McAdams Wright Ragen Opens Investment Office in Yakima, WA
SEATTLE, WA - August 17, 2009
McAdams Wright Ragen, Inc., a Pacific Northwest-based investment firm, today announced the opening of a branch office in Yakima, WA - its first in Eastern Washington. The full-service brokerage is located in downtown Yakima and will cater to retail investors in Central Washington.
Industry veterans Gary Staples, Dan Sullivan, Doug Warren, and Carly Mestaz will lead the new Yakima office, all having previously served with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. Together they have over 54 years of experience in the investment business.
. Gary Staples, Senior Vice President, has been a broker/advisory representative for over 27 years. Gary earned a BA in Business Administration from the University of Washington. He is a retired Naval Officer and a senior member of the Yakima Downtown Kiwanis Club.
. Dan Sullivan, Senior Vice President/Branch Manager, has been a broker/advisory representative for over 16 years. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a Yakima native.
. Doug Warren, Vice President, has been in the financial services industry since 2000. He graduated from the University of Oregon with two Bachelors of Science degrees in Animal Science and Agricultural and Resource Economics.
. Carly Mestaz, Registered Sales Assistant, has worked with Gary Staples and Dan Sullivan for the past 3 years at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, and is also a Yakima native.
With over 90 employees and over $3.5 billion in client assets McAdams Wright Ragen has grown every year in its ten years in business. "This is due to our careful recruiting of industry personnel who identify with our culture of providing personalized service," explained Scott McAdams, President and CEO.
The company's investment philosophy centers on value stocks, especially those in the Northwest. This makes Yakima a strategic location as it is at the heart of the region's agriculture business and the home to a number of world-class businesses in the industry. "We are excited to be associated with an investment firm that shares our community's core business values," said Sullivan, "an investment firm that is client-centered and strives to provide independent, conservative, and value-driven investment advice."
The new office provides investors with access to services including quality research on stocks and bonds for Northwest and national companies, stock and bond trading, investment advisory services, mutual funds, online access and services, checking, debit/credit cards, electronic funds transfer, etc.
The McAdams Wright Ragen office is located temporarily at 127 W. Yakima Avenue, Suite 201, Yakima, WA 98902; (509) 248-7599; www.mwrinc.com.
About McAdams Wright Ragen
McAdams Wright Ragen is a Pacific Northwest based broker-dealer and investment advisor with over 90 employees, managing $3.5 billion in client assets. A full-service regional firm, the company offers brokerage and investment advisory services to retail clients, institutional sales, research, trading, and corporate finance services. Founded in 1998 by Brooks Ragen and Scott McAdams, the firm currently has branches in Seattle, Bellevue and Yakima, WA, and Portland, OR.
McAdams Wright Ragen Named One of the Top 100 Fastest Growing Private Companies in Washington
October 24, 2008 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
List Compiled by Puget Sound Business Journal
SEATTLE--McAdams Wright Ragen, Inc., a Pacific Northwest-based investment firm, was named the 73rd fastest growing private company, in a list compiled by the Puget Sound Business Journal. The rankings are based on a company's revenue growth over a three year period.
This is the 14th year that the Business Journal has compiled the list. McAdams Wright Ragen has made the list three times in the seven years that the company has been eligible to participate.
"We are pleased to be recognized for our continued growth particularly because we operate in a fairly mature industry," said Scott McAdams, President and CEO. "We have grown our revenue every year in our ten year history, remaining profitable throughout the period. While our rate of growth is important to us, of more concern is the quality of our growth. We continue to be very selective in our hiring and our capital deployment."
About McAdams Wright Ragen
McAdams Wright Ragen is a Pacific Northwest based broker-dealer and investment advisor with 95 employees, managing about $3.5 billion in client assets. A full service regional firm, the company offers brokerage and investment advisory services to retail clients, institutional sales, research, trading, and corporate finance services. Founded in 1998 by Brooks Ragen and Scott McAdams, the firm currently has branches in Seattle and Bellevue, WA and Portland, OR.
McAdams Wright Ragen Expands Community Bank Presence
September 05, 2007 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
Northwest Firm Adds Three Key Positions to Banking Group
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--McAdams Wright Ragen, Inc., a Pacific Northwest-based investment firm, has strengthened its Northwest presence in the community banking space and expanded its presence nationally with three recent hires. Joining the company are Joey Warmenhoven, Senior Vice President/Community Bank Specialist, Tracy Bilyeu, Vice President/Trader and Aaron Schwindt, Vice President/Community Bank Specialist.
Warmenhoven was formerly a Senior Vice President at Wedbush Morgan Securities in Portland, Oregon and also held previous positions at Pacific Crest Securities and Bidwell & Company. Bilyeu and Schwindt, also served at Wedbush Morgan Securities where they worked in a variety of trading, operations and support positions alongside Joey.
"The community bank sector is one that we have been familiar with since our inception. It is an industry that requires special expertise and focus," said Scott McAdams, President and CEO. "While we have devoted trading, research and investment banking resources to this sector for the last several years, our new hires allow us to increase the scale of our effort both in the Northwest and nationally."
