We salute the four winners of the 2008 IMPACT Awards — each recipient has demonstrated tremendous vision, leadership and innovation in their quest to provide independent advice to individual investors.
- For Individual Leadership:
- Joan Bavaria
- Charles R. Schwab IMPACT Award®
Founded in 1982, Trillium Asset Management Corporation is the oldest and largest independent investment advisor focused on socially responsible investing. Founder, president and CEO Joan Bavaria started the company to serve clients who want more than a financial return from their investments. The firm currently manages more than $1 billion for individual clients and organizations. Through her own firm and as the founder of the Social Investment Forum, Bavaria has helped expand the field of mission-based investing. In addition, Trillium strives to set an example as a well-run firm. “If we are asking a company to do something,” Bavaria says, “we are scrupulous about doing it ourselves.”
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- For Outstanding Management:
- Litman/Gregory
Asset Management, LLC - Best-in-Business Award
A two-man startup in 1987, Litman/Gregory now manages $3.7 billion in assets. The firm prides itself on its fierce independence—whether starting an innovative mutual fund when everyone else thought it was crazy or sticking by its investment strategy while the dot-com boom enticed others. “When I think back to what has been behind our success, I really think it's the values that guide our thinking,” Ken Gregory says. Litman/Gregory supports all its decisions with research and values long-term benefits over short-term gains. The founders are zealous about hiring creative thinkers who will serve clients with integrity and excellence, believing that the individuals they work with are the firm's most valuable assets.
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- For Technology Excellence:
- Clarfeld Financial Advisors
- Best-in-Tech Award
At Clarfeld Financial Advisors, everything—including the use of technology—is driven by the firm's core mission: to serve as their clients' “financial confidante.” To build its practice—the firm has grown 20 to 30 percent a year—Clarfeld invested in technology that would allow for growth while maintaining consistently high service. If the right thing wasn't available, the firm built it. One example is its proprietary CFA Report Generator, an intuitive system designed to customize each client report to individual specifications, including not only an investment report but research, commentaries, benchmark numbers, stock-option analysis and more. The office is almost completely paperless. All paper that comes into the office is scanned and shredded, not photocopied and filed, making it easy for the staff to access documents electronically and provide prompt, consistent service when a client calls.
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- For Innovation and Accelerated Growth:
- Vista Capital Partners
- Pacesetter Award
Vista Capital Partners' growth hinges on a unique investing philosophy, standard-setting client services and a work environment that attracts (and keeps) top talent. They've created an organizational structure that allows the firm to focus on growth and client service simultaneously. Co-founder Doug Johanson focuses on investment and operations, while his partner, Michael O'Reilly, heads up business development. Each client works with a team of three that includes a senior portfolio manager, a portfolio manager and a portfolio administrator. This structure, combined with a detailed 16-point client-service checklist, keeps client relationships at the fore and maintains a consistency of service that is second to none. Vista's commitment to its business model enables the firm to grow at a manageable rate and offers employees the career challenges they're looking for.
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