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July 01, 2011 at 08:00 PM
It’s a conversation I’ll always remember. Recruiting expert and Investment Advisor contributor Jon Henschen emailed me in the days following the tragedy in Joplin, Mo., to say he had a broker-dealer contact who was willing to speak. The BD, MidAmerica Financial, is small (only 142 reps), but operates in all 50 states.
When I was able to eventually reach Shaun Young, the firm’s president, he sounded confident and in control, which belied the emotions of the cleanup, organization and—yes—search for survivors with which he was dealing.
He was on vacation in Las Vegas when he heard the news that an F5 tornado had touched down in his hometown. Jeff Stinnett, his partner, was in Washington, D.C. for the annual FINRA conference. Both men immediately began texting their employees to ensure they were safe.
“We heard back from every employee except one,” said Young. “Eventually, someone saw the missing staff member walking down the middle of the street with a pile of clothes and her dog. Her house was completely destroyed.”
Not being there when it happened and unable to help was “hell and frustration,” he said. When he eventually did arrive in Joplin it was complete devastation on a level he struggled to describe.
“The high school, one of the largest in the state of Missouri, took a direct hit and is destroyed,” he explained. “We’re across the street.”
