Martin Andelman Responding to Erin Baldwin Writing on her Blog, The Big Bearian Returns
My name is Martin Andelman and I am the author of the blog, Mandelman Matters. Although I’ve never met or otherwise interacted with Erin Baldwin, I have certainly seen Erin Baldwin’s blog post, “Martin Andelman is a Fraud and Mandelman Matters is a Scam” before, although it has been many months since she has come up in conversation.
She used to write a blog called, Bad Biz Finder, but apparently an attorney sued her, won a $650,000 judgment, and WordPress was ordered by the court to take down her site down as a result. At least that’s what I’ve been told.
Ms. Baldwin has posted numerous writings attacking many high profile individuals as being scammers of one kind or another, many of them attorneys, at least one District Attorney, and I think there were a few corporate CEOs thrown in there as well.
So that an interested reader may follow along, you can find her blog that talks about me, and calls me all sorts of names, here: The Big Bearian Returns.
I have to say… I’ve made it a policy not to respond to Ms. Baldwin’s statements. In fact, the only time I did respond to Ms. Baldwin, I did so with tongue-in-cheek, and you can find that response here, and again at the end of this document: Bad Biz Finder’s Erin Baldwin is Awe Inspiring.
However, I have now heard from enough people that seem to sincerely want to know the facts of the situation, and I’m happy to provide them.
For those that know me… do I feel silly doing so? Yes. However, there are enough people out there that don’t know me and it’s conceivable that some may not recognize the psychosis at play in Erin’s Big Bearian writings. After reading this response, it should be clear that Ms. Baldwin is a troubled soul, and I take no pleasure in any of this. It is purely to set the record straight, and is intended only for those that are interested.
Initially, I didn’t think there was any need to address Ms. Baldwin’s accusations one by one because, they were either untrue or devoid of any substance, but additionally, they are the kind of things that are easily verified.
When I say that her accusations are either untrue or devoid of substance, I mean things like the following. Her first three or four points seem to be about my career in business. It’s very difficult to tell what she’s trying to say, but I’ll respond to her statements directly, and in the order she presents them, and I’m the reader will quickly get the idea.
1. Her first reference is to Mandelman Inc., which she says was “Suspended,” as if it was somehow a bad thing. Mandelman Inc. was a corporation I used to do some publishing and consulting under, although I haven’t done such work in quite some time… maybe 8-10 years.
The corporation didn’t have any assets or liabilities, so when I stopped using the corporation there was no need to continue paying the annual filing fees, so it simply languishes in my CPA’s filing cabinet. If I wanted to use the corporation, I suppose I would simply contact the state and pay the current fees and bring it back to life.
I don’t know why this is a bad thing… it’s not like the corporation was “suspended” for doing something wrong, although I guess in her mind she thinks that’s the case. Corporations in California are suspended when they are no longer doing business or no longer active, and stop paying their annual filing fees. She does have my home address right though, not that it’s a secret either.
2. Next she references a couple of white papers that are somewhere on the Internet, and that I authored some years ago; my best guess would be 2003. She lists my phone number as 714-904-2288, which was my number then and still is today.
She shows my email address as martin@mandelmaninc.com, and then reminds the reader that Mandelman Inc. is a suspended corporation. I feel silly saying anything further about this point, except that she’s right, Mandelman Inc. hasn’t been active in some time. When it was active I had the email address as shown. Why that’s somehow a bad thing, I have no idea.
For the last I don’t know how many years, my email has been mandelman@mac.com… it’s a .Mac or .Me account, which Apple makes available and I like the features it comes with, so I use it for everything.
3. Then she points out that the address on the white papers I’ve authored and that can be found on the Internet is 610 Newport Center Drive, Suite 950, Newport Beach, CA 92660, which she correctly says “also happens to be the address of” TBG Financial,” which after a merger a few years ago is now Mullin/TBG.
With something like $20 billion in assets under management, TBG Financial is the largest provider of nonqualified deferred compensation plans in the country. Today, the firm is owned by Prudential, but when I worked for TBG back in 2002-2005, it was owned by Nationwide (62%) and the balance by its founders who are still involved in running the firm today. The founders and I were good friends then, and still are, by the way. I see them several times a year, although not as much as I’d like to. Why does any of this matter? I have no idea why she thinks this is troubling in the least.
4. After that, she starts to get delusional. She says that I claim to have been the CEO of The 4th Floor LLC, which is absolutely correct… I do claim that. And not only have I been, but I still am.
