BROCK LOEN
- Branch Manager, Senior Vice President, Portfolio Manager
- D.A. Davidson & Co.
- Seattle
- Number of Advisors: 21
- Branch AUM: $2 billion
Brock Loen says he uses the same skills to raise three sons as he does to supervise his 21 brokers at Davidson. His mantra:"Being fair with everyone, accessible at all times, and telling each other the truth." And while Loen appreciates the professional development coaches his firm provides, he strives to set a good example, especially in team building.
Loen says the key to maintaining credibility with his advisors is his genuine interest in them as people and his willingness to share knowledge and resources, and to help create partnerships to help them grow their businesses. He continues to service his own book of clients. Loen believes that his own commitment to clients helps him to be empathetic to his brokers' pressures.
Loen learned the importance of building long-term relationships during his first job selling airfreight. In both jobs, every detail matters, he says. Loen moved into financial services because he was motivated both by the opportunity for unlimited earning potential and the flexibility to choose his own work associates. Also, he wanted to continue living in the Pacific Northwest where he grew up. Above all, he credits his father, an independent management consultant, with helping him to thrive as an entrepreneur.
Loen's father, Raymond O. Loen, offered his son ideas for reducing stress and increasing efficiency. His father's classic management book, Manage More By Doing Less, sets out basic principles for time organization and prioritization. Loen now tries to make his own management more systematic and productive by taking inventory of daily tasks, compartmentalizing, and delegating them.
With the entire industry facing challenges because of today's low rate environment, Loen notes the necessity of keeping his team as productive as possible. They also must help clients accept tradeoffs, including delayed retirement, part-time work, or a commitment to saving more. "Our role is to keep their money safe, and earning as much as possible, to last for their lives and those of their dependents," he says.
ROLE MODEL: Jim Kerr, president of Davidson Companies (holding company for D.A. Davidson) ; Loen admires his style of being a "good listener"
MANTRA: Manage more by doing less (title of his father's book-see below)
FIRST JOB: Selling air freight; first financial job was at Kidder Peabody
HOMETOWN: Lake Oswego, Ore.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook and Linked
HOBBIES: Tennis, skiing, trout fishing and bird hunting. On the board of Invest in Youth, a Seattle non-profit for tutoring in public schools.
