About Us
Who We Are
Paragon Investments,
A subsidiary of Pinion Risk Management LLC,
dba Breitinger & Sons
Breitinger & Sons is a family-operated business devoted to agricultural and financial commodity futures trading and brokerage. In 2012, Walt Breitinger, his sons and staff joined with Paragon Investments to further enhance the offerings available to their clients.
“We are in this business because analysis of worldwide political and economic events can be extraordinarily fascinating and financially rewarding. Our goal is to combine our interest in the natural, physical, and social sciences into a matrix which helps assess supply, demand, and price trends of natural resources.”
Walt Breitinger
Founder
The Breitinger & Sons Team
Our Brokers
Walter G. Breitinger
Four decades of experience, along with a perpetual love of commodities trading, has earned Walt Breitinger a role as your personal broker and coach.
Walt began trading soybeans and silver in 1970 while completing his education at Valparaiso University. He gained considerable insight and experience as a licensed broker for 40 years working directly under Harold Heinold in the 1970’s, as a floor trader at the Chicago Board of Trade, and as Vice President of Commodity Investments at A.G. Edwards and Sons from 1982-2009.
For over 18 years, Walt taught his method of options on futures trading at Purdue University Calumet, Indiana University Northwest, and for multiple farm groups and conventions. His comments on the markets have been featured on radio, T.V., and scores of newspapers including Barron’s, the Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. When Walt isn’t watching the markets, he enjoys kayaking, soccer, and volunteering for conservation groups.
The original Breitinger & Sons was established in Philadelphia in 1877 by Walt Breitinger’s great-great grandfather. Walt carried on the family tradition, reviving the family company name with two of his sons, Alex & Ben in 2009, before merging with Paragon in 2012.
Trevor Domazet
Trevor began his career in the futures industry while attending Purdue University. He formerly served as a floor clerk at the Chicago Board of Trade for private traders, monitoring and tracking trades in the financial markets.
He eventually became Head Floor Clerk and Broker Group Manager, organizing broker and floor clerks while filling orders on the floor.
For ten years, Trevor traded commodities such as crude oil, natural gas, copper, precious metals, corn, and beans for his own account.
Trevor joined Walt in Valparaiso as a Series 3 broker in 2019.
While not watching clients’ trading positions, Trevor enjoys coaching his two sons in soccer and football – the two sports he excelled at prior to entering the “pits” in Chicago.
Chris Haverkamp
Native to Northeast Kansas Mr. Haverkamp contributes his initial interest in the financial market to his father. Chris and his father began hedging agriculture products, which were raised on their family farm, in the 1970’s to help secure pricing structure for their operation. With a degree in Grain Science / Management from Kansas State University, Chris has worked directly with and for several corporations in research, logistics, and origination of commodity products.
Among these are Continental Grain, Kansas Wheat Commission, National Livestock Association, Kice Industries, and Land ‘O Lakes. Chris is a regular guest analyst on both radio and television programs throughout the Midwest and also provides fundamental and technical research for Bloomberg, DTN, Dow Jones, The Wall St. Journal, CNN and CNBC as well as several other local and regional news syndicates. Chris sat on the board of directors for the NIBA (National Introducing Brokers Association) in Chicago for five years and on the National Futures Association’s nominating committee for one year. Chris began trading in 1987 and founded Paragon in 1996 with the help of his wife, Tracey.
Chris continues to provide consulting services from our Silver Lake, KS office for individual producers, livestock operations, grain processors, and individual investors while holding the title of CEO for Paragon.
Eric Osterhaus
Eric’s interest in the commodity and Ag-Risk Industry was first derived during his childhood. Eric was raised on a small family farm in Northeast Kansas where his parents raised cattle and whose father also worked at the local grain elevator. This background provided him the first-hand experience of the daily rewards and risks that the typical agricultural producer faces. Eric earned a degree in Business Management and Marketing from Emporia State University. Eric spent 11 years working in the Financial Risk management sector as a part owner of an Insurance and Brokerage Company.
Eric provides advisory services for individual livestock and grain producers, grain merchandising activities and individual investors.
Paragon Investments serves not only as our parent company, they also provide a highly experienced back up and support team to Breitinger & Sons.
About Us
The Breitinger & Sons difference
Paragon Investments, a subsidiary of Pinion Risk Management LLC, (dba Breitinger & Sons) is a family-operated business devoted to agricultural and financial commodity futures trading and brokerage. In 2012, Walt Breitinger, his sons and staff joined with Paragon Investments to further enhance the offerings available to their clients. We are in this business because analysis of worldwide political and economic events can be extraordinarily fascinating and financially rewarding. Our goal is to combine our interest in the natural, physical, and social sciences into a matrix which helps assess supply, demand, and price trends of natural resources.