She says that The 4th Floor is “a creative and strategic marketing communications consulting firm,” and again, this is absolutely correct. And she says that “Andelman possesses in-depth expertise in industries including: insurance, financial services, health care, accounting, law, among others,” which is not only absolutely correct, but also fairly widely known in some circles. (After 20 years, it’s hard to keep what you’re good at a secret.)
Then she states: “First of all, there is no record of “The 4th Floor” ANYWHERE on the internet except for Andelman’s LinkedIn Profile, Zoom Info Profile and his Speaker Profile.” I have no idea whether this is true or not, but it certainly could be. It might be mentioned on my Facebook profile page too, I really don’t know, but what is her point here?
The 4th Floor is a California Limited Liability Corporation that’s been in business for 20 years… yikes, I’m getting old. I was not aware that a firm was required to have a Website, or that not having one was bad. The 4th Floor has never advertised itself online. Its clients are C-Suite executives, and we don’t do the type of work that our clients want publicized. Heck, I wasn’t even on the Internet until Christmas Eve 2008 when I started blogging… didn’t personally use email until ’04… so sue me.
And, more importantly than a Website, while she was looking up Mandelman Inc. to find its status listed as “suspended,” I’m assuming she noticed that The 4th Floor LLC, wasn’t.
After that she lists a smattering of the clients I’ve had over the years at The 4th Floor, and says she called them and they had never heard of me. This is a sad statement, and a large part of why I chose not to respond to her accusations in this detailed way up until now. The client companies she claims to have “called” she lists as follows:
Merrill Lynch – Merrill Lynch, like the companies that follow below, is not a company that you could call to ask such a question, unless perhaps you called Human Resources.
The fact that Ms. Baldwin doesn’t know or understand this is not funny, it’s just an indication that we are dealing with someone who, at best, has limited experience with Fortune 500 companies, and at worst, is simply not completely in touch with some aspect of reality.
Merrill Lynch, now part of Bank of America, doesn’t have A single location to call. The firm has divisions that range from Investment Banking to Retirement Plan Services, to the Retail Brokerage to Derivatives, to International and Private Banking, to so many others that I couldn’t possibly list them. I think most people either know this, or imagine it to be the case, so I won’t waste anymore time on this point.
In any case, The 4th Floor was an Approved Supplier to Merrill Lynch, at the corporate level, supplying consulting services to several areas of Merrill over the last decade including, among others, Nonqualified Plans, which are executive benefit programs, Defined Benefit Plans, which are pension plan managers, and Defined Contribution Plans, which are 401(k) plan administrators.
(Although, I must admit that the idea of someone calling “Merrill Lynch,” and then asking whoever answered the phone: “Do you know Martin Andelman,” is a little funny.)
JPMorgan – Like Merrill Lynch, JPMorgan is not a single place or organization, it’s a giant holding company type of conglomerate, that includes an investment bank and has thousands of office locations both throughout the US and around the world. I worked for several divisions at the corporate level for many years, including JPMorgan/RPS, which stands for Retirement Plan Services, headquartered in Kansas City, MO.
At the time I was there, I reported to the CEO, Tom Kmack… although he has since retired. You can Google him though, I’m quite sure he’s around doing something. Feel free to send him an email about me and do tell him I said hello and will call the next time I’m in KC.
Centura Health Systems – Centura Health Systems owns and operates hospitals throughout the mid-west, and I spent most of my time working for the company in Denver, at Porter Adventist Hospital, which is where Centura’s Organ Transplant Program is housed.
I was responsible for developing and implementing a strategic marketing communications plan for Centura’s Organ Transplant Program for 4-5 years, under the direction of Hank Fanelli. Hank left Centura two years ago, but we remain close friends as we’ve worked together, on and off, for many years. Should you find him online, he’s on LinkedIn, I think… please tell him I said hello, and that I owe him a call, which I promise to make soon. (I’ve been busy this past year, as you know.)
Also, in response to Ms. Baldwin’s assertion that I never worked where I said I did because I’m unknown by whoever answered the phone wherever she was calling, assuming she did actually call anywhere to begin with… here is a link to a documentary-style video that The 4th Floor LLC produced for Centura’s Transplant Program in 2004-05. Our work, as Hank would happily verify, resulted in the program growing by roughly fourfold over a three-year period. Click her to see Centura Video: http://www.youtube.com/user/mandelman.
