April Update, 2020: Staff Appreciation

The past month has seen unprecedented change and adjustment in almost every single person’s life, on the planet as a whole. Covid-19 has changed the way we work, interact, shop, and do almost everything else. You have received dozens, if not more, e-mails from companies telling you what they are doing through this crisis and how they will proceed. The overload of communication has likely been if nothing more, then a good reminder of all of the corporate e-mails you can unsubscribe from. Here at Davis Rea, we have tried to make every communication with you valuable, educational, and realistic. We don’t sugar coat things and have always made decisions in the best interests of our clients.

With all of the non-stop (and mostly negative) Covid-19 news, however, I have decided to try and go in a bit of a different and more light-hearted direction with this month’s update. Whether you have been a client for 30+ years, or are just reading a communication from us for the first time I feel that an introduction to our whole team, their creative ways of staying sane, and a small break from viral news is just what the doctor ordered.

I’m lucky to be surrounded by a hardworking group of people who strive every day to make sure our clients are taken care of and that we can thrive as a business. Read about them below:

Zach is President & Portfolio Manager at Davis Rea. As a Portfolio Manager, he is responsible for determining asset allocation strategies for current and prospective clients, as well as selecting and implementing appropriate investments to fulfill discretionary client mandates. As President, Zach manages many of the day-to-day affairs including compliance, IT and everything in between. His twins being home has been keeping him busy, but their dog is making sure to stand guard right by his feet all day when he is working to keep him on track.

Libby, a Senior Partner, is here to take care of your insurance, financial planning and estate planning needs. She provides long-term, holistic advice to give you and your family peace of mind knowing you have a plan in place. She currently has 3 “oversized toddlers” at home (aka kids in their early 20s) who have three different eating habits ranging from a carnivore, to a vegan, to a trash compactor. Between working, feeding her kids as well as emotionally supporting them, she is left with little time to be bored.

Ann, VP of Client Services, takes care of all of our wealth management clients. She is your main point of contact for all account-related inquiries (or if you need any assistance at all, really). During self-isolation, Ann has realized that her dog can counter surf a little higher than she anticipated and that he loves to eat everything in sight. Chasing him around has helped her keep her cardio strong, and telling her kids to do their chores have kept them nice and busy too. 

Debbie is our Client Services guru on the insurance side of the business. Working closely with Libby, she manages the processes involved in getting policies issued and in the hands of clients once an application has been submitted to the insurance company. While in self-isolation, she has found listening to classical music to be relaxing and has been using the extra time to reconnect with people she doesn’t get to talk to much. She has also been “attending” virtual Church services and enjoying the fresh air on her balcony.

Ian is a VP & Portfolio Manager who manages the fixed income funds and co-manages the equity fund. He spends much of his time generating and implementing investment ideas. Ian likes to dazzle us with his otherworldly Excel skills and his ability to eat two lunches almost daily. He has kept himself sane during self-isolation by staying active and staying in touch with friends and family via technology.

Laura is our Project Manager of Operations and mostly makes sure that nothing blows up (and fixes it when it does). She researches and implements tech-friendly and forward-thinking solutions that benefit both employees and clients. She is also responsible for our social media channels and communications. Living by herself, backyard fetch with her dog, begrudgingly stretching and re-organizing her kitchen multiple times has helped keep her sane, as has her obsession for tending to her house plants.

Ana Maria is our Treasurer and takes care of much of the back-office operations. She is responsible for much of our account reconciliation, management fees, and ensuring our portfolio management system is accurate. She re-joined us after maternity leave for barely a month before this pandemic hit. Between getting back into the swing of things and her toddler (almost) on his feet, she has plenty to keep her busy. When she does have a minute to herself, re-runs of How I Met Your Mother have been a staple.

J.C. is an associate at Davis Rea where he is responsible for equity trading and settlement activity. He works with the portfolio managers and helps implement their asset allocation decisions. During the quarantine, J.C has been keeping himself sane by staying in touch with friends (virtual cocktails) and sharp by competing in heated Scrabble battles with his girlfriend, Charlie,  who is stuck with him for the foreseeable future.

J.J. is our Chief Strategist and advises the investment committee on economic and investment outlooks. Every quarter J.J. writes his Big Picture and economic outlook to send to clients and is a contributor to the Davis Rea Blog. He’s been spending his time going on walks and listening to some of his favourite tunes.

Tom, VP, is responsible for business development at Davis Rea. He is the liaison for many new clients between the investment team and client services. Tom believes that physical distancing does not inhibit our ability to communicate but only takes away the opportunity to meet in person. He’s been working on his own in the city during the week, then joining the rest of his family on their farm over the weekends. They spend much of their time making and bottling maple syrup together as a family activity.

And most of you know me, John, CEO here at Davis Rea. My dining table has turned into an office, but I’m just glad to be able to talk to our clients, reassure them, and to still get to interact with our team through the magic of technology.

We truly want to thank each and every one of you for your patience and understanding through our transition to remote work environments and look forward to continuing to hear from you.

Go follow and visit our social media channels (@davisrealtd) to see some pictures of our wonderful team spending time with their dogs, board games, and their bottles of Windex (don’t worry, it’s a full-bodied ’98).

Stay safe, stay healthy and stay away from each other!

John, and the Davis Rea Team