Advisors Excel
In the third and final installment in our Financial Service Summit blog series, we’ll give you further insight into one of Topeka’s premier Insurance Marketing Organizations (IMO), Advisors Excel (AE). AE provides service to financial advisors and brokers from across the U.S. Although at its inception the company focused primarily on fixed index annuities, they have since expanded into life insurance and investments. AE now represents more than 40 insurance companies and nearly 100 investment organizations.
AE began with three innovative Kansans: Cody Foster, Derek Thompson and David Callanan. Like Gradient Annuity Brokerage, the trio got their start at Personalize Brokerage Firm (PBS). Post PBS, the group first tried their hand as financial advisors. However, once they stepped into the role of advisors to financial advisors, they knew that they had found their market.
AE was established in 2005. The company’s first office was nestled in the basement of a dentist’s office on Barrington Court, a stone’s throw from their current office at 2950 McClure Rd. From there AE upsized to the corner of 9th and Kansas. The company moved to its current site in 2014. During the first year of business, AE had a total of 4 employees, excluding the three founders. Now, 12 years later, the company has approximately 475 employees. With 100,000 square feet, plus the 30 employees housed in the upper level of Tall Grass Office Building and continued projections for growth. The question becomes, will AE need to move to an even larger space? Only time will tell.
One of AE’s very special features is its in-house ad agency. This team of 120 people helps advisors with everything from business logos, letterheads, websites, radio commercials and more. In fact, they currently have around 600 small business clients.
According to Cody, Topeka has been their biggest competitive advantage. “From a service based standpoint, you’re only as good as your people, and the people here are awesome,” he says. “It’s never been a challenge to find good people.” Indeed, the company has benefited from its capable employees. And, in turn, AE has become a fixture in the Topeka business community and a strong supporter of many civic and philanthropic endeavors.
You can find more information about the Financial Services Summit and the other blogs here.
