Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. Lands in the Pacific Northwest

ST. LOUIS, MO--(Marketwire - May 8, 2012) - With the opening of its newest branch in the Portland, Ore. suburb of Lake Oswego, St. Louis-based brokerage firm Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. now has a presence in the Pacific Northwest, company officials announced today.

Anchoring the new location and moving from Wells Fargo Advisors is the Pease Wealth Management Group, led by long-time financial consultant Brad R. Pease. Pease brings with him nearly 30 years of financial services experience. He joins Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. as a managing director - investments.

Initially, Pease started his financial services career working in accounting. He soon recognized that he wanted to help develop and execute personalized goals-based investment approaches for his clients. He worked with two national full-service brokerage firms before moving to Wachovia Securities in 2005. Wells Fargo Advisors acquired Wachovia in 2008.

"Before moving to Benjamin F. Edwards & Co., we evaluated a number of firms on a variety of criteria, which included the breadth and depth of each firm's investment products and services and the quality of the company's financial planning tools," said Pease. "By our measures, Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. excelled in all of the areas evaluated. This fact, combined with the firm's culture, which empowers us to advise our clients as we see fit, made the decision very easy for us."

Also joining Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. as members of the Pease Wealth Management Group are the following:

Paula Stiefel, Senior Registered Financial Associate: Stiefel brings with her 25 years of experience in the full-service brokerage business -- the last 20 of which she has worked with Pease. She helps with client inquiries, while supervising client services and operations.

Jenifer Thomas, Senior Registered Financial Associate: Thomas started her financial services career in 1997 and joined the Pease Wealth Management Group in 2005. She assists with client service.

"Brad Pease and his group exhibit the expertise and insight we look for in a new team," said Benjamin F. (Tad) Edwards IV, founder, chairman, CEO and president of Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. "We are excited to have them on board and anchoring our first office in Oregon and in the Pacific Northwest."

Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. leveraging Social Media
In other developments, the firm also announced it is entering the world of mainstream social media. Included in the initiative is a Twitter presence (@GrowWithBFEC), a blog on the company's website, benjaminfedwards.com, and a YouTube channel where short videos will be posted.

"People are gravitating to social media outlets today as another source for business news, current events and other information," said Chris Keller, senior vice president and chief information officer. "We want to be a part of this conversation and communicate with those who have an interest in Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. using their preferred media channel."

The company's social media initiative is an extension of the firm's business strategy to engage with clients and other interested parties using the channels and devices these audiences rely on, Keller added.

"This is why we've provided our advisors with the ability to support their clients while using their smart phones and tablets," said Keller. "Now, with social media, we can extend this strategy to share timely industry and company information with those who are interested."

About Benjamin F. Edwards & Co.
With a tagline of "Investments for Generations" and a company logo anchored by the Edwards family crest, Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. is headquartered in St. Louis, Mo. The firm was founded in 2008 by Benjamin F. (Tad) Edwards IV, the great-great-grandson of Albert Gallatin Edwards, the founder of brokerage firm A.G. Edwards. Currently, the firm has 24 branches in 15 states, and employs more than 200 people.

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 and advisory services to its clients and financial consultants. For more information about Benjamin F. Edwards & Co., please visit www.benjaminfedwards.com.