Kaiser Permanente – The 4th Floor worked for Kaiser Permanente for so may years I couldn’t even count them… maybe 12? Maybe longer. During that time, we worked for numerous divisions of Kaiser Health Plans, Kaiser Hospitals, and Permanente Physicians of Northern and Southern California. We created hundreds of marketing initiatives, most notably a documentary style video titled: Everybody’s Talking, in 2000. I’ve got several copies around my office, happy to send one upon request.
Warner Bros – The 4th Floor was the creative agency that helped launch and support Warner Bros. Studio Stores. Remember them? They used to be in all the malls and were really gorgeous stores, until that idiot Steve Case from AOL bought Time Warner and closed them down. There were about 200 at the time, I believe.
I worked directly for the SVP, who after the stores were closed, went on to become Vice Chairman of Sharper Image, and later moved to London to work with his brother in investment banking… I think. That’s really hearsay, at best. I’m not sure where Ms. Baldwin called to check on me… do you suppose it would have been Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, or perhaps the Time Warner Building in Manhattan. You’d have to ask her yourself.
AXA Equitable – AXA is one of the largest corporations in the world, in the past I believe it’s been listed as #4. It also has offices all over the world, so it’s hard to say where Ms. Baldwin would have called to check me out, but I worked most closely with the Annuities Division, whose EVP is a good friend of mine. He is still at AXA, and wouldn’t be hard to reach, as he works in AXA’s Manhattan offices, which is a big skyscraper that’s easy to find. Ask for Phil and tell him I’ll call when in NYC next, which may be as early as next month. Actually, Phil and I met when we worked together at TBG Financial, as referenced above.
Nationwide (SHE SAYS: “we’re assuming he means Nationwide Mortgage.”) – Actually, no… as I’ve written on numerous occasions, I’ve never worked in the mortgage or real estate industries.
When I say Nationwide I’m referring to Nationwide Insurance, with corporate offices in Columbus Ohio. You know… “Nationwide is on Your Side.” Like the rest of these companies, I’ve worked on Nationwide projects for many years, and for many divisions, although I’ve worked more in the COLI area than anywhere else. The 4th Floor has handled many initiatives for Nationwide, I couldn’t possibly list them all, but if you can figure out what COLI is, and find that area of Nationwide in Columbus, just drop my name and I’m sure someone will recognize it.
Arthur J. Gallagher (SHE SAYS: “Unless he’s referring to Arthur J. Gallagher International in London ““ but we’re not calling London.”) ““ First of all, the Arthur J. Gallagher Company is headquartered in Itasca, Illinois. It was founded in 1927, by Arthur J. Gallagher, and although it’s publicly traded on the NYSE, it’s still family run. Today, Pat Gallagher is the CEO and Chairman of the Board, and The 4th Floor has reported directly to Pat on several occasions, in addition to reporting to the President of Gallagher Benefit Services.
And, in reference to Ms. Baldwin’s quip about “not calling London,” above… I have also worked for the Arthur J. Gallagher Company in London, which is now called Gallagher London. In fact, I completed an engagement for their London brokerage just a couple years ago. The phone numbers for Gallagher are easily obtained by calling directory assistance for Itasca, IL… it’s just outside Chicago. Ask for the president’s or CEO’s offices, and I’m sure they’ll put you right through… then use my name, and you’ll certainly get a return call in the event that one or more are in meeting.
The 4th Floor has worked for The Arthur J. Gallagher Company for maybe 10 years… maybe a little longer. In fact, I was the Keynote Speaker at the company’s Annual President Conference 2 years in a row! No small feat, because you need all new jokes. Here’s a link to see speaking in front of 700 Gallagher company division presidents in Chicago, 2005: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi3x8sWiWfg.
Even with all of that being said… and I am sincere when I say that anyone is more than welcome to contact any of the companies or corporate executives listed above, Ms. Baldwin on her blog makes the following statement following her listing of The 4th Floor’s clients:
“Not one company had heard of Martin Andelman or “The 4th Floor.”
5. After the companies being listed, she shows something titled: “Agent of for Service of Process,” and the name Samuel Crowe, and I just don’t even have the foggiest idea who he is, where she found him, or why he’s involved in this discussion. He has absolutely nothing to do with me, I assure you of that, and if you contact him and he even intimates that he knows me, please conference me in immediately, as that would be something I’d want to get to the bottom of right away.
6. After that, she references RFP NATION, which is the title of a book I wrote in 2006. We used to have a Website dedicated to the book and the corporate training/university programs offered, but here’s a link to Amazon and you can buy the book there, if you’d like. http://www.amazon.com/RFP-Nation-Martin-Andelman/dp/0977226409.
