Confidential — Private Advisory Briefing

Premium Finance

Advisory Portal

Prepared for

Jeff Gosmire

Co-Founder & VP — Alta Recycling, LLC · Bensenville, IL

A private briefing to explore whether an outside funding arrangement may allow someone else to help pay for a financial protection program — while you keep more capital working inside Alta Recycling.

Prepared by

Stefan Belhomme

Senior Financial Advisor

Briefing Date

May 2026

Chicago Metropolitan Area

Begin Briefing

Section I

Client Overview

A profile of Jeff Gosmire and Alta Recycling, LLC

"My main priority is keeping my employees working and well-compensated. Their success is directly tied to mine."

— Jeff Gosmire, Co-Founder, Alta Recycling, LLC

The Business

Alta Recycling, LLC

Commercial Waste & Recycling

Bensenville, IL (Chicago Metro) — serving clients throughout the Midwest and nationwide through an extensive brokerage network

Five owners total — two active, three passive. Jeff serves as Co-Founder and VP, acting as the primary point of contact for all financial decisions.

The Owner

Jeff Gosmire

Age 48 · MBA · Chicago Area

Practical, direct, and time-conscious. Financially literate with an MBA. Works long hours and holds a deep loyalty to his team and his long-term accounting advisors. Recently prioritizing personal health alongside business demands.

What Alta Recycling Does

Alta Recycling, LLC is a Bensenville-based commercial recycling and waste management firm serving business clients — not municipalities — across the Chicago metropolitan area, the broader Midwest, and nationwide through its established brokerage network. The company specializes in identifying and recovering high-value materials including paper, cardboard, plastics, and metals, keeping them out of the landfill and returning them to the production cycle.

Services include comprehensive waste stream consultation and auditing, waste recovery and processing at the Bensenville facility (26 dock doors, interior rail service), Mill Direct brokerage connecting clients to the most efficient recycling markets, product and document destruction, equipment financing, and tailored sustainability program design for retail chains, manufacturers, logistics providers, and commercial printers nationwide.

Financial & Tax Snapshot

~$1M

Approximate Gross Business Income

Per year (owner-reported)

~30%

Effective Personal Tax Rate

Current, owner-reported

Minimal

Structured Tax Planning

100% CapEx write-offs; limited beyond that

Owner Priorities & Constraints

Employee Security First

Jeff's top concern is ensuring every member of his team remains employed and able to provide for their families. He views employee stability as the foundation of the business itself.

Tax Efficiency — If Practical

Open to two or three well-structured strategies that materially reduce his ~30% effective rate — but only if they can be validated by his long-term CPA and implemented without significant friction.

Owner-Only & Key-Employee Focus

Specifically interested in strategies that can be applied selectively — to himself and key employees — without requiring broad, equal treatment across all staff as a standard 401(k) would.

Time & Privacy Constraints

Very tight schedule. Prefers meetings of 20–30 minutes. Handles all financial data personally — no back office involvement. Requires high confidentiality and direct, efficient communication.

Section II

What Is Premium Finance?

A plain-language explanation for a business owner's perspective

Premium Finance is a structured financial arrangement in which an outside funding partner — rather than the business owner — covers the ongoing cost of a financial protection program. The owner retains the long-term value and benefits of the program, while the capital that would otherwise fund it remains available for business operations, reinvestment, or personal use.

In plain terms: instead of writing a large check each year to maintain a high-value financial protection strategy, a qualified owner can have somebody else help pay for the program — using a carefully structured funding arrangement — while the owner keeps more cash working inside the business.

"Why would I have somebody else fund this program?" — Because your capital may be worth more deployed inside Alta Recycling than sitting in a financial protection program you're paying for out of pocket.

How the Arrangement Works

A Protection Strategy Is Designed

A financial protection program is structured around your specific situation — your ownership stake, your family's needs, your tax position, and your long-term goals for Alta Recycling. The design is tailored; it is not a generic product.

An Outside Funding Partner Steps In

Rather than the owner funding the program's annual costs directly, a qualified outside funding arrangement is established. The funding partner covers those costs under agreed terms, allowing the owner's capital to remain in the business.

