Taylor Russel joined the Abundance team in March of 2008. She was selected to fill a newly developed role as a Research Analyst in the Investment Department. Based on her display of distinctive competence, Taylor was promoted to Portfolio Manager. Over the course of the last several months, she has gone above and beyond the call of duty in the development of educational material for the firm, specifically, the Hedged Equity Strategies document. Taylor utilized her organizational skills to develop the material in orderly and systematic fashion. The result of her success….Financial Advisors will now be able to utilize this new tool to attract prospects and further educate our client base.

Taylor is extremely reliable, always fully prepared and fulfills all commitments.  This is observed month after month as she prepares all of the materials for the Investment Committee meetings.  She displays grace and style in all situations.

Taylor has excelled in many different areas and she is committed to seek continuous improvement.  Congratulations Taylor on being selected as the “Employee of the Quarter.”

Congratulations to Jason Bennett for being selected as the Employee of the Quarter. With Jason it all starts with his attitude. He displays a pleasant, cheerful disposition even when confronted with negative situations. In Jason's 2 year tenure at Abundance he has projected energy and enthusiasm to put his best foot forward and learn what it takes to be an effective Client Relationship Manager.

There have been numerous projects that Jason has been personally responsible for or that his has significantly contributed to. He created a tutorial tool for the CRM's to use to walk clients through the navigation of our website. A document was constructed to track all of the different insurance companies that we partner with, their contact information and the proper documentation needed to complete a case along with procedures for each.

In addition, he has been a strong contributor to the annual account review process. He is also a member of the Activities Committee which requires time and creativity to promote teamwork and continuity with the team members. In each of the projects, Jason viewed the projects from the end which allowed him to see the big picture and apply logical thinking in order to complete the tasks.

Jason's work environment is always changing and he has been able to successfully adapt by changing priorities, adjusting expectations, assuming responsibility and above all achieving results. He provides fresh insights and uses common sense to reach workable conclusions. Clients have commented that they appreciate Jason's ability to get things done and that he is extremely easy to work with.

The Management Team would like to commend Jason for a job well done!

When selecting an employee of the quarter we look for a member of the team that has gone above and beyond their responsibilities and the expectations set forth. Courtney DeVoss has achieved just that. During the first quarter, Abundance successfully rolled out a brand new website with a new look and feel. When approached with the opportunity to create and design the website she capitalized on it. The task was not an easy one because it required revamping the original website by essentially breaking it into 3 separate sites. It included one main page and three separate sites that would allow a client or visitor to peruse the wide variety of services provided by Abundance. Courtney quickly put her creativity to use. On top of her regular responsibilities, many hours were spent as she partnered with the team to layout an attractive yet logical and useful website.

The project required Courtney to work very closely with our webmaster in successfully putting the ideas in place. Although, this project could have been frustrating because of the time commitment and importance of paying attention to the fine details, she remained poised and on the offensive to bring the creativity into fruition. It is very difficult to put into words how integral Courtney DeVoss was in this whole initiative. She displayed teamwork, persistence, desire, patience and the determination to not allow the project to fail.

As a result of her efforts Abundance has received many compliments from prospective employees attempting to learn more about our company, our professional partners and to top it off it was displayed on our webmaster's own personal home page as a representation of the quality of work that they provide.

As a portfolio manager Dan McCurdy has taken on greater responsibility over time.  He displays an ability to learn rapidly and adapt quickly to changing situations.  In addition to his Investment Department responsibilities, Dan has taken a proactive approach in the growth of Abundance.  Dan has created a PowerPoint deck that is used by various team members throughout the organization for annual employee retirement plan meetings.  The feedback received from these employee meetings has been extremely positive and is a reflection of Dan’s dedication, professionalism and desire to serve our clients. 

Abundance was presented with a unique opportunity to provide monthly investment articles to the Centre County Women’s Journal.  Dan was asked by Executive Management to take the lead role in authoring all material.  He willing accepted the opportunity to represent Abundance in this publication.  The articles have had a positive reflection on the expertise of our organization.  Dan has also played an integral role in various groups within the organization, including the Strategic Planning Team (SPT) and the Client Relationship Management Software Team.  As a member of SPT, Dan was able to provide insight based on his diverse background and his professional experience which resulted in a business plan that included; a vision statement, a mission statement and an action plan to create more depth in the organization and overall firm growth.

Dan displays a winning personality, works well in cooperating with others for the benefit of the organization; he builds trust and rapport, seeks continuous innovation and is a valued employee of the Abundance team.

As a member of Trust and Operations, Bobbie holds the position business coordinator.  She provides operational support to the sales and service efforts of Abundance by assisting with the day to day activities on client accounts.  She is responsible for both asset movement and transaction processing of all assets, collecting and processing income received, and keeping all the records of the assets, cash, and transactions of the accounts.

The work is very demanding, absorbing, and intense at times.  However, Bobbie’s logical, analytical, and problem solving skills allow her to perform these daily tasks consistently. The company relies on her attention to detail and accuracy each day as she produces quality reports for our clients. This has been evident with the month and quarter end closing process.

Operations goal has been to close month end within one day and quarter end within two.  Bobbie has successfully and consistently met these timeframes, which in return has resulted in better client service by allowing client statements to be released earlier and Abundance to be able to collect fees in a timely fashion.

In summary, Bobbie’s attitude and commitment has allowed her to produce positive and measurable outcomes.  She is the type of team member that every organization needs.  The executive management team truly appreciates your continued efforts towards achieving results in a timely and efficient manner.

Thank you for being so consistent!

The building project was not an easy task, but Laurie handled it with complete confidence. With Laurie’s broad experience level it enables her to make a substantial contribution to the continued operation and growth of the organization. Enough cannot be said about Laurie’s Dedication to the organization and her eagerness to jump right in and get it done. Her interaction with clients is very polished and poised and Laurie displays a winning personality. This award is well deserved and the organization would like to thank her for having such a positive impact!

On many occasions, I have witnessed employees within the organization utilizing Roger as a resource for information. Each time Roger is extremely courteous and professional. Roger is a valued employee here at Abundance and he is always willing to assist regardless of the task. There are many other duties that Roger performs that are outside of his job description that he performs without any complaints. He always accentuates the positive and is results-oriented.

To date, I have received three additional suggestions in the "Suggestions Email Box" personally from Roger that focus on improving the way we do business. Roger is a solid team player that holds the Abundance Values close to his heart! Congratulations Roger on being the first "Employee of the Quarter."