McAdams noted that the firm's community banking franchise is particularly strong in the Northwest. "In the last twelve months there were nine community bank transactions in the region and our firm was involved in six of them. We look forward to expanding our mergers and acquisition expertise in this sector beyond our region with the additional relationships gleaned from our new personnel. We are also expanding our market making efforts in the sector, and will be making markets in over 500 community banks through our new bank-specific trading desk staffed by Joey and his team," he said. "Our retail clients should also benefit from increased access to community bank stocks, many of them not widely traded."
Warmenhoven, Bilyeu and Schwindt will work out of McAdams Wright Ragen's Portland, Oregon office.
About McAdams Wright Ragen
McAdams Wright Ragen is a Pacific Northwest based broker-dealer and investment advisor with 85 employees, managing $4 billion in client assets. A full service regional firm, the company offers brokerage and investment advisory services to retail clients, institutional sales, research, trading, and corporate finance services. Founded in 1998 by Brooks Ragen and Scott McAdams, the firm currently has branches in Seattle and Bellevue, WA and Portland, OR.
McAdams Wright Ragen Expands Small-Cap Expertise with New Group Focused on “Thinly-Traded” Stocks
SEATTLE, WA – October 09, 2006 – (BUSINESS WIRE) – McAdams Wright Ragen, Inc., a Pacific Northwest-based investment firm, announced the addition of two industry veterans who specialize in uncovering value in hard-to-trade, small-cap stocks. The group will include Mitchell Almy, formerly President of Mitchell Securities Corporation of Oregon and his senior trader, Tyler McCullough. These individuals will staff a new trading desk at McAdams Wright Ragen specializing in thinly traded stocks.
With the addition, clients of McAdams Wright Ragen will have access to a group of stocks that were previously difficult to find and trade, according to Scott McAdams, President and CEO of the firm.
“Brokerages and investors are typically focused on stocks that trade on major exchanges, such as NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange, but there are good opportunities in stocks that are thinly traded on other exchanges and ‘out of the desk drawer,’” said McAdams.
“We now have the capability to identify, trade and purchase these stocks for our clients. Mitchell Almy has built a franchise in this space and it’s a specialty that takes years to develop. Very few investment firms in the country have this expertise and we are especially thrilled about the opportunity this holds for our clients.”
McAdams added that the new team will be based out of the company’s Portland branch office located in the Pacwest Building, 1211 SW 5th Ave., in Portland, OR.
About McAdams Wright Ragen
McAdams Wright Ragen is a Pacific Northwest broker-dealer and investment advisor with 80 employees, managing over $3 billion in assets for clients primarily throughout the Pacific Northwest. The company maintains a research department covering both Northwest and national stocks, a fixed-income desk specializing in Northwest bonds, two equity trading desks and an investment banking presence targeted at Northwest companies. Founded in 1998 by Brooks Ragen and Scott McAdams, the firm currently has branches in Seattle and Bellevue, WA and Portland, OR.
McAdams Wright Ragen opens OFFICE IN PORTLAND, OR
Investment firm targets urban markets in the Northwest
SEATTLE, WA – November 14, 2005 – McAdams Wright Ragen, Inc., a Pacific Northwest-based investment firm announced the opening of a full-service branch office in Portland, Oregon. The office is located in Pacwest Center in downtown Portland. Like the Company’s Seattle and Bellevue, Washington offices, the branch will cater to high net-worth individuals who appreciate the benefits of having their investment portfolios handled by a local firm with expertise in both Northwest and national stocks.
Scott McAdams, President and CEO of McAdams Wright Ragen, commented on the branch opening, “We bring a higher level of service and investment advice to clients and brokers in Portland, many of whom are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the products and service of larger firms.”
The McAdams Wright Ragen Portland office will initially be staffed with a number of experienced professionals from the Portland investment community. They include brokers Jimme Perkins, Jr., Don Westlund and Andy Miller, along with their assistant Teri Moomaw. “In its first 18 months, our Bellevue, Washington branch grew from four brokers to ten. We believe the opportunity in Portland is even greater,” said McAdams.
McAdams added that having a Portland branch office will strengthen the firm’s Pacific Northwest orientation and reinforce its regional operations and research capabilities. “As we build our broker network in urban markets throughout the Pacific Northwest, we continue to invest in core areas such as research and operations. Our disciplined, contrarian investment style, which is at the heart of our research effort, continues to be the key to our success. Having a Portland office will enhance our research coverage of Oregon-based companies, which will benefit all of our retail and institutional clients. Our emerging investment banking business should also benefit from closer ties to Oregon businesses. We believe strongly in civic engagement and look forward to doing our part to support the Portland community,” he said.
About McAdams Wright Ragen
McAdams Wright Ragen is a Pacific Northwest broker-dealer and investment advisor with 64 employees, managing over $2 billion in assets for clients primarily throughout the Pacific Northwest. The company maintains a research department covering both Northwest and national stocks, a fixed-income desk specializing in Northwest bonds and an investment banking presence targeted at Northwest companies. Founded in 1998 by Brooks Ragen and Scott McAdams, the firm currently has branches in Seattle and Bellevue, WA and Portland, OR. The Portland branch is located at 1211 SW 5th Ave., Suite 1400, Portland, OR, 97204; (503) 422-4044.