7. After that, Ms. Baldwin makes the claim that a company I claimed to have worked with or for, by the name of Energi has been dissolved. She shows is this way:
“DISSOLVED. Energi, Inc. voluntarily elected to wind up its operations and has completely dissolved its business as a corporation.”
Well, I called the President of Energi, not having anything to do with this response or Erin Baldwin, but just because he’s been a close friend and business associate since 1996, I believe. Here’s a link to Energi’s Website: http://energiusa.com/.
The company was founded in 1996, and has been humming along without interruption in Laguna Hills, California ever since. Should you decide to contact the company’s president, just keep in mind that he may be appear confused if you begin by telling him that his company, Energi, has been DISSOLVED.
I haven’t spoken with him in a few months now, but just let him know you’re checking to see if he knows me. He’ll undoubtedly laugh and say… never heard of him. LOL
Ms. Baldwin then prints the following quote, indicating that it’s “VERY IMPORTANT”:
VERY IMPORTANT: Please note, that Albert Sandoval vehemently denies any connection whatsoever with Martin Andelman. See his comment from yesterday, February 13, 2010: “I am the owner of the website energi.com. I have no idea who this individual is, nor have I ever had any communication with him, nor did I know he even existed. Energi.com is dedicated to “Green Living” and the business of renewable energy and has nothing to do with this business or individual.”
When I read this, I started to cry. Albert and I were lovers for many years, and…
STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT.
Who the heck is Albert Sandoval to “vehemently” deny any connection with me? Why… I’ll see his “vehement” denial, and raise him one “fervid,” a “vigorous,” and a “passionate” denial. I have no idea who this Sandoval cat is… nor do I care. Not only that, but “Green Living” is for sissies, how do you like them apples, Sandoval?
It would seem that Ms. Baldwin’s confusion related to Mr. Sandoval comes from her assumption that “my” Energi’s Website address was www.energi.com. It isn’t, however, “my” Energi’s Website address is www.energiusa.com.
Now, I’m just thinking out loud here, but it occurs to me that had Ms. Baldwin sent me an email to inquire about the company’s Website address, I could have saved her quite a bit of time pretending to be snooping around uncovering stuff that isn’t covered in the least. To say nothing of how poor Mr. Sandoval must feel.
I suppose, I could now contact Mr. Albert Sandoval and explain that I never claimed to be the owner of his Website, nor do I have any interest in being the owner of his Website, and that I haven’t heard of him either… and that Erin Baldwin is insane and needs to be hospitalized…
BUT DO YOU KNOW HOW RIDICULOUS I’D FEEL DOIING SO?
(I’m thinking that you do.)
ALMOST AS RIDICULOUS AS I FEEL WRITING THIS RESPONSE.
FORTUNATELY, and I hope you’ve been following along with Ms. Baldwin’s post about me as you’ve been reading this email… we’ve finally reached the end of her very insightful claims about me. And please understand… I’m not the least bit frustrated with anyone for inquiring about this.
It was my choice to respond in detail, so if you were one that inquired, please don’t feel any need to apologize. I wanted to do it, so I did.
When I started my online column on Christmas Eve 2008, I had never blogged before, and since then I’ve become a widely read columnist covering the economic, political and social impacts of the foreclosure crisis. To-date, I’ve had roughly 500,000 readers. I DON’T SELL ADVERTISING or make any money from my blog, Mandelman Matters, it is by far the most expensive hobby I’ve ever had.
(The only exception is that I do write a book review now and then when I love a book, and if you buy a copy through the link I provide, I get 6-7% from Amazon. So far this year, I’ve made about $1,000 and change, which is really not bad if you think about it.)
I also write a monthly column, and 3-4 cover or feature stories a year for The Niche Report magazine, and you can easily reach the magazine’s publisher at www.thenichereport.com. He will confirm, among other things, that I do it, because I think it’s important that I do it.
I HAVE NEVER BEEN PAID A PENNY HAVING ANYTHING TO DO WITH A LOAN MODIFICATION, SHORT SALE, MORTGAGE, REAL ESTATE TRANSACTION, or anything remotely related… or for referring anyone anywhere at anytime… EVER! NOT ONE TIME.
Once in a while, a lawyer might offer to pick up the tab at lunch, but that’s the extent of my compensation, if you want to think of it that way.
