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri is a highlight every year. A high priority for Karl is his grandchildren and he enjoys attending their activities and spending quality time with them. Karl also enjoys working out regularly, hunting and watching “The Huskers”.
Dave Meyer | Senior Sales Executive
Dave Meyer has extensive experience and expertise in the insurance industry. In 1976, he became an agent with Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Company of Iowa of which he is a member of the Million Dollar Club. Due to the seasonal nature of the crop hail business, Dave also owned and managed his residential construction business for 24 years. Drawing on his experiences in the construction industry, Dave can see the challenges facing today’s business owner from a unique perspective. His focus is to create value for businesses by striking a balance between employee benefits and the bottom line. Dave specializes in employee benefits in the south-central Nebraska area.
Dave is an active member in church, family and community activities. Dave and his wife Dianne reside in the Ruskin, Nebraska area. They enjoy spending time with their three daughters: Brittany, Brianna and her husband Cuyler and their three children Crew, Brynn and Coen, and Bethany and husband Tanner.
Marc Munford | Senior Sales Associate
Marc Munford was born in Lincoln, NE, raised in Littleton, Co and returned to Lincoln to attend the University of Nebraska Lincoln, where he was a scholarship athlete on the 1983-1986 Cornhusker Football team.
During his college career, Marc was honored as a three-time all-conference player for the Huskers in 1984, 1985, and 1986. His team recognized his leadership abilities, communication, and team player skills and voted him Team Captain in 1986. With a successful college football career, his football journey led him to the NFL. Marc was a 4th-round draft choice by the Denver Broncos and spent five seasons in the NFL in which he competed in two Super Bowls.
Following his NFL career, Marc returned to Lincoln to finish his education, start a family and entered into the professional workforce. Marc was a fundraiser for the University of Nebraska Foundation from 1993-1996. For the past 23 years, Marc has worked in the Securities business where he helped municipalities develop plans and solutions for their financing needs.
Today, Marc is excited to use this same work ethic, his experiences in the financial industry, communication, and relationship skills to help businesses develop a road map for their healthcare and insurance needs. As a proven leader, Marc will go out of his way to listen, collaborate and identify and tailor a plan that will meet the needs of his clients.
Marc is a proud husband and father. His wife Shelley and daughters Brittny and Brooke, enjoy spending time together as a family and are members of First Plymouth Church. Outside of work and family, you will likely find Marc outdoors where he has a passion for camping, hunting, and fishing.
Kerry Butzke | Sales Associate
Kerry was born in Staplehurst, NE and graduated from Seward High School in 2006. Kerry was an outstanding athlete and broke 5 records in basketball in high school. She attended Midland Lutheran College on a basketball scholarship where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting & Business Management with a minor in Coaching.
After college, Kerry moved to York where she took a job with AFLAC in 2011. She has grown her business as an independent with AFLAC for the past 8 years by creating relationships with business owners in the Lincoln and surrounding communities. Kerry decided to join Kollmorgen Benefits, Inc. in 2019 as the ancillary benefits specialist. With her ancillary benefits experience, Kerry can advise our clients on their additional needs that health insurance may not cover during an unforeseen accident or illness. Kerry is very active in the Lincoln community as a board member and volunteer for A Warmer Day Non-Profit, Vice President of East Lincoln Business Association, an active member in LIBA, Ambassador of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the Lincoln Home Builders Association.
Kerry enjoys spending time with her son, Rhett, and their animals on their acreage outside of Seward, NE. Kerry lives very close to many of her family members and enjoys spending time with them as well. She also enjoys being active in co-ed sports (volleyball, basketball, and softball), working out, and listening to podcasts.
Carolyn King | Sales Associate
Carolyn King grew up in Lincoln, NE and is a graduate of Lincoln North Star High School and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Carolyn graduated with High Distinction at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and on four honor programs. With her high dedication to school, she was able to apply that mind-set to her work after college. She has an outstanding work ethic and is very determined. Carolyn has an outgoing personality and connects with others on a personal level.
Carolyn likes to spend time with her family when she is not working. She loves to travel and visit new places. She is a single mother of two boys, Jason and Lucas.
Emily Artz | Sales Associate
Emily was born and raised in Lincoln, NE where she graduated from Lincoln East High School. Emily attended South Dakota State University and was a student athlete for one year before she transferred to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Throughout her time at Nebraska, Emily has been a member of the Chi Omega sorority and Young Life College. She has also been involved with Young Life’s high school ministry for 6 years, and has gotten to travel to 4 different states for leadership and volunteer opportunities. Emily will graduate with her bachelor of science in Business Administration in May of 2023.
Emily started at KBI in August of 2022 in Account Services and plans to transition to sales upon graduation. Before starting at KBI, she worked at a local coffee shop for three years. In her free time, Emily enjoys cycling, running, reading, cooking, spending time with her family, sorority sisters, and Young Life community.
