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Robert Leach spent the first eight years or so at Heritage Bank as the sole producer before he started to slowly hire advisors in key markets served by his bank. He still gets in the office every day at 6 a.m. to make calls from lists the bank provides or make calls to companies he works with on their 401(k) plans.

Over his 19-year tenure as a program manager, Andrew Kaplan has played a critical role in each of his bank's 11 acquisitions, eight of which had existing programs where broker-dealer conversions followed. Kaplan's top priority through all of this has been maintaining a strong alignment between the bank and its investment program.

In a region that has seen foreclosures and layoffs, Joe Devine's team has spent a great deal of time on investor education, while also integrating the investment program into the core offering of the credit union. Among other things, they have revamped their website and increased referrals by instituting a compensation incentive program.

Honorable Mentions

Alec Ardito is a positive role model who takes the time to get to know the staffers' styles. He helps them develop their skills to fulfill their goals. His enthusiasm and his style of giving constructive feedback prompt some advisors at Wells Fargo to seek him out as a manager. And even with high expectations of him, they report being pleasantly surprised at his effectiveness as a leader.

When Mike Haggerty became program manager in 2006, he began educating executives on the potential ROI of the program, and now investments are tracked as one of the six core offerings at the CU. Other efforts are as varied as creating a center for families with special-needs members, and shifting toward a younger client demographic for long-term sustainability.

Mike Petramalo takes the time to meet every FA he oversees to discuss ways to improve their productivity, all the while encouraging them to use their strengths to excel. He works to improve the well-being of every employee he works with, and always asks how he can help. Despite his professional success, he emphasizes that family comes first.

Bank customers are staying away in droves as they do more business online. Here's what advisors can do to combat lighter foot traffic at the branch.

New rules to disclose recruitment compensation may be blooming soon.

Our legal expert discusses things to consider before making a referral to a nonaffiliated third party.