Lastly, this year I was a featured speaker at the American Bar Association’s Conference on Consumer Financial Services, where I spoke in front of 400 banking attorneys about the foreclosure crisis, and I was on a panel discussion with Tom Pahl from the Federal Trade Commission.
And just over a month ago, I was a featured speaker at the Judicial Conference for the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, where I spoke on the foreclosure crisis and causes of the current economic meltdown. I did my undergraduate work majoring in economics, my MBA at Pepperdine University, and I completed a specialized masters program at the University of Missouri at Kansas City’s Block School of Business. (Go Kangaroos!)
I live in Fullerton, California with my wife and daughter… all of us are on Facebook, and I’m on LinkedIn and Twitter, as well. Lastly, I’ve written close to 300 in-depth articles on the foreclosure crisis in the last year alone. You can find most of them on the Mandelman Matters site, which you can subscribe to by clicking the SUBSCRIBE tab on the site. Here’s a link: http://www.mandelman.ml-implode.com.
I readily admit that when I first saw Erin Baldwin’s baseless attacks, they shocked me.
Luckily, I soon discovered that I have a lot of readers and, after 300 articles, many both know me and trust me… and I take that trust very seriously. So, I tried to joke it off and get her to go away. I soon discovered that she was a deeply disturbed person that I didn’t want to disturb further.
But she kept going, and soon others contacted me wanting to know if I was going to respond to her blog’s accusations. I did respond, and the link is immediately below. I hope you’ll take the time to read it because it’s funny and makes a point… or several, actually:
TITLE: Erin Baldwin is Awe Inspiring
http://mandelman.ml-implode.com/2009/07/erin-baldwin-is-awe-inspiring/
In response to that article, however, I received the following from Erin’s sister:
Dear Mr. Andelman,
Wow…where to begin. In my former life I had a sister.
My ex-sister has been a topic in many bitter blogs as of late. It pains me to see the problems and pain that she has been accused of causing. Painful but not surprising.
Please know that despite the multiple indiscretions she is accused of committing, she does not represent the loving parents that raised her. Also know that as many lives as she has been accused of hurting, nothing compares to the pain she caused her own parents. Unforgiveable.
I am not even sure why I am writing you. I don’t want anything to do with the toxic dump she has waded into. May the powers that be shed some grace and sanity on Erin. May the rest of the affected parties find forgiveness in their hearts.
Ellen M England
So, I wrote back, as shown:
Dear Ms. England,
I cannot thank you enough for contacting me. I’m very sympathetic to your situation and appreciate the insight. It’s so unfortunate that she struggles as she obviously has skills and intelligence that are far above the norm.
Martin Andelman
Mandelman Matters
And her sister replied with the following:
Dear Mr. Andelman,
I thank you for your prompt and thoughtful email.
To say that Erins’ behavior mystifies the family would be a serious understatement. I appreciate your insight and recognition of the obvious intelligence and capabilities of Erin. Simply stated, and something I have felt for a lifetime…it’s a shame she doesn’t use her powers for good rather than evil.
On a good note, I have discovered your blogs and thoroughly enjoy your candid humor and sharp wit!
Carry on kind sir.
Ellen M England
And that was the last time I paid any attention to Ms. Erin Baldwin or any of the aliases she often uses.
A few months ago, someone wrote to me and told me that Erin Baldwin had moved to Big Bear and was now blogging as thebigbearian.com, or something like that. I visited the site and saw the post referencing me, but chose to ignore it.
Around that same time, I was informed that she had gotten in some trouble with the Sheriff in Big Bear and was jailed for a time. I felt sorry for her and decided to let it go. People like that have enough problems without me chasing her around, and I believed that my readers would be more than capable of seeing the situation clearly… frankly it’s not that difficult a situation to see or understand, as I’m certain all would now agree.
But when I started making the REST Report available to lawyers and homeowners, which I think is the most important thing we can all do to help the situation related to loan modifications, and I started getting more inquiries asking for my response to her accusations, I decided that I had to address her allegations point by point… no matter how silly I felt doing so.
I hope anyone interested has taken the time to read my response and that it clears things up, once and for all. I hope everyone will pass on to others that Ms. Baldwin, although she may sound at times as if she’s got a grasp on reality, it is not the case.
Again, thank you to my readers who raised this issue with me, and I want everyone to know that I am someone to whom you can FREELY ASK ANY QUESTION AT ANY TIME. I would very much prefer that nothing ever remain unsaid… ever.
Feel free to contact me anytime by emailing mandelman@mac.com.
Martin Andelman