Williams Wealth Management among small business of year winners

Derek R. Williams likens Williams Wealth Management Group to a gym, where he and his staff are the personal trainers and their mission is to help their clients become financially healthy.

“Our No. 1 goal is to serve our clients and help them grow and preserve their assets,” Williams said.

Williams Wealth Management, led by Williams and vice president Beth Deyo, were honored as a 2017 Manatee Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year winner.

Founded in 2007, Williams Wealth won for businesses with annual revenue between $250,000 and $1 million.

Williams started in the business in 1996 and worked as an independent adviser before deciding to put out his own shingle.

A lifelong resident of Bradenton and a graduate of Manatee High School and the University of South Florida, Williams says the Bradenton-Sarasota area is one of the retirement capitals of the world and that financial planning services and investment management are in demand here.

Deyo, a native of New York, has lived in Bradenton since 1997. Like Williams, she is a certified financial planner and a USF grad. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor of science in finance.

Williams has sought growth through the addition of staff, continuing to stress fiduciary level services and putting more emphasis on the company’s business retirement plan solution, FiduciaryShield LLC.

“We really focus on listening to our customers,” Williams said.

“As your assets grow, life can become a little more complicated. Simplify and clarify your financial goals with our team of certified financial planners,” Williams Wealth says on its web site, williamswealth360.com.

“Every client relationship begins with a conversation. Together we explore your goals, objectives, risk tolerance and core values in an effort to get to know you. Our experience and dedication to sound financial planning will enable us to make the most of our time together,” the website continues.

The company values referrals and promises personalized service with the intent of continuously exceeding expectations.

Located at 3639 Cortez Road W., Suite 225, the company seeks to grow a healthy relationship through the community outside of its business interests.

Among organizations it supports are the USF Bulls Club, the Hernando de Soto Society, the Conquistador Historical Foundation, PACE Center for Girls, the Saint Stephens lacrosse team, the Manatee Wildcats and the Denis V. Cooper Foundation.

“This is a very close-knit environment. It’s like a family, everyone is very close,” said Mike Murphy, who heads the business solutions arm of Williams Wealth Management.

Murphy has lived in Manatee County since 1980 and is a graduate of the University of Florida College of Business.

For more information about Williams Wealth Management Group, call 941-756-4500.

This story was originally published August 11, 2017 at 1:31 PM with the headline "Williams Wealth Management among small business of year winners."