From T. Rowe Price
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RecordkeeperT. Rowe Price
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Client CompanyAshford Capital Management, Inc.
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Client IndustryFinancial services
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Client HeadquartersWilmington, Delaware
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Plan Assets>$10MM – $25MM
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Plan ParticipantsFewer than 50
BIOS:
Lora Rosen (left) graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and moved to Nepal with her husband, where she taught modern dance and ballet in Kathmandu for four years. She returned to the U.S. and developed an ethnic dance program to perform in schools, then taught dance in Rome and Botswana. She joined T. Rowe Price 37 years ago, initially as a phone rep, then she moved through several management jobs and eventually became a senior relationship manager.
Kim Ulacco (right) earned her associate degree in business management from Greater Hartford Community College and was hired as a temp in the Shawmut Bank retirement department for six weeks. “I learned things quickly and took on extra projects, and eventually I was hired full-time as an account manager.” She’s worked at Bank of America (Fleet), the Hartford, MassMutual and Empower, and she’s been a senior retirement plan account manager at T. Rowe Price for 2 ½ years.
Ashford Capital Management Inc. is an investment advisory firm based in Wilmington, Delaware, with about 20 participants in a range of positions, including analysts, a trader, operations staff, administrative staff and an accounting team. “This is a generous company interested in their employees’ wellbeing,” says Lara Rosen, who has been the plan’s senior relationship manager for more than 10 years.
Since Ashford is in the financial industry, they don’t need to spend a lot of time with investment education for participants. “Most employees have been at the company long-term and obtain investment advice from the pros here,” says Alex Patseliev, the company’s controller. “The most intricate part of the plan management is preparing the year-end census.”
He nominated Rosen and Ulacco for their next-level service. “This year, Lora went above and beyond by making sure we understood the complexities of the SECURE Act,” he says. “She took the time to explain these changes and the impact on our plan, along with answering all our questions until we had a solid understanding. Lora is also very personable and always upbeat and positive, which makes all interactions enjoyable.” The company was particularly interested in learning about the SECURE 2.0 Roth catch-up provision rules since many of their employees are over age 50.
Ulacco has made Patseliev’s job easier since she became the senior retirement plan account manager in 2022. “Kim has handled any and all issues and questions we have had with a very quick turnaround,” he says. “I have become reliant on Kim to help me do my job over the past year. She consistently responds quickly and will figure out the solution, along with providing a detailed explanation of how she did it. If I need any help or have any questions about our 401(k), I know that I can contact Kim and get a quick response and a solution. Consistently delivering high-level service with a positive attitude deserves recognition in my opinion.”
The feeling is mutual. “Ashford is a great partner,” says Rosen. “I think I’ve felt a kinship in many ways. They have low turnover, as T. Rowe Price has little turnover. They are interested in learning and growing. I am still working in no small part because of the wonderful clients I have.”
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