III

The Owner Retains the Value

The owner retains the long-term benefits of the protection strategy — including potential tax advantages, wealth accumulation, and family protection — while the funding arrangement handles the near-term cost. Over time, the program's internal value is designed to service the arrangement.

The Arrangement Is Reviewed and Validated

Before any recommendation is finalized, the structure is reviewed by your existing CPA and, where appropriate, by tax attorneys and forensic CPAs. Nothing moves forward without professional validation from advisors you already trust.

Why This May Be Relevant to Jeff Gosmire

At a reported ~30% effective personal tax rate, Jeff is in a position where every dollar of income carries a meaningful tax cost. As a co-founder with an active ownership stake, he also carries a concentration of personal financial risk tied to Alta Recycling's continued operation — a risk that a well-designed financial protection program can help address.

Premium Finance may allow Jeff to establish a meaningful financial protection and wealth-building strategy without diverting capital away from the business operations and employee commitments he prioritizes above all else. The question this portal is designed to help answer is simply: is this worth a 20-minute conversation?

Important Note

Premium Finance involves a structured financial arrangement with real obligations and risks. This briefing is educational and advisory in nature. No recommendation is final until it has been reviewed by Jeff's existing CPA and, where appropriate, by qualified tax and legal counsel. The goal of this portal is to determine whether a deeper conversation is warranted — not to create any obligation.

Section III

The Route Map

A clear, step-by-step view of the advisory journey from here to a decision

Current PositionYou Are Here

Where Jeff Stands Today

Alta Recycling is an established commercial recycling operation generating meaningful owner income. Jeff carries a ~30% effective tax rate, minimal structured planning beyond CapEx write-offs, and a strong personal commitment to employee stability. His capital is actively deployed in the business.

DiscoveryIn Progress

Understanding the Opportunity

This briefing and the upcoming analyst meeting are designed to help Jeff understand whether Premium Finance — specifically, having an outside funding partner help pay for a financial protection program — is structurally appropriate for his situation. No commitment is required at this stage.

III

Analysis

Analyst Review & Strategy Design

A 20–30 minute analyst meeting (scheduled for Thursday the 21st at 10:00 AM) will review Jeff's tax position, business cash flow, ownership structure, and personal goals. The analyst team — which includes tax attorneys and forensic CPAs — will identify two or three specific strategies worth presenting.

Validation

CPA Review & Professional Vetting

Any strategy identified will be presented in a format Jeff can share directly with his long-term CPA for independent review. Stefan's team is designed to complement — not replace — Jeff's existing advisors. Nothing moves forward without CPA sign-off.

Decision

Owner Decision — On Jeff's Terms

If the strategies hold up under CPA review and Jeff determines they align with his priorities, implementation can proceed on a timeline that works for him. If they don't, the conversation ends there — no obligation, no pressure.

The Advisor's Commitment

"This briefing was prepared to respect your time. Every step of this process is designed to be clear, efficient, and on your terms."

Section IV

Recommendations

Three advisory directions tailored to Jeff Gosmire and the commercial recycling industry

The following three advisory directions are not final recommendations — they are structured starting points for the analyst meeting. Each has been selected based on Jeff's reported tax position, ownership structure, stated priorities, and the specific financial dynamics of the commercial waste and recycling industry. All require further review before any determination can be made.

Commercial recycling is a capital-intensive, operationally complex business. Owners in this sector often carry significant personal financial risk tied to equipment, contracts, and workforce — while simultaneously generating meaningful taxable income. The strategies below are designed with that reality in mind.

Recommendation One

Owner-Only Financial Protection & Wealth Accumulation

A tax-advantaged strategy designed exclusively for Jeff — without affecting partners or employees

A properly structured financial protection program can be designed to cover Jeff's personal financial risk as an active owner while simultaneously building long-term, tax-advantaged wealth. Because Premium Finance allows an outside funding partner to cover the program's costs, Jeff does not need to redirect capital away from the business to establish meaningful personal financial protection. This type of arrangement can be structured for Jeff alone — it does not require participation or equal treatment from the other four owners, which directly addresses his stated preference for owner-specific solutions.

