Lowe, Brockenbrough & Company: A Tight Nit Community

The company I am interning with is summer is the financial firm, Lowe, Brockenbrough & Company. This tight nit organization, consisting of about twenty-seven employees, is an independent, employee-owned firm that offers customized and holistic investment and advisory solutions to high net worth individuals, foundations, endowments and retirement plans. The culture they foster at this firm is built upon the four principals of trust, transparency, collaboration and exceptional service. Having been here for only a week, I am able to recognize that these values are at the forefront of every employee’s mind. Every day, each employee I interact with has an incredible passion for the work they do and is eager to teach myself, and the other interns, about their unique role with the firm. Ultimately, the team at Lowe, Brockenbrough & Co. work to build strong relationships with clients to gain in-depth understanding of their complete financial profile.

Another interesting element of the culture fostered at the firm is the importance of work life and personal life balance. Today, Friday before Memorial Day, majority of the office left early to be able to participate in the long weekend with their families. This emphasis on family life balance, truly reveals the firm values their employees and the time they commit to the office. I found it important for an environment focused on financial planning and investment banking to foster this type of culture and to encourage their employees to balance their home lives and their work lives.

Walking into this internship, I was not sure what to expect besides a seemingly cold environment revolving around numbers and sitting behind a desk all day. The environment at Lowe, Brockenbrough & Company could not be more different than my original assumptions. From the moment myself and the other interns arrived, we received an incredibly warm welcome from all the employees at their weekly “facts and forecasts” meeting. Everyone made a point to emphasize that we function on a first name basis. This helped me feel a part of the team from the moment I got there. Furthermore, many of these employees worked together for years, either at LBC or at different companies. The relationships that have developed with each team in this organization are built on more than just hitting monthly goals. They foster an environment of genuine care and passion for their work. Thus, harnessing this sort of environment, ensures success with reaching overall company goals as well.

Since LBC is a relatively small firm, they are less focused on reaching new business and are focused on exceptional work at the existing business level. Having said this, much of their target clients are around age 65 and above. Therefore, these individuals typically do not have as much exposer to technology and other forms of marketing which is a bit of a weakness for the firm. Therefore, I think that by updating their website and reaching some social media platforms, LBC will be able to target the children of their clients and be able to advertise why they are unique compared to larger competitors like BB&T or Morgan Stanley.

On the other hand, LBC has ample strengths that allow them to run a successful business. For instance, much of their philosophy is based on creating trustworthy relationships with their clients. This is crucial for a firm like this as they are managing their client’s money which is rather personal. Instilling a trustworthy relationship by face-to-face meetings, as well as “warm” calling people, lays a foundation for people to bring their business to LBC. During my time here, I am looking forward to further getting to know various employees in the firm and to pick their brains on their line of work. While I am not sure this is the type of career path I wish to follow, I am learning an immense amount of the functions of a business and gaining an understanding that I otherwise would have missed out on in my life.