Employees at Cincinnati-based Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. believe they can make a difference at the firm, thanks to an environment that emphasizes growth and is open to new ideas from all comers.
The company is highly receptive to new ideas from all levels of employees, said Linda Lake, assistant vice president of human resources and associate relations for Western & Southern Financial Group, Fort Washington's parent company.
“In the mid-2000s, we had an (equity research analyst) who had an idea for an investment strategy, and he presented that to Fort Washington as well as to the parent company's management group, who provided the seed money for this investment strategy,” Ms. Lake said.
“Today that strategy has $1.7 billion in assets under management, so that's just an example of an idea that got support,” she added.
Employees are responding.
“Fort Washington has afforded me the opportunity to pursue my goals,” one employee commented in the anonymous employee survey for Best Places to Work in Money Management. “Management has supported me in my studies and has allowed me to gain experience in different areas of the company in order to prepare me for my current position.”
Another commented there are “significant opportunities for a young professional.”
Maribeth S. Rahe, president and CEO of Fort Washington, said the company emphasizes career development, noting its recently launched mentoring program has been a great success with the growing number of young professionals in the company.
“We're about to conclude the second year, and we have a host of people who are raising their hands to be part of the third one,” Ms. Rahe said.
Steven K. Kreider, senior vice president and chief investment officer of Fort Washington Investment Advisors and Western & Southern Financial Group, arrived in May following a yearlong courtship and immediately felt he was in a good place.
“Maribeth gave me a hug before we really closed our deal and it just spoke volumes to me about the culture,” Mr. Kreider said. “It's a nice culture. It's the kind of place where you'd want your kids to land if they were looking for a job.”
