Benjamin Edwards Adds Advisors, New Office

Regional brokerage firm Benjamin F. Edwards has established its 25th office in Leawood, Kan., following a round of legacy A.G. Edwards recruits from Wells Fargo.

Grant Ingram and Gary Liberty of the Liberty Wealth Management Group bring over 35 years of combined experience and were both formerly with A.G. Edwards before merging with Wells Fargo. The two come on board as Senior Vice Presidents - Investments. Their associate, Monet Matthews, will also accompany them and assist with client duties.

Another legacy A.G. Edwards advisor, Brian Wiklund, has come over to Benjamin Edwards as Senior Vice President-Investments. He is joined by his associate, Julie Keithline, who had been with him at Wells Fargo.

The firm's assistant branch manager is Lori Cox, who has 18 years of industry experience and was most recently at Wells Fargo where she was Kansas City Market Operations Manager.

John Diederich, who was with A.G. Edwards then Wells Fargo, will be a financial consultant at the firm.

Martin Altenberger, senior vice president and director of branch Services, said that it is their private model, coupled with outsourced third-party technology and veteran advisors that has helped build their brand and draw many former A.G. Edwards advisors to Benjamin Edwards, which was founded by the great-great-grandson of Albert Gallatin Edwards.

"We're a private company. Our home office support is structured differently; it's full of seasoned veterans that can answer your questions when you give them a phone call," Altenberger said. "We've got a very robust model with tools and services. We've made the decision consciously to not create our own technology, but to go out and partner with best of breed tools."

The Leawood office is the 25th nationally and the fourth that Benjamin Edwards has opened this year. According to Altenberger, the firm's strategy is not to expand within particular regions but to expand based on where they find interest from veteran advisors. 

 "We don't have a targeted geographical strategy, it's more about the people," Altenberger said. "These were people who were warm leads, people who knew us and expressed interest in what we were doing and liked our model."

Including this latest round of recruits, including another recent 30-year financial services veteran, St. Louis-based Benjamin Edwards has hired 18 advisors so far this year, bringing their total headcount to 91.

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