Oak Partners scored major points with their clients during the annual March Madness event held at Innsbrook Country Club on Thursday, March 17. The night was packed with easygoing conversations and true camaraderie among financial advisors and clients of Oak Partners.
“We recognized that our clients like to watch basketball. We decided to have a social event where we are purely just having fun with our clients. This is the 10th year that we've been doing it, and today we're hosting over 150 clients,” said Director of Client Experience Crystal DeHaven.
The evening provided a chance for the clients and partners at Oak Partners to mingle and discuss topics unrelated to markets and investing. For sports fans, the night was a great way to interact with other fans while also getting to know their financial advisors better.
“The purpose of this event is to ensure that we have some conversation with our clients in a fun environment. March Madness allows for people that are sports-minded or not to get out, have a good time and get to meet and mingle with other clients of ours. It certainly helps to ensure the clients know that we're thinking about them, caring about them, and talking to them,” Partner Mike Barancyk said.
Jim Florek has been a client of Oak Partners for about 15 years. He feels that at this point, coming out to the March Madness event is tradition.
“We really appreciate our clients and we appreciate them coming to some of the educational events and the economic updates, as well as some of the fun things that we do like the ice skating and the March Madness and the waterpark later on in the year,” said Barancyk.
Oak Partners organizes around 40 client events every year. Partners and clients alike look forward to the chance to interact with each other in a different environment.
“You bond with them by socializing with them outside of the suit and tie. You see them out of the office and talk about other things besides investments,” said Client Brett Kissinger.
Jason Urbaniak, one of the partners with the company, takes pride in the relationships the partners build with their clients. Since the start of the company, Oak Partners has ensured a level of personal connection with each client that chooses to trust them with their finances.
“We've always been wired to give back to our clients. It’s never been any different from 29 years ago till now. We always answer the phones at Oak and we always have been doing things like client appreciation nights. I just think it's in our culture now. We don't want to just manage a bunch of money. These clients are our friends and in many cases like family,” said Urbaniak.
Another exciting feature of the event was the new golfing simulator in the “swingers’ lounge” at Innsbrook. Clients and partners were able to test their golfing skills and enjoy some great competition.
The combination of food, drinks, conversation, and competition provided an intense sense of unity among every guest. Whether they were interested in basketball or not, the event proved to be a slam dunk for both clients and partners.
“I just appreciate everything. We appreciate our clients and we're very fortunate to be in this business and to be stewards of their money. We never take that for granted,” said Urbaniak.
For more information about Oak Partners, visit https://www.oakpartners.com/. Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC.