Relevance to Jeff & Alta Recycling

Alta Recycling's ownership structure — five owners, two active — creates a situation where Jeff's personal financial exposure is significant and not fully shared. A protection strategy designed exclusively for active owners like Jeff can address this gap without creating obligations across the passive ownership group. At a ~30% effective tax rate, the tax-advantaged accumulation component may also be particularly meaningful.

Recommendation Two

Key-Employee Retention — Selective & Non-Discriminatory

A 'golden handcuffs' benefit plan for the team members Alta Recycling cannot afford to lose

Jeff has expressed a specific interest in strategies that can be applied selectively to key employees — without triggering the broad, equal-treatment requirements of a standard 401(k). A properly structured selective benefit plan can provide meaningful financial incentives to the drivers, operations managers, and senior staff who are most critical to Alta Recycling's continuity. These arrangements can be designed to vest over time, creating genuine retention incentives while also providing the key employee with a valuable financial benefit. The funding arrangement can be structured so that the cost to the business is manageable and, in many cases, tax-advantaged.

Relevance to Jeff & Alta Recycling

In the commercial recycling industry, experienced drivers, plant supervisors, and operations staff are difficult to replace. Jeff has stated that keeping his team employed and well-compensated is his top priority. A selective retention plan directly supports that goal while also giving Jeff a tool to reward and retain the people who make Alta Recycling's operations possible — without requiring broad adoption across all staff.

III

Recommendation Three

Exit & Succession Planning — Owner Liquidity Without Disruption

Preparing for a future transition while keeping the business and its people intact

As a co-founder with a meaningful ownership stake in a privately held recycling operation, Jeff's personal wealth is significantly concentrated in Alta Recycling. A well-designed exit and succession plan — supported by a financial protection strategy — can help ensure that when the time comes for a transition (whether through a sale, buyout, or generational transfer), Jeff has access to liquidity without forcing a rushed or unfavorable transaction. Premium Finance can play a role here by helping fund a protection strategy that provides liquidity at the time of transition, rather than requiring Jeff to fund that protection out of current cash flow.

Relevance to Jeff & Alta Recycling

Commercial recycling businesses are operationally complex and often difficult to value or transfer quickly. Jeff's stated commitment to his employees' long-term security makes a thoughtful succession plan particularly important — a poorly structured exit could put the jobs he prioritizes at risk. A protection strategy funded through a Premium Finance arrangement can help ensure that Jeff's exit, whenever it comes, is on his terms and does not disrupt the business or its workforce.

Advisory Disclaimer

These recommendations are directional and educational. They are not final financial, tax, or legal advice. All strategies require a full analysis of Jeff's tax returns, business financials, ownership agreements, and personal goals before any determination can be made. The analyst meeting on Thursday the 21st is the appropriate next step for that analysis.

Section V

Owner Benefits

How a Premium Finance arrangement may serve both Alta Recycling and Jeff personally

"Can this help my family and my company at the same time?" — In many cases, yes. A well-designed financial protection strategy is not a choice between the business and the family. It can address both.

For Alta Recycling — Business Benefits

Capital Stays in the Business

Rather than directing cash out of Alta Recycling to fund a personal financial protection strategy, Premium Finance allows an outside funding partner to cover those costs. Jeff's capital remains available for equipment, operations, workforce, and growth.

Tax Efficiency — Potentially Significant

Depending on the structure, a properly designed arrangement may allow Jeff to reduce his ~30% effective tax rate in a meaningful and professionally defensible way. All tax implications must be reviewed by his CPA before any determination is made.

Selective Key-Employee Retention

A Premium Finance-supported benefit plan can be designed to reward and retain the specific employees Jeff considers essential — without the broad, equal-treatment requirements of a standard retirement plan. This directly supports Alta Recycling's operational continuity.

Business Continuity Protection

A financial protection strategy for an active co-founder helps ensure that Alta Recycling can continue operating without financial disruption in the event of an unexpected change in Jeff's circumstances. This protects the employees he is committed to keeping employed.

For Jeff Personally — Owner & Family Benefits

Personal Financial Protection

Jeff's personal financial position is significantly tied to Alta Recycling's performance. A financial protection strategy addresses that concentration risk, providing a layer of security for his family that is independent of the business's day-to-day results.

