November marks a milestone for Multnomah Group – 15 years in business! Founding principals Erik Daley and Scott Cameron reflect on the last 15 years and share their goals for the future of our company.
{Photo to the right: Scott Cameron and Erik Daley - Nov. 3, 2003.}
15 years - What thoughts and emotions come to mind when you think about that?
Scott: It is a little overwhelming to think that 15 years have already passed. As I think back, the overwhelming feeling I have is gratitude. I feel extremely fortunate to have been given the opportunity to build this business, receiving the trust of my business partner, our employees, and our clients.
Erik: It's difficult to be anything but tremendously appreciative to the clients, partners, and team members that have made this 15-year anniversary possible. Fifteen years ago, we believed passionately that plan sponsors wanted to run world-class retirement benefit programs and were willing to invest the time and resources necessary to do that. Fifteen years later we see the evidence that our belief was borne out for us and our team.
What is the best piece of advice you received when deciding to start this business together?
Erik: I have had the opportunity to work with one of my mentors, Alan Dick, for the last twenty years. When we workshopped the business plan with him over fifteen years ago, I was struck with how little attention he paid to the strategy. His questions, concerns, and advice were around execution, people, and culture. He emphasized execution over all, which continues to be our focus. Our clients need accurate, actionable advice delivered effectively. Our success in doing that has been predicated on our execution and the tremendous team of talent we've assembled to aid our clients in that effort.
Scott: The single best piece of advice I received was to find a partner with complementary skills. To grow a business from start-up requires a variety of different skills and it is impossible to expect that any one person can do everything. Our success is attributable to a strong partnership, where we each bring complementary skills to the table, and we respect the value that each one of us brings to the table.
Looking back, anything you would have done differently along the way?
Erik: The only regret I have is not having begun this work sooner. Working directly and independently with retirement plan sponsors has been and continues to be my professional passion. Had I known much fun the process would be, I would have certainly started sooner.
As you look toward the next milestone year, what goals do you have for the company?
Scott: I want Multnomah Group to continue our current growth track. We talk about growth internally quite a bit, and as I think about why we want to grow, I keep coming back to two reasons. First, growth provides opportunities for our employees to grow professionally. We want to be an employer of choice for people that share our values of teamwork, accountability, and fiduciary responsibility. To do this, we need to provide opportunities to engage employees and provide them with a career path. Growth enables us to provide new opportunities and challenges for employees that keep them engaged and growing in their professional development. Second, growth gives us the resources to do more for our clients. When we started, it was Erik and I and the collective knowledge that we had. As we have grown to 17 employees, we are able to better serve all of our clients by combining the knowledge and experience of our whole team and bringing it to our shared clients.
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