Of Local Note

Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated is a full-service wealth management and investment banking firm established in 1890 and headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. The company provides wealth management, investment banking, trading, securities brokerage, and related financial services to individual investors, institutions, corporations, and municipalities. Stifel has proven itself as one of the nation's leading wealth management and investment banking firms. They are a national firm, profitable, growing, and have a corporate culture that is lean, efficient, and dedicated to client service.

Operating over 400 offices across the nation, Stifel is one of the largest wealth management and investment banking firms in the country. Stifel is a member of the New York Stock Exchange and all principal exchanges. The Elkhart Group is comprised of 13 employees who share the Stifel approach to client service.

Of local note, the CEO of Stifel is Ronald J. Kruszewski, a South Bend native and Indiana University graduate.  He joined the firm in 1997 as president and chief executive officer and led Stifel into the new millennium.  In 2001, Kruszewski accepted the chairman's gavel.  Under his leadership, as well as that of Jim Zemlyak, CFO, another South Bend native who met Ron while at Indiana University, Stifel was named to Fortune's 100 Fastest Growing Companies List in 2009 and 2010.

Much of Stifel's growth in the 1990s and 2000s has been fueled by a series of acquisitions that have significantly increased the firm's size and scope.  In 2005, Stifel completed the largest acquisition in its history with the addition of the Legg Mason Capital Markets business (LM Capital Markets) from Citigroup Inc.  This transaction effectively doubled the company's size and increased its footprint while significantly enhancing its capabilities.  In 2015, Stifel acquired Barclays' Wealth & Investment Management, Americas franchise (Barclays Wealth Americas) adding to their premier wealth management platform in the industry. Today, Stifel is the 7^th largest full-service brokerage firm in the industry in terms of number of financial advisors.

Today, Stifel stands on a solid foundation of 130 years of knowledge and service. The firm's philosophy on investing is grounded on a more than century-old tradition of trust, understanding, and solid, studied advice.  Success, however, is rooted in personal, professional, and peerless service to the client. The Elkhart Group of Stifel shares these values. They are the local team who serve clients in our area and all across the country, as well as many that are abroad.