We salute the winners of the 2009 IMPACT Awards. These recipients have demonstrated tremendous vision, leadership and innovation in their quest to provide independent advice to individual investors.
- For Outstanding Management:
- Wetherby Asset
Management - Best-in-Business
Debra Wetherby explains that she started Wetherby Asset Management in 1990 to fulfill her vision of exceptional client service through collaboration, teamwork and integrity. The firm now serves nearly 500 households and manages more than $2.4 billion in assets. Almost all new clients have come through referrals, and that is by design. Wetherby decided early on that the firm would make no cold calls. "Rather," she says, "people would choose us because they knew we were good and because we came to them through someone they know and trust." The independence to act in clients' best interests is central to what makes the work so rewarding to Wetherby and her partners. "It's not just about making money," she says. "It's about doing something we believe in."
Winner Profile (PDF)Watch Video
- For Technology Excellence:
- Bristlecone Advisors
- Best-in-Tech
Keith Vernon and his Bristlecone Advisors team committed to building a robust technology infrastructure before expanding their small multifamily office. "The technology needs for a multifamily office are unique and complex," Vernon says. "We recognized early that our ability to grow efficiently while providing consistent, institutional-quality service to our clients hinged on first building the necessary technology platform." That was the beginning of Aristata, a practice management system built specifically for family offices and multifamily offices. Vernon sees technology as an investment, not an expense, and says Bristlecone's investment has more than paid off through improved efficiency in the office and the ability to be more proactive with clients. Bristlecone now manages $437 million in assets for 33 households, and Aristata has been spun out into an independent company that licenses its technology to family offices and multifamily offices.
Winner Profile (PDF)Watch Video
- For Innovation and Accelerated Growth:
- Heritage Wealth Advisors
- Pacesetter Award
Paradoxically, Dee Ann Remo attributes her firm's rapid growth to patience. "You have to win the trust of every client," she says. "The primary ingredient is time." Since Remo founded Heritage Wealth Advisors in 2005 with Chase Hill and Steve Cooke, the firm has tripled in size, both in terms of assets under management and revenue. Financial planning is a key part of the integrated services Heritage provides. Their goal of understanding each client's complete financial picture enables them to better help clients with other financial needs, including tax planning and investments. "We pride ourselves on becoming our clients' personal CFO," Remo says. "We are their advocate in their financial lives." Regular communication with clients fosters strong relationships and boosts client retention.
Winner Profile (PDF)Watch Video
- For Individual Leadership:
- Independent Investment
Advisors - Charles R. Schwab IMPACT Award®
This year, in recognition of their exceptional achievement in the face of extraordinary challenges, we are proud to recognize all independent investment advisors with the Charles R. Schwab IMPACT Award. Through vision and leadership, independent advisors have guided their clients through unprecedented economic times. And despite the vicissitudes of the market, advisors' commitment to their clients and to their communities remains steadfast. To underscore the importance of this special award, we have doubled our usual charitable contribution. We are donating $50,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in honor of independent advisors.