NATHAN ZUIDEMA
As President and co-owner of RZ Financial Network , Nathan Zuidema is committed to forming strong relationships among independent producers, industry professionals and other experts who can help agents grow their business.

"We're providing new ideas and solutions to what producers face in their daily practice," Zuidema says, adding that the Network is not about "growing an army; it's about forging key relationships and core friendships along the way."

A tireless agent advocate, RZ Financial Network is a Premier Partner with the National Association for Fixed Annuities and Nathan serves on NAFA's Board of Directors, Zuidema strives to educate producers about the importance of industry rules and regulations. "I'm excited to serve as a resource and a voice for our agents and representatives" he says. "We're trying to keep small businesses in business."

Prior to forming RZ & Associates LLC (now RZ Financial Network) in 2003, Zuidema served as Marketing Director for an industry marketing organization. There he discovered the industry's need for a personal approach to agent relations, along with his passion for providing direct responses to individual needs – the foundation for RZ Financial Network's growing success.

ED PREWITT
Ed Prewitt, Chief Marketing Officer and co-owner of RZ Financial Network, started his career in 1988 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Joining LifeUSA Insurance Company, he was asked to be one of the lead trainers and traveled the United States training professional agents and representatives on annuity and Life products. From 1989 to 2003, Ed continued to work with many Field Marketing Organizations and their staff while training thousands of agents. During this time he held different titles which included Regional Sales Director, National Sales Director, Regional Vice President and Vice President of Marketing while overseeing the Western Region and Midwest Regions for LifeUSA and Allianz Life.

Ed credits this experience for the reasons why he wanted to build his own company. "Being out in the trenches and learning from some of the top professionals in the industry was a tremendous experience. Taking that knowledge and information and not doing anything with it would be a loss. My passion has always been about the professional agent and representative, Prewitt says."

Those that know Ed understand that he is always in constant search of new and innovative ideas, Ed relishes in helping the professional agent and representatives find new solutions that help their clients; thus the creation of the Network.
In 2003, after logging over 2.5 million miles on planes Ed left Allianz Life to help grow an FMO, increasing production from $1.5 billion to over $3 billion in sales. During that time, Ed was envisioning his own company and met up with Nathan Zuidema who owned RZ Financial. "I knew the day that I met Nathan that we would to work together, we had a lot of the same ideas, a shared vision and similar goals, Prewitt said." In 2008 they decided to merge and created RZ Financial Network.