Blake Zinn | Investment Advisor
Blake was born and raised in Auburn, Nebraska and after attending UNL and receiving a teaching degree he decided to put the tools he’s gathered at the university to educate people on the different ways they can save money for future goals and the importance of saving and planning. He started his career as an investment advisor with Northwestern Mutual and after a successful 6 year run with them he decided to start his own independent Financial Planning Firm.
John Clare | Director of Operations
John was born and raised in Lincoln, NE. A graduate of UNL, both undergraduate and MBA. John’s various industry experiences has led to a successful career in sales, development and leadership. His sales and leadership approach has remained consistent with a consultative mindset and team first, mentality.His last position he held was a medical device sales representative for Stryker Corporation. John loves working with people. Whether it’s assisting in accomplishing goals, both personally and professionally, getting the best out of individuals and businesses is his passion. In becoming the Director of Operations, John is dedicated to ensuring quality professional service to both our clients and personnel here at Kollmorgen Benefits.
Kristy Kollmorgen | Office Manager
Kristy Kollmorgen was raised in Ruskin, Nebraska and graduated from Nelson High School. Kristy graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Family and Consumer Sciences from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2001.
After graduating, she started a commercial and residential cleaning business, which she owned and operated for 10 years. The service industry was a perfect fit for Kristy and she strived to provide an exceptional product and made customer service her top priority. Along with her cleaning business, Kristy’s most important work has been her role as a homemaker. Caring for her family is something that is very important to her and she continues that role today.
In 2015, Kristy received her Life and Health Insurance license and started her customer service role at Kollmorgen Benefits. She has been involved in both the life and health insurance side of the business. Kristy is dedicated to helping clients with enrollments, terminations, and various customer service details.
Kristy and her husband, Kyle, daughter Payton, and son Brecken, live in Lincoln and enjoy spending time together. Whether it is at a swim meet, with friends and family, or just together at home. Kristy can typically be found in the kitchen, getting lost in home projects, or enjoying her daughter’s and son’s activities.
Deborah Tremain | Account Services Manager
Deb Tremain comes to us with over 20 years of experience in the insurance industry. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Organizational Communication and her graduate degree in Leadership Management, both from Doane College.
Deb and her husband, Mark, are parents of 3 children, Joshua, Naomi, and Wyatt. They also have 3 dogs and 2 cats.
They enjoy camping, boating, and fishing in the summer months and spend their winter months traveling to hockey tournaments for their sons Joshua and Wyatt.
Chris Hageman | Account Services
Chris is a recent transplant to Nebraska after residing in northern New Jersey for 35 years, where she raised her family, but she is happy to have returned to the Midwest, where she was born and also attended junior high school. Chris is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and has worn many hats, including technical consulting and biological field science in the environmental field, chairing many commissions and committees, handling inter-agency coordination at many levels, coordinating large scale outdoor events, teaching environmental education at the elementary and Pre-K level and managing the office of a startup video drone company.
Chris is the client care specialist at Kollmorgen Benefits and brings a high level of dedication to professionalism, problem-solving, organization, attention to detail, and focus on client satisfaction to our team.
She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, the children’s ministry at her church, the great Nebraska outdoors and her menagerie of four-footed critters.
Lacey Gabig | Account Services
Lacey Gabig was born in Wayne, NE and grew up Laurel, NE. She moved to Lincoln, NE in 1999 where she attended the Lincoln School of Commerce and graduated with an Associates Degree in Business Administration. Lacey’s held a variety of positions including restaurant manager, client services, and office manager. All these professional experiences have assisted her with refining a unique view of client services. Her motto is: “treat others as you would like to be treated”. She is elated to join the Kollmorgen Benefits team and provide excellent client/account services to our customers.
Lacey and her husband, Jacob, sons Kyle, Logan, and Holden, all reside in Lincoln, NE. When not at work she enjoys watching her boys in their various sporting activities.
Darian Butzke | Account Services
Darian was born in Seward, NE and graduated from Centennial Public School in 2017. She is currently studying Business Management online through Southern New Hampshire where she plans to graduate in 2022, where she is a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success. Darian is on track to graduate in 2022.
Darian currently works for Kerry Butzke as her office manager and has occupied this role for the last two years. She handles all of the servicing needs for their clients. Before becoming office manager, Darian did customer service for Kerry. She plans to get her license to sell insurance alongside Kerry and is looking forward to meeting many great clients and helping them out.
Darian currently resides in Highland, KS and she enjoys spending time with her puppy, Nala, and her family. She is very close with her family and enjoys being outside, working out and fishing.
Samarah Johnson | Account Services
Samarah was born in Lincoln, NE in 2003 and has lived here ever since. Samarah is a 2020 graduate of Lincoln East High School. She is also taking classes from The Career Academy in the Criminal Justice track. Samarah plans to major in Psychology and is looking forward to new experiences and challenges in her college career.
Her first work experience was as a cashier at Hy-Vee, where she learned customer service skills, at the age of 15. She worked there for two years before joining Kollmorgen Benefits.
In her free time, she enjoys drawing as well as reading and watching movies.
