Our Service 1st Culture: Recognizing those who go above and beyond
Named after our firm’s founder, the Robert A. James Award of Service Excellence program recognizes associates who embody our Service 1st culture and live our core values of putting client first, acting with integrity, thinking long term and valuing independence.
Congratulations to the following associates who were recently recognized for their exemplary service in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024.
Lacey Lopez | Emerging Leader Specialist, Client Services | St. Petersburg, FL
Lacey (pictured right with Chair and CEO Paul Reilly) has been assisting with two different departments for the last several months and has been a key contributor to the continued success of the Enhanced Savings Program, Enhanced Sweep Rate and Premium Rate Sweep Account Opportunities. Lacey was selected and nominated to be contingency support for Branch Services to assist with the launch of the Bank Saving Program offerings since January of this year. She not only learned her role, but she also took it a step further in the early months to get fully immersed in answering questions from branches, walking them through opening accounts and placing deposits. She partnered with several peers from different departments to escalate issues, and identified processes to increase efficiency while making sure leadership was aware of feedback and potential changes to enhance the branch experience.
Due to her dedication, persistence, relationship building and problem-solving abilities, Lacey was nominated to continue to partner and assist Branch Services with this program and assist in onboarding and training added contractors. Her knowledge and leadership qualities shone throughout this process. She has been an invaluable asset, sharing best practices and creating job aids and guides to help the teams have a clear understanding of expectations and knowledge. Lacey did all this while also successfully supporting and contributing within her own department in Client Services and participating more recently in the Emerging Leadership Program.
Danielle Fuchs | Sr. Client Associate | Westlake Village, CA
In addition to her regular responsibilities assisting five financial advisors, Danielle stepped in to assist another financial advisor team when their sales assistant had a medical emergency. For over six months, she handled all the deposits and mail, and even took initiative to train the new sales assistant.
Her dedication is unparalleled. She stays late and is always online when needed to process work for a client. She is the first person most people meet when they come in and she helps everyone out, even if they are not her clients or financial advisors.
Danielle is extremely unselfish and goes way beyond her job duties, truly embodying Service 1st. The office would not run as smoothly without her.
Hadi Abu-Asab | Concierge Service Advisor, Branch Services | St. Petersburg, FL
Hadi Abu-Asab (pictured left with Paul Reilly) has been an integral contributor to Branch and Concierge Services team. He has been selected and nominated by leadership and peers alike to represent the department in various projects and initiatives, and is often tapped as a resource, despite his relatively short tenure with the firm and department. Hadi has received positive surveys and emails from several branches praising him from his positive attitude, persistence, resilience and diligence. He continually contributes valuable solutions gained through his one-on-one interactions with branches and the entire team, as well as our leadership team, and always approaches things with a Service 1st mindset.
One of Hadi’s responsibilities in the department is to assist with the Concierge Qualifiers for the new fiscal year and partnering with the leadership team to ensure they are all prepared in the welcoming of the Concierge Qualifiers for the past two years. This is a manual, meticulous process involving several parties, departments and Regional Management and it’s an ongoing process throughout the year. Through this responsibility, Hadi provides an invaluable service to our highest-producing advisors and encourages this positive energy in his peers as well.
Hadi is positive, always looking to stretch his knowledge, create efficiencies and find ways to provide the best experience for our branches. He truly embodies all of the qualities of Service Excellence.
Thank you to our dedicated associates for their continued Service 1st commitment!
About the Robert A. James Award of Service Excellence
The Robert A. James Award of Service Excellence is an internal Raymond James recognition delivered to individual employees or teams. Established in 2014, The Robert A. James Award of Service Excellence recognizes associates who embody the Raymond James values and uphold our commitment to service through their exemplary actions.
Nominations are accepted on a rolling basis and the nomination committee composed of 11 firm leaders awards the distinction quarterly. This may not be representative of any one client’s experience, it’s not an endorsement, and is not indicative of future performance. No fee was paid in exchange for this award/rating.