HARRISBURG, Pa., Nov. 27, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PFM Asset Management LLC, (PFMAM), part of The PFM Group of companies, today announced the appointment of Beth A. Hetzel, AIF as Managing Director and head of its newly-formed Client Services Group. The new unit she will be creating will be designed to further enhance client service by expanding PFM's current Customer Service Operations Group and seeking opportunities to identify value added services to benefit clients and make their lives easier. The professionals in the Client Services Group will interact with sales and service professionals throughout the firm and provide a central point of service for asset management clients.
"These enhancements to our client service activities will help us continue to grow in our key markets by organizing our marketing and investment management resources and ensuring that we are able to meet and exceed the high expectations our clients have for performance and service," explained PFMAM Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer Marty Margolis. "We are very pleased to be able to tap Beth's leadership qualities to assist the PFM Group as we grow, and to help us serve our clients in the most productive and efficient ways possible," Mr. Margolis added. "We are confident that the addition of a highly accomplished professional like Beth will help PFM continue our development as one of the nation's leading investment management firms."
"PFM undertook a national search to identify the right person for this position," Margolis continued, "and in Beth, we believe we have found the ideal combination of client service management experience and the entrepreneurial drive to make a new function successful."
Beth Hetzel has held significant management positions at Bank of America Capital Management, Federated Investors, National City Corp. (later PNC) and, most recently, at FirstMerit Bank as President and Managing Officer of FirstMerit Financial Services. Her experience combines creation and management of account service teams with sales management, compliance, product development and strategic planning activities.
"I am very excited to be able to take on this responsibility at PFM," Ms. Hetzel said. "PFM has always had an outstanding reputation for putting the client's interests first, and I am proud to join such a dedicated organization. The firm's growth over the thirty-seven years of its existence has been truly impressive, and I look forward to having the opportunity to accelerate that progress in my new role as Managing Director of Client Services," she concluded.
"This important addition to our firm is an affirmation of PFM's ongoing development, and clear evidence of our strategic plans to continue providing the high levels of service our clients deserve and expect while we take maximum advantage of all opportunities to continue and enhance our growth in a profitable manner," concluded PFM's CIO Mr. Margolis.
The PFM Group currently employs more than 470 professionals serving a broad base of clients from offices located in every region of the country. The firm is well respected for providing clients with independent advisory services free of conflicts in their dealings with the capital markets. PFM Asset Management LLC (PFMAM), part of the PFM Group of companies, is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. At September 30, 2012, PFMAM had $44.8 billion in assets under management for state and local governments and non-profit institutions, and provided non-discretionary advice for an additional $25.6 billion in fixed income securities. The PFM Group of companies also includes Public Financial Management, Inc., the top-ranked municipal advisory firm in the nation, providing independent financial advisory services to a broad base of local, state, and regional government and non-profit clients throughout the United States in the fields of Higher Education, Public Power, Transportation, Healthcare, General Municipal and Management & Budget Consulting, among others. For the first nine months of 2012, PFM again led the market by advising clients on $40.8 billion of total debt issuances in 706 transactions. The PFM Group of companies also provides pension advisory and best practices strategic consulting as well as management and budget consulting to a number of government entities and non-profit institutions. The firm's clients are state and local governments, non-profit corporations, pension funds, and similar institutional investors.
Beth Hetzel will work out of PFMAM's office in Harrisburg, PA. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Marketing from Robert Morris College in Pittsburgh, PA, the professional designation of AIF (Accredited Investment Fiduciary) and FINRA Series 6, 7, and 24 licenses.
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