Championship culture: Joel Richardson thrives in executing Northwestern Mutual's plan to help clients

Those traits grew a short time after high school graduation. At first a student at Fairmont State, Richardson opted for the military and proudly served in the 75th Ranger Regiment of the U.S. Army.

"My dad was a career special forces officer," Richardson said. "I always admired him and his service to this country.”

Richardson said the attacks on the U.S. on September 11 during his junior year of high school also influenced his decision to join the military.

"I was very proud to serve in that unit," Richardson said of the 75th, as well he should be. It is considered to be one of the U.S. Army’s elite special operations unit.

After serving his stint, Richardson returned to college, this time at West Virginia University, and looked ahead to the rest of his life.

"I really didn't know what I wanted to do," Richardson said. "My senior year, I got an internship at Northwestern Mutual."

Soon, he discovered where and what he wanted to do for a career — financial planning and advising.

"The internship gave me the chance to get to know the company, the job, the people," Richardson said. "I'm so thankful that was available to me, and it really pointed me toward my future."

Richardson said Northwestern Mutual made him feel comfortable and presented many of the same strengths and traits that allowed him to reach high levels of success in the past: teamwork, leadership and strong mentors.

"It’s a phenomenal company, and I realized I wanted to be a part of that," Richardson said.

"There’s no limit in this career. I work with business owners, medical professionals, families, and individuals.”

"I work with advisors from across the country that I can bring in and help my clients with any questions or issues they may have. The partnership and teamwork is what makes this company so special."

Richardson said seeing his Northwestern Mutual "teammates" work together for clients is refreshing and rewarding.

"It's a very similar culture (to athletics and the military). You are there for each other, but at the same time you push each other," Richardson said.

"You’re not afraid to work with each other; in fact, it's encouraged, and you want to use others' expertise to help the clients. It’s a tremendous opportunity to be a part of. It’s just a tremendous culture."

"I don’t believe there’s another financial firm that has the type of championship culture that Northwestern Mutual has," Richardson said. "We are always there to help each other, which in turn helps our clients.”

While Richardson has many in the firm to draw expertise from, he credits Northwestern Mutual's local managing director Tom Gorrell for being a great mentor and friend, not only to him but to all on the Northwestern Mutual team.

"Tom Gorrell is the reason I’m here," Richardson said. "I can go to him with anything and he’ll help me out.

"I owe a lot of the growth and success in my career to Tom."

Now with the firm for nine years, Richardson also gets to experience the thrill of helping others, following Gorrell and other senior members' lead to provide advice to newcomers.

"The great thing is that there are always new representatives and advisors coming in," Richardson said. "I always try to offer a word of advice, a word of encouragement. It passes down from generations of advisors to the next."

With hundreds of clients, Richardson stays busy but is always looking for growth, both within the company and his community.

"The company encourages us to be involved in the community, which is perfect for me," Richardson said. "I'm involved with United Way, the local chamber of commerce and I've been through the FBI Leadership Academy.

"I've met some really great people and been able to help some really great causes," Richardson said.

"The flexibility of this job also gives me time to be with my son and fiancé Having time for my son and our family is important. My son is 2 now, and I'm looking forward to coaching him in sports and going to his events – a schedule the flexibility of this career allows me to be there for.”

"My fiancé, Sarah, and I are getting married in October, and we have a lot of family in the area. Having quality time for my family and my community is important."

Which makes Northwestern Mutual the perfect fit for Richardson. He also believes it could be a great match for others and highly recommends people to consider joining the team.

"It's perfect for someone who’s a self-starter," Richardson said.

"It’s a challenging career, but for someone who wants to grow and to help people, it is a very rewarding career."