Securities America Adds Two Groups and a Super OSJ to Its Platform

Mar 07, 2018 07:00 am
LA VISTA, Neb. -- 

Securities America, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services (NYSE American: LTS, LTS PrA), announced today that two large independent financial services firms and a Super OSJ have joined its platform.

The three groups – the Gandet Group, Vizionary Wealth Management and One-Point-Of-Care (OPOC.us) – represent a variety of independent business models.

“Each business is distinct, with its own unique area of focus and business model,” said Gregg Johnson, Securities America executive vice president of branch office development and acquisitions. “But they share a passionate dedication to delivering exceptional service to their clients.”

  • The Gandet Group, a Super OSJ with total client assets of more than $220 million and 10 affiliated independent advisors located in the northeastern U.S. The group is led by Michael Gandet, Manahawkin, New Jersey, and focuses on retirement and retirement income distribution.
  • Vizionary Wealth Management specializes in serving professionals in the biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and life sciences fields. Wayne Wagner, Jr. serves as its president. The Wilmington, Delaware-based firm has client assets of $177 million and a team of three that includes two support professionals and will be part of WealthPLAN Partners, a Super OSJ based out of Omaha, Nebraska.
  • OPOC.us serves corporate- and association-sponsored retirement plans and retirement plan-focused advisors. The firm has approximately $319 million in client assets. Based in Worthington, Ohio, the group is led by Aron Sommer and includes nine employee advisors.

“That three such distinct groups decided to join Securities America demonstrates the strength of our platform and our success in helping independent financial advisors achieve their growth goals,” said Johnson. “We look forward to helping these and other independent advisors build their businesses this year and beyond.”

Gandet said the advisors of his group were impressed with Securities America’s expertise in supporting the Super OSJ model.

“We were impressed with the Securities America team from the very first meetings we had together. We appreciated their dedication to providing the right investment solutions for our clients and their cutting-edge technology,” Gandet said.

The group’s growth strategy for the next 12 to 18 months focuses heavily on helping existing advisors grow and recruiting new advisors, he said.

“Securities America has strong recruiting capabilities, a robust Managed Opportunities advisory platform and is committed to supporting our growth goals,” Gandet said. “We know we’ve found the right partner to help us build our business.”

When the Vizionary team started their due diligence process, they had a very clear idea of the kind of organization they wanted to join, said Wagner.

“We researched over 80 firms’ offerings,” he said. “Securities America’s focus on service, getting the right answer the first time, their support of diversity in business models and willingness to facilitate strategic partnerships all weighed heavily in our decision.”

“Being in the same room with big picture, highly successful advisors is key for Vizionary’s future growth,” he said. “Securities America’s platform allows us to collaborate more effectively and proactively to advance our growth objectives and improve the service levels our clients expect and deserve. We’re very happy we found a home with Securities America.”

The group at OPOC.us was looking for a broker-dealer that could support its focus on technology and corporate retirement plans, said Sommer.

“We were impressed with their technology platform and their in-depth understanding of our core employee benefits and retirement plan advisory business,” he said. “We also appreciate their expertise in supporting ERISA plans. Securities America will be a crucial strategic partner for our team and our clients as we continue to pursue our aggressive growth goals and expand our footprint across the country.”

About Securities America

Securities America, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (NYSE American: LTS, LTS PrA), is one of the nation’s largest independent advisory and brokerage firms with more than 2,200 independent advisors and nearly $72 billion in client assets.

Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors. Securities America and Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services, Inc. are separate entities from all other entities named.

About Ladenburg Thalmann

Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (NYSE American: LTS, LTS PrA) is a publicly-traded diversified financial services company based in Miami, Florida. Ladenburg’s subsidiaries include industry-leading independent advisory and brokerage (IAB) firms Securities America, Inc., Triad Advisors, LLC, Securities Service Network, LLC, Investacorp, Inc. and KMS Financial Services, Inc., as well as Premier Trust, Inc., Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management Inc., Highland Capital Brokerage, Inc., a leading independent life insurance brokerage company, Ladenburg Thalmann Annuity Insurance Services LLC, a full-service annuity processing and marketing company, and Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc., an investment bank which has been a member of the New York Stock Exchange for over 135 years. The company is committed to investing in the growth of its subsidiaries while respecting and maintaining their individual business identities, cultures, and leadership. For more information, please visit www.ladenburg.com.

Haven Tower Group for Securities America
Julius Buchanan, 424-652-6520, ext. 114
[email protected]
or
Jessica Caris, 424-652-6520 ext. 104
[email protected]
Related Links: https://www.securitiesamerica.com