Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. Opens Office in Corning, N.Y.

ST. LOUIS, MO--(Marketwired - Jan 21, 2014) - Brokerage firm Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. continues to roll out the red carpet and welcome new advisors.

The firm opened a new office in Corning, N.Y. -- its second in the Empire State -- and with it, added three advisors. In addition, its offices in Denver, Colo. and Melbourne, Fla., each added two advisors, while its White Plains, N.Y. location added one new advisor.

"Around the country, advisors are taking notice of our ability to offer the freedom typically associated with independence, along with the camaraderie, products, and personalized service and support of a larger firm," said Benjamin F. Edwards IV, founder, CEO and president of Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. "More importantly, our client-centric culture puts the advisor squarely in the driver's seat to manage their client relationships as they see fit."

Growth figures for 2013 bear out Edwards' assessment. During the past year, the firm added 15 new offices and 56 advisors -- its best performance since it began opening offices and hiring advisors in 2009. Currently, the firm has 41 offices, 152 advisors, and a presence in 21 states.

"We are excited about our office development results in 2013, and look forward to building on our progress in the coming year," Edwards added.

Joining the firm are the following (by location):

Corning, N.Y.
The Davies Investment Group, which joins from RBC Wealth Management, anchors the new Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. office in Corning, and is comprised of the following individuals:

David W. Davies, managing director - investments: Over the course of his 40-year career, Davies has applied his years of experience, knowledge and perspective to help his clients with their investment planning and wealth management needs. He also pens a weekly column addressing financial and investment topics in the Corning Leader, Corning's daily newspaper.

Also, moving with Davies are Jill C. Miller and Kristen A. Ketchum, who both join Edwards as financial consultants. Miller and Davies have worked together for 14 years, while Ketchum joined the group 11 years ago. Both bring deep experience in client management and financial planning and have also successfully completed a number of courses on financial-planning-related topics offered by the College for Financial Planning.

"It is a real honor to have Dave and his team on board with us in Corning," said J. William Forrester, eastern regional manager for the St. Louis-based brokerage firm. "They are experienced and accomplished professionals who very much embrace our client-first culture."

White Plains, N.Y.
Also in the Eastern Region, the firm welcomed Joan Levy Monder to its White Plains office as a financial consultant. An advisor since 2000, Levy Monder worked previously in real estate and transfers from Wells Fargo Advisors. At Benjamin F. Edwards & Co., she will continue to work with her clients in the Kingston and Rhinebeck area and also collaborate with Darrelyn Brennan, AAMS^®, CFP^®, a vice president - investments, who joined Edwards last year.

Melbourne, Fla.
With more than 30 years of experience as a financial advisor in the Melbourne and Space Coast area, Tom Bedor, CFP^®, joins the firm's Melbourne, Fla., office as branch manager and senior vice president - investments. He earned his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^™ designation from the College for Financial Planning in 1993.

Also transferring with Bedor is his daughter, Lauren, who joins Edwards as a financial consultant. Before joining her father's practice two years ago, Lauren Bedor worked for an Investment Management Group in Jacksonville, Fla., after graduating from the University of North Florida with a degree in international business.

"We are pleased to welcome Tom and Lauren to our Melbourne office," said Marty Altenberger, senior vice president, central regional manager, and director of branch services for Edwards. "Tom's years of office leadership experience will be a real asset as we continue to boost our profile as the premiere provider of client-first investment services in the important Melbourne/Space Coast area."

The Bedors are transferring from Wells Fargo Advisors. Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. opened its Melbourne, Fla., office in February 2013.

Denver, Colo.
The firm's Denver location also added two advisors -- Mark Barczuk and David Moreno, as a vice president - investments and an associate vice president - investments, respectively.

Barczuk began his career in the securities industry in 1997. Previously, he managed the Swedish Medical Center Foundation and was a development professional for the University of Denver. Moreno started his career in 1987 initially as a trader and later as an advisor. Both Barczuk and Moreno transferred from Wells Fargo Advisors.

"The Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. story, the firm's client-first mission, and our ability to offer advisors an entrepreneurial and independent culture, resonates with advisors in the Mountain West region," said Mark P. Fellows, senior vice president and mountain west regional manager. "Both Mark and David are energized by the opportunity to work with their clients on their own terms and without being hindered by corporate directives."

About Benjamin F. Edwards & Co.
With a tagline of "Investments for Generations" and a company logo anchored by the Edwards crest, Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. is headquartered in St. Louis, Mo. The firm was founded in 2008 by Benjamin F. (Tad) Edwards IV and currently has 41 branches in 21 states.

A subsidiary of Benjamin Edwards, Inc., Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. is a full-service brokerage and a Registered Investment Adviser, which offers a wide array of financial products, advisory and investment banking services to its clients and financial advisors. For more information about Benjamin F. Edwards & Co., please visit the firm's corporate website, benjaminfedwards.com, GetInAtBenEdwards.com for advisors, or follow the company on Twitter.com/GrowWithBFEC.