For a financial advising firm such as Oak Partners, few things are as moving as receiving the total trust of their clients. On Thursday December 6, Oak Partners celebrated the trusted bond they share with their clients, by hosting them at Gamba Ristorante in Merrillville, for their annual Client Advocacy Night. The event honored clients who referred family, friends, and colleagues to Oak Partners throughout the year.
Oak Partners and their clients occupied one of Gamba’s elegant dining rooms, mixing and mingling with each other over hors d'oeuvres, drinks, and an upscale meal centered on either filet mignon, salmon, veal, or chicken. Attendees also enjoyed live Christmas music played by a pianist, and took classic pictures in a photo booth stocked with props and holiday garb. The goal was to provide Oak Partners and their clients a chance to bond over more than investments and finances, and to honor the client’s faith in the firm.
“This is about honoring all of our clients who did not keep us a secret this year,” said Crystal DeHaven, Director of Client Experience at Oak Partners. “This week is also our 25th anniversary and a lot of our clients have been with us a long time and keep bringing in friends and family, and we can continue to grow that way. The best compliment someone can give you is when they tell someone else how great you are.”
For many at Oak Partners, the relationship they share with their clients stretches past a simple advisor-customer relationship. Thanks to the nature of their work, their clients place a lot of faith in Oak Partners especially when they refer friends or loved ones, and their team loves to return it twofold.
“It’s a tremendous honor, and it gives us a heavy burden to make sure that we validate them in their trust,” said Marc Ruiz, a Senior Partner at the firm. “We take our referrals extremely seriously and try to keep everybody on the same page and make sure they’re all satisfied.”
The clients honored at Advocacy Night are essentially the lifeblood that keeps Oak Partners growing, as most of their customer-base comes from referrals.
“Like all quality firms, we take about 70% of our clients from existing clients,” Ruiz said. “I just love this event for the whole vibe and the chance to be together with our clients without needing to talk about investments.”
Thursday was the first Client Advocacy Night for longtime client Cindy Ault, and she was excited to join in on the fun and to meet the rest of the Oak Partners community.
To learn more about Oak Partners, visit www.oakpartners.com.
Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC. www.finra.org and SIPC should link to www.sipc.org.