Long-Term Wealth Accumulation

A properly structured program can build tax-advantaged wealth over time — wealth that is accessible to Jeff personally and not subject to the same operational risks as his ownership stake in the business.

Family Security — Business and Personal

The right financial protection strategy can simultaneously address Jeff's family's needs and the business's continuity — ensuring that both his personal legacy and Alta Recycling's workforce are protected in the event of an unexpected transition.

Exit Liquidity on His Terms

When Jeff is ready to transition out of Alta Recycling — whether through a sale, buyout, or succession — a well-funded financial protection strategy can provide liquidity that makes that transition possible without forcing a rushed or unfavorable transaction.

The Business Behind the Briefing

Alta Recycling operates a large-scale commercial recycling facility in Bensenville, IL — serving businesses throughout Chicago, the Midwest, and nationwide.

Section VI

Call Preparation

A guide to help you prepare for the analyst meeting with Stefan Belhomme

Upcoming Meeting

Analyst Meeting

This 20–30 minute session is designed to walk you through two or three specific structures that may apply to your situation. Stefan will send a Zoom calendar invite and educational prep materials in advance. Your existing CPA is welcome to participate or review the recommendation afterward.

What to Expect in This Meeting

Duration & Format

This meeting is designed to be concise — 20 to 30 minutes. Stefan will walk you through two or three specific structures that may apply to your situation, based on what he has learned about Alta Recycling and your financial position.

What You'll See

Concrete strategies, not a generic overview. Each structure will include the mechanics, the potential tax impact, and what would need to happen next if you wanted to explore it further.

What Happens Next

If any of these structures interest you, the next step is to review them with your CPA. Stefan is prepared to coordinate directly with your accounting team to answer technical questions and validate the approach.

Questions to Consider Beforehand

How much capital is currently deployed in Alta Recycling operations?

Understanding your current cash flow and equipment investment cycles will help determine whether a funding arrangement makes practical sense for your business.

Are there planned capital expenditures in the next 12–24 months?

Commercial recycling requires ongoing equipment investment. Knowing your anticipated CapEx needs will help frame the conversation realistically.

What does your personal draw from the business look like?

The split between business reinvestment and personal income is relevant to sizing any arrangement. This information will be handled with full confidentiality.

Your Financial & Tax Context

Your Current Tax Position

You have reported an effective personal tax rate of approximately 30%. This is the baseline. Any strategy should be evaluated against how it might meaningfully reduce that burden while remaining practical and professional.

Your CPA's Role

Your long-term CPA should review any recommendation before you commit to anything. Stefan is prepared to work with your accounting team to ensure any structure holds up under professional scrutiny.

Documentation You May Need

To finalize any recommendation, you'll likely need to provide: last 2–3 years of personal and business tax returns, your current ownership agreement, any existing buy-sell provisions, and a general picture of your personal balance sheet. Have these available if the conversation warrants a deeper dive.

Your Priorities & Constraints

Employee Stability Comes First

You have made clear that keeping your team employed and well-compensated is your top priority. Any strategy should support that commitment, not compete with it.

Time Matters

You have a demanding schedule. This meeting is designed to respect your time — direct, practical, and focused on concrete options rather than lengthy explanations.

Skepticism Is Healthy

You have been approached by many advisors with many ideas. It is reasonable to be cautious. Any recommendation should be clear enough to explain to your CPA and solid enough to withstand professional review.

Long-Term Considerations

Business Succession & Exit

While not the focus of this meeting, any financial strategy should align with your long-term vision for Alta Recycling — whether that is building for eventual sale, transitioning to the next generation, or maintaining the business as a stable income source.

Ownership Structure & Coordination

You have two active owners and three passive owners. Clarify whether any strategy needs to be disclosed to or coordinated with the other owners, or whether it can remain entirely owner-specific.

Multi-Year Commitments

Premium Finance arrangements typically involve multi-year structures. Understand your own comfort level with longer-term financial commitments before the meeting.

