Tad Edwards plays in Peoria

Benjamin F. Edwards Co. has opened a new branch office in Peoria, Ill. The new eight-person office includes four brokers and four other staff members, all of whom are legacy A.G. Edwards employees who came over from the Wells Fargo Advisors LLC office in Peoria. “It feels like we’re coming back home,” said Thomas Henrichs, branch manager of the new office and a 31-year industry veteran. Mr. Henrichs, who spent 19 years at A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc., managed the A.G. Edwards/Wells Fargo office in Peoria from 1991 through September. The three other producers are Mark Erickson, Steven Houlihan and Todd Nethery. Lila Strubhar will serve as assistant branch manager. Also joining the new branch are support staff members Josh Carstens, Theresa Guzman and Mary Jo Moehlenhof. “They’re all longtime Edwards people,” said Benjamin F. “Tad” Edwards IV, chief executive of his eponymous company. He declined to comment on the brokers’ assets and production. “It’s well above average,” Mr. Edwards said. “They’re good at what they do.” Mr. Edwards, the son of Benjamin F. Edwards III, the former chief executive of A.G. Edwards, and the great-great-grandson of A.G. Edwards founder Albert Gallatin Edwards, formed Benjamin F. Edwards Co. last year. Investors in the private firm include other members of the Edwards clan and former A.G. Edwards leaders. Mr. Edwards said that “hundreds” of former A.G. Edwards representatives have contacted him. “We’ve got a real nice lineup” of potential recruits, he said, declining to be more specific. The Peoria office is the third branch for Benjamin F. Edwards Co., following offices opened in Springfield, Mo., and White Plains, N.Y., this year. A.G. Edwards merged with Wachovia Securities in 2007. Wells Fargo & Co. bought Wachovia Corp. last year.