Securities America Selects Assistant of the Year

    OMAHA, NE, March 06, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Securities America has recognized Jaime Bordelon, executive assistant to Bill Mertins of Mertins Wealth Services in Pensacola, Fla., as its Assistant of the Year for 2009. She will be honored at the Securities America National Conference in Huntington Beach, Calif., on June 5-8.

To qualify, assistants must be nominated by a Securities America advisor, have a minimum of two years of experience in the financial services industry and, if securities licensed, have a clean compliance record. This top assistant is also selected based on specific instances of service above and beyond expectations to clients, advisors and the firm; demonstrated leadership abilities; and personal and professional development.

"The challenging times of late 2008 and 2009 have brought out the very best in Jaime," Mertins said in his nomination. "Her extensive customer service background gives her a very calm and easy manner with our clients. Throughout this difficult time, her efforts enabled us to stay in constant contact with our clients. I believe this steady and persistent level of communication eased many of our clients' fears."

Bordelon earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of West Florida in 2004. Prior to joining Mertins Wealth Services, she spent four years gaining extensive customer service experience in the field of technology, specifically internet and wireless communication. Bordelon is a member of Delta Sigma Pi professional business fraternity and currently serves on Securities America's Sales Assistant Advisory Board.

Securities America believes in fully developing the potential of sales assistants. A number of events and training opportunities are available to assistants:

- New Assistant Orientation - a guide containing information every support staff member should know
- Assistant University - a two-day conference designed to increase knowledge of technology, compliance, operations and practice management
- e*Certification - a web-based training program that covers industry, product and firm-specific topics in a cost-effective and convenient format
- Sales Assistant Advisory Board - a group of 11 assistants, nominated by registered representatives and selected by Securities America, that provides suggestions and feedback on company improvements
- National Conference - an annual educational event that features a training track specifically tailored to assistants
- AssistantXpert - a listserv created specifically for assistants to provide online peer support and knowledge sharing

About Securities America
Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, Securities America, Inc. has more than 1,900 financial professionals nationwide with more than $42 billion in client assets under their supervision. Securities America Advisors, Inc. is an SEC-Registered Investment Advisory firm with more than $13 billion in assets under management and administration that offers investment management, financial advice and financial planning through financial advisors. As your business growth expert, Securities America's mission is to foster the success of financial professionals so they can provide quality, objective counsel and services to their clients. Additional information is available at www.securitiesamerica.com.

SOURCE: SECURITIES AMERICA
For details or answers to questions regarding this or any Securities America topic, please contact Deb Hansen, First Vice President Marketing, at [email protected] or call 800-747-6111 x4600 or Natalie Hadley, Public Relations/Marketing, at [email protected] or call 800-747-6111 x4606

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