Before the Meeting

"The goal of this meeting is to explore whether Premium Finance may be worth discussing — to see if it makes practical and financial sense for your situation. There is no pressure to commit to anything. If the structures presented do not resonate with you or do not pass your CPA's review, that is a perfectly valid outcome. Stefan's role is to present options clearly and let you decide what makes sense for Alta Recycling."

This briefing is designed to help you go into the meeting informed and prepared. Your questions and skepticism are welcome — they are a sign of good judgment.

Section VII

Frequently Asked Questions

Plain-English answers to the questions a serious business owner should ask

That is a fair and important question, and the honest answer is: this briefing was prepared to help you decide whether a conversation is worth having — not to close a sale. Stefan's role is to present a structured analysis of your situation and identify whether specific strategies make sense for you. Nothing is recommended until it has been reviewed by your CPA and validated by qualified tax and legal counsel. If the strategies don't hold up under that scrutiny, the conversation ends there. The goal is to earn your trust through transparency, not to pressure you toward a decision.

Because your capital may be worth more deployed inside Alta Recycling than sitting in a financial protection program you're paying for out of pocket. You have stated that your top priority is keeping your employees working and well-compensated. Every dollar you redirect out of the business to fund a personal financial strategy is a dollar that isn't available for operations, equipment, or your team. Premium Finance is designed to address this tension — an outside funding partner covers the program's costs under a structured arrangement, allowing your capital to stay where you've said it matters most: inside the business.

The most significant risk in a Premium Finance arrangement is that the program's internal performance does not meet the projections used to design the funding arrangement. If that happens, the owner may be required to contribute additional capital to service the arrangement or, in some cases, to unwind it. This is a real risk that must be understood and stress-tested before any arrangement is entered into. A second risk is changes in tax law that affect the strategy's efficiency. Both risks are manageable with proper design, conservative projections, and ongoing monitoring — but they must be disclosed and understood upfront. Stefan's team will not present a strategy without a clear explanation of its risk profile.

This is exactly the right question to ask, and it is one of the first things the analyst team will examine. Any arrangement must be sized appropriately for Alta Recycling's actual cash flow and capital needs — including planned equipment purchases, workforce investments, and operational reserves. A strategy that creates financial strain for the business defeats its own purpose. If the analysis shows that the business cannot comfortably support the arrangement without compromising operations, the recommendation will reflect that — even if it means recommending a smaller structure or no structure at all.

In many cases, yes. A well-designed financial protection strategy can simultaneously address your family's financial security and Alta Recycling's continuity. For example, a protection strategy that provides liquidity at the time of a business transition protects both your family's financial position and the business's ability to continue operating — which directly supports the employees you are committed to keeping employed. The key is that the strategy must be designed with both objectives in mind from the start, not retrofitted to serve one at the expense of the other.

You don't — until your CPA reviews it. That is the correct answer, and it is the standard Stefan's team holds itself to. Any strategy presented will be delivered in a format designed for CPA review: clear mechanics, conservative assumptions, disclosed risks, and a plain-language explanation of how it works. Stefan's team is designed to complement your existing advisors, not to replace them. If your long-term CPA — who has worked with you for over 20 years — reviews the strategy and finds it unsound, that review will be taken seriously. The goal is a strategy that can withstand that scrutiny, not one that avoids it.

No — and this is one of the features of the strategies being considered. Unlike a standard 401(k) or similar plan, the structures being evaluated for Jeff can be designed to apply exclusively to him as an active owner, without requiring participation or equal treatment from the other four owners (active or passive) or from the broader employee base. The key-employee retention component can also be applied selectively to specific individuals Jeff identifies — it does not require a broad, company-wide adoption. Any strategy will be reviewed to confirm that its selective application is legally and structurally sound.

Jeff has asked this directly, and the honest answer is: two focused meetings should be sufficient to reach a point where you can make an informed decision. The first meeting (the analyst session on Thursday the 21st) is a 20–30 minute session to review your situation and identify the two or three strategies worth presenting. The second meeting is to present those strategies in a format you can share with your CPA. After that, the CPA review happens on your timeline. Stefan's team is committed to respecting your time and keeping every interaction efficient and purposeful.

Additional questions are welcome. This briefing is a starting point, not a final document. Stefan Belhomme is available to address any specific concerns before or during the analyst meeting.

