We’re living in a world of autonomous vehicles that can drive for us, AI programs that can write for us, and smart technology that can practically think for us. But one Chicago-based financial services company gives top props to personal communication plain and simple.

People talking to people will always matter most.

“Communication is key to everything we do — and everything we do with OneAmerica,” said THG Financial Strategies Co-founder and President Jon Rotter*. “With OneAmerica, we can pick up the phone and talk to the head of underwriting, talk to the president of the broker-dealer, or ask to speak to somebody who is running a department. It’s a huge impact on our business — for our advisors and the relationship culture with our agents.”

THG sought a provider that mirrored the supportive relationship they wanted to have with their own advisors, and OneAmerica answered the call, in more ways than one. Jon R. said THG wanted to align with a company that shared their philosophy and business culture.

“We ask for constant communication, whether it’s good news or bad, because the advisors we’re hiring in our local markets rely on us. And we want carriers that provide good product resources training,” he said. “When a product changes, the training changes — and we need to react fast.”

Jon R. and CEO Jon Corteen* founded THG in 2009 and began to work with OneAmerica in 2017. They said the qualities that attracted them to work with OneAmerica back then continue to be a common bond today.

People. Passion. Purpose. Those three words remain threaded through the mission of THG, the people they hire, and the clients they support.

“Everything we do advances the professional development of our clientele, to build a team as diverse as the individual, families and small businesses we serve,” Jon C. said. “We imagine the financial services industry with a bright future that’s diverse, collaborative and people-focused. We strive to match clients with solutions for financial security and investments that will help them prosper and attain life goals.”

Jon R. said working with OneAmerica was a natural fit because they genuinely care about the specific goals, visions and offerings of THG. And both understand how together they can help clients across the country.

“We needed a provider that would be reflective of our vision to honor the entrepreneur, and an organization with a culture that embraces the destination that our financial professionals want to go to — a provider that delivers the best services in that game,” Jon C. said. “What’s more, our financial professionals have the ability to work in an environment to truly build their own business with an organization they can partner up with both locally and nationally.”

Someone who appreciates the constant commitment to their advisors’ development is OneAmerica Vice President of Agency Growth and Development Kristin Dorm. She reaches out to agencies like THG with the understanding and trust that they know their customers and markets better than anyone outside their company.

“We give general agents, like Jon R. and Jon C., the independence to build their brand and their story to match their market and to resonate with who is there,” Kristin said. “The communities our agents serve matter to us as much as they matter to them. There’s not one community, client or family structure we value more than another. Each one is important.”