June 18, 2004

Bartlesville, Okla.—What a difference 20 years makes: two decades of experience providing quality investment and financial services has made First Investment Corporation one of the area’s most trusted business names.

The family firm comprised of three reps began in 1984 with the patriarch, President and CEO, Jim Phillips, CFP. His daughter, Cheryl Green, has been involved with the firm since its inception and on a daily basis since 1992. She has been a registered representative since 2001 and acts as Vice President. She married Kenny Green in 2000 and he has also been a registered rep since 2001.

An Emphasis on Teamwork, Integrity & Service

While the details of their roles and levels of experience vary, their vision is the same: they see themselves as members of a loyal, cohesive team working to serve the investment and financial needs of clients they respect within a community they value in a way that preserves and enhances their 20-year reputation for quality, trust and what CEO Jim Phillips calls, “non-negotiable integrity.”

Phillips says he’s amazed by the lackluster service provided by some investment firms. “It’s reached the point where mediocrity and mistrust have become routine,” says Phillips. “That’s definitely not the way we operate at First Investment. Our objective is simple: to help investors save money buy avoiding a financial product that is not needed or to help grow their money more than they ever would have without our help.”

The company has clients at all stages of life—from single professionals to families with children, to retired seniors. Many of its older clients have been with the firm for as long as it has been in business. “When you retire,” says Phillips, “you deserve time to do the things you’ve always wanted to do. It shouldn’t be a time for people to get stressed out about their finances. That’s our job: our clients trust us to manage those pressures for them.”
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“We’ve been here for 20 years. We live, shop and go to church with the same people we serve. They are far more to us than clients—they are fellow business people, neighbors and friends.” -- Jim Phillips, CEO, First Investment Corporation.
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It’s a strategy that appears to be working, judging from client surveys, both in strong and weak markets. In a survey conducted in 2002, following the worst three-year economy since the ‘Great Depression’, First Investment’s clients rated the firm’s value as above average.

A Shared Commitment to Bartlesville and the Future

If Phillips has his way, First Investment will remain in Bartlesville for another 20 years and beyond. “First Investment is on a solid foundation of strong fundamentals and the best service around that provides a service to the market place for which there is no substitute,” he says. Fellow team members appreciate their CEO’s long-range vision and confidence in the future—in fact, his attitude may be contagious.

Says Investment Advisor Kenny Green, “Jim is not just looking at what he can do for his clients today. He’s looking down the road at what First Investment can continue to do for them, their children and their grandchildren. Like any corporation worth its salt, First Investment has a succession plan firmly in place. Jim does everything possible to advance the knowledge base and the careers of those of us who are younger, but equally committed to the firm’s clients and its future.”

Cheryl Green, can also attest to Jim’s emphasis on knowledge transfer. A graduate in finance from OSU, she oversees all of the firm’s operations in her role as Vice President. “I’m involved in all aspects of the firm’s business, including compliance issues, which we take very seriously. The securities industry is one of the most closely regulated industries there is. We also want our clients to be comfortable in our ability to deliver the best service. It takes some time to build this comfort level. That’s a small part of the value we provide our clients – taking care of as many of the details so that our clients can enjoy their retirement or not have to work a ‘second job’ if they are not yet retired..”

Celebrating Success

It’s hard to argue with 20 years of success. “The bottom line,” says the firm’s top man and CEO, Jim Phillips, “is that we care about our clients and the community in which we operate. Twenty years after we opened our doors, we are still here in 2004, and we’re in a situation today where we can look forward to the next twenty years with a group of pleased clients that give us high marks and unsolicited referrals to their family, neighbors and friends.”

To celebrate their 20 years of successful operation in Bartlesville and to show their gratitude to their clients, First Investment will hold a 20th Anniversary Celebration on Friday, June 25, 2004 in the Community Room of the Bartlesville Community Center from 6 to 8 p.m. Refreshments will be served and entertainment provided by the Bartlesville Symphony Quartet and the Adlib Singers. For more information about the event, call 336-PLAN or the long distance, toll free number: 800-460-PLAN.