Section VIII

Notes & Sources

A transparent account of what was confirmed, what was inferred, and what requires further review

This briefing was prepared using information from the sources listed below. Where sources were unavailable, geo-restricted, or provided incomplete information, this document has been written conservatively — using only what could be reasonably confirmed. No facts have been fabricated. Where information is inferred from industry context or general business observations, it is labeled accordingly.

Source Documentation

Primary Source — Executive Summary

Advisor-Provided Executive Summary

The executive summary provided directly by Stefan Belhomme is treated as the primary source for all personal and financial details about Jeff Gosmire, including his age, ownership role, tax rate, work style, priorities, and meeting outcomes. This information has not been independently verified and is presented as reported.

Company Website — Partially Accessible

altarecycling.com

The Alta Recycling website was partially accessible during research. The About Us page and Waste & Recycling Consultation page were successfully extracted. The Services page and several other pages were inaccessible due to geo-restrictions. The company's mission statement, executive team listing (including Jeff Gosmire as Co-Founder), core values, service descriptions, and client categories were confirmed from accessible pages. The company address (600 Thomas Dr., Bensenville, IL 60106) and phone number were confirmed.

LinkedIn Profile — Not Directly Accessible

Jeff Gosmire LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/jeff-gosmire-a9637116)

The LinkedIn profile was not directly accessible during research. Jeff's role as Co-Founder / VP at Alta Recycling LLC and his specialty in 'Commercial Recycling — Specialty in Paper and Plastic' were confirmed through multiple third-party sources (SignalHire, LinkedIn public directory snippet, ZoomInfo). His location in Bensenville, IL was confirmed. No additional profile details could be confirmed from the LinkedIn source directly.

Third-Party Business Profiles

SignalHire, ZoomInfo, BBB, and Public Business Records

Third-party business intelligence sources confirmed Jeff Gosmire's role as Co-Founder / VP (SignalHire) and President (BBB profile for PRI Group, LLC — the operating entity associated with Alta Recycling). Revenue estimates of $5M–$25M (SignalHire) and approximately $7.4M (SignalHire alternative estimate) were noted but not confirmed by the company directly. The ZoomInfo profile confirmed the company's history, including its origins as PRI Group (formed in 2007 from the purchase of Paper Recovery Inc. assets) and its Bensenville facility details.

Industry Observations

Commercial Waste & Recycling Industry Context

General observations about the commercial recycling industry — including capital intensity, equipment investment cycles, workforce retention challenges, and the business-to-business (not municipal) service model — are based on publicly available industry information and general business knowledge. These observations have been used to contextualize the recommendations but are not specific to Alta Recycling's financials.

Tax Caveat

Tax Rate and Financial Figures

The ~30% effective personal tax rate and ~$1M gross business income figures are owner-reported, as provided in the executive summary. These figures have not been independently verified and should be confirmed against actual tax returns before any strategy is designed. All tax-related statements in this briefing are general and educational in nature. No tax advice is being provided. All strategies must be reviewed by a qualified CPA and, where appropriate, by tax attorneys before implementation.

Terminology Check — Advisor Review

This portal has been reviewed for the following terminology. The following terms have been avoided in client-facing copy unless required for accuracy:

✓life insurance

✓insurance

✓policy

✓borrow / borrowing / borrowed

✓lend / lender / lending

✓loan / loans

✓premium finance (lowercase)

✓persuasive

The term "Premium Finance" appears throughout this portal with both words capitalized, as required. Client-friendly substitutes used include: "financial protection program," "protection strategy," "financial tool," "plan," "design," "funding arrangement," "outside funding," and "funding partner." Stefan Belhomme should review all client-facing copy before sharing this portal with Jeff Gosmire to confirm it aligns with current regulatory and compliance standards in his jurisdiction.

Advisor Review Required Before Use

This portal is a research and advisory briefing tool. It is not a final financial plan, tax advice, or legal recommendation. Stefan Belhomme should review all content — particularly the recommendations, FAQ answers, and financial figures — before sharing this portal with Jeff Gosmire. Any figures, projections, or strategy descriptions should be updated to reflect the most current information available at the time of the analyst meeting.