Meet Lynda, who is with Argent Trust in Birmingham and has been with us for 5 years.
Q. What led you to Argent and what makes it unique?
A. I like the challenge of opening a new trust office, building teams and relationships. I liked Argent’s reputation for providing services to its clients. It is still small enough for decisions to be made on a local level but large enough to handle my client’s needs.
Q. Why do you enjoy working at Argent?
A. During my thirty-year career in the trust and estate industry, serving my clients’ needs is my number one priority. I have a unique perspective since I am one of the few Trust Officers that have actually been involved with the drafting of documents (legal office days) and then later actually administered those documents as a Trust Officer. I understand when a client walks into an attorney’s office trying to come up with solutions and plans for their families’ future and welfare, the process of choosing a trustee is not easy or made lightly. The client has to have faith that the organization will be there when the time comes to honor their plans. In accepting that duty, Trust Officers sometimes have to come up with solutions that meet the intent and spirit of the donor’s intentions. To honor the plan that has been placed in their care and control, but to also be flexible and understanding with the current beneficiaries, because circumstances change, laws change, and one has a crystal ball. In planning for the future, a client can’t possibly cover all the circumstances of the future, but you can serve the families and help them come up with solutions to meet their needs.
Q. What does the company mean to you?
A. Argent is a place that I can do what is right for my clients.
Q. What has been the proudest moment at Argent?
A. Opening the doors of the Birmingham Office and continuing to watch it grow.
Q. What is on your wish list for the next 10 years with Argent?
A. To assist with growth, but to guard against losing Argent’s original culture. As companies grow they tend to lose caring for the human factor, forget that the individual is important, whether that be the employee or the client. Argent’s strength lies within its people.
Q. What is your favorite quote?
A. I have two: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” – Maya Angelou
“You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I’ll rise!” – Maya Angelou
