Best Small-Medium Employer: Welch Hornsby

Founded in 1988, Welch Hornsby is a fee-only investment advisory firm with offices in Montgomery, Birmingham and Charlotte, North Carolina. As a fee-only firm, Welch Hornsby is compensated only by its clients and not by investment companies, eliminating conflicts of interest. 

“Within our personal wealth business, we organize our clients’ financial lives, helping them to connect everything from their portfolio, insurance, estate planning and many other personal financial planning items, ” says Edward Welch Jr., president and CEO. “On the institutional group, we act as fiduciaries for our clients, providing them investment advice on how to structure their portfolios or retirement plans for their participants and beneficiaries.”

Edward Welch Sr. and John Hornsby founded the firm with the philosophy that the client’s interest should never be compromised. Almost three decades later, Welch Hornsby has more than $3.5 billion in assets and has become one of the region’s largest investment advisory firms. 

In 2016, the firm won top honors as the Best Company to Work For in Alabama in the small and medium group.

Leaders attribute their success to a team of dedicated employees, and in turn, they work to provide an outstanding workplace for those employees. “We have truly committed people, people who have bought into our mission of an uncompromising commitment to build and preserve the wealth of our clients, to enrich their lives, the lives of our employees and the world in which we live, ” Welch says.

- Sponsor -

Employees at Welch Hornsby receive competitive pay and benefits, but that’s not all. They enjoy a flexible working environment with opportunities for working remotely, as well as quarterly staff luncheons and highly popular holiday parties outside the office. The company’s wellness program sponsors creative Fitbit challenges and employees are invited to bring their families to events, such as a firm-sponsored play at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival or an annual Birmingham Barons baseball game.

“We think it is the small things which make them want to stay and grow with us, ” Welch says. “From our wellness program competitions, support with tuition and professional development, lunches together, a collaborative environment of sharing ideas and a team effort in delivering the highest quality services to our clients, all of these we believe create a great environment for our employees and their professional development.”


The latest Alabama business news delivered to your inbox