FREEDOM OF THE PRESS

NEW FOLKS ON THE BLOCK

New Folks on the Block has been used to introduce new AMS associates on a quarterly basis. Given the rate that AMS is growing, we want to use this as an opportunity to highlight as many of these associates as possible. Please join us in giving a warm welcome to the following associates!

Gunnar Carlson

AMS Sales, St. Petersburg, FL

1. Where did you grow up?
1. Dallas, Texas
2. Where did you go to school?
1. University of Arkansas
3. What do you like to do away from work – hobbies or activities?
1. I like to collect sneakers and clothes, watch sports with my friends and cook
4. Favorite sports team?
1. Green Bay Packers – GO PACK GO!

Iris Wang

Asset Allocation, St. Petersburg, FL

1. Where did you grow up?
1. A “small city” with a population of 5 million that’s close to Shanghai
2. Where did you go to school?
1. Beijing, China for my bachelor’s degree and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio for my master’s degree in finance
3. What do you like to do away from work – hobbies or activities?
1. Sports (basketball, archery and yoga), travel and teach my kids to invest their allowance money
4. How big is your family?
1. Family of four with two boys
5. Top three bucket list items?
1. Space travel, whale watch, build a school (or schools) for underprivileged kids
6. Favorite sports team?
1. Cleveland Cavaliers

Andria Miller

New Accounts, Memphis, TN

1. Where are you from?
   1. I’m from Memphis and grew up here
2. What is your favorite sports team?
   1. Denver Broncos
3. What was your favorite job?
   1. My time in the U.S. Navy

Alex Cobb

Cash Distributions, St. Petersburg, FL

1. Where did you grow up?
1. When I was 5, my family moved from Sarasota to Atlanta, Georgia. We then moved to Tampa in July of 2002 – just in time for the first Buccaneers Super Bowl victory and the Lightning’s first Cup run.
2. Where did you go to school?
1. I went to Wharton High School in New Tampa and graduated from USF in May 2012
3. Tell me about your role in the department – what is a typical day like for you?
1. I’m a supervisor on the Cash Distributions team
4. What do you like to do away from work – hobbies or activities?
1. My wife and I are big Walt Disney World fans. We got engaged at Disney World, our first dance song was a Disney song, our honeymoon (which has been rescheduled multiple times due to COVID-19) will eventually be on a Disney cruise. We’re kind of obsessed.
5. What accomplishment are you most proud of?
1. The pandemic ended up leaving me with a lot of free time, which I used to finally write and self-publish a book. It’s no million-dollar hit, but I’m proud of it.
6. What was your favorite job?
1. In high school I got paid $50 a week to cover high school football for the Tampa Tribune. Being published in a major newspaper, and getting paid to watch football, at 16-, 17-, 18-year-old was really cool.
7. What TV show are you currently binging?
1. “The Dropout” about Elizabeth Holmes and the Theranos debacle
8. What three items would you take on a deserted island?
1. A box set of Ian Fleming’s original James Bond novels, the entire Jimmy Buffett discography and a ton of sunscreen because I’m a redhead
9. If you could instantly acquire one talent or ability, what would it be and why?
1. Try as I might, I just can’t seem to learn to play the guitar. I’d love to even be just sort of OK at the guitar.

Hunter Quinn

Advisory Consulting, St. Petersburg, FL

1. Where are you from?
1. Cape Cod, Massachusetts
2. Where did you go to school?
1. Bryant University
3. What do you like to do away from work – hobbies or activities?
1. The beach, traveling, concerts or festivals
4. What or who has influenced your life the most?
1. My mom – for being a great role model and doing everything she could to give me the opportunities I have
5. What TV show are you currently binging?
1. “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”
6. Favorite sports team?
1. Sox, Pats, Celtics, Bruins – all Boston everything!
7. If you could instantly acquire one talent or ability, what would it be and why?
1. Flying – I could go anywhere without having to wait or pay for gas 😊

Mac Gilroy

AMS Sales, St. Petersburg, FL

1. Where are you from?
1. I moved to St. Petersburg in 2004 at the age of 4. I grew up in Gulfport, which is in South St. Petersburg on the coast of Boca Ciega Bay.
2. Where did you go to school?
1. I went to Shorecrest for high school and University of Florida for college
3. What do you like to do away from work?
1. I enjoy boating, water sports and golfing. I am a big fan of sunny days.
4. How big is your family?
1. I have two brothers, two sisters, a father, a mother and a stepmother
5. What is your favorite family tradition?
1. My mother’s family hosts a big Christmas party where all the cousins come together for an annual gathering
6. What three items would you take on a deserted island?
1. A makeup mirror, a knife and a fishing rod
7. Top three bucket list items?
1. Skydive over the Grand Canyon, golf at Augusta, snorkel the Great Barrier Reef
8. Favorite podcast?
1. Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
9. Favorite sports team?
1. The Florida Gators
10. If you could instantly acquire one talent or ability, what would it be and why?
1. The ability to instantly pick up a language

Antria Newsome

AMS Sales, St. Petersburg, FL

1. What is your dream vacation?
   1. I would say spending weeks at time to explore the Amalfi Coast and Tuscany as well as an authentic experience of travel to Africa
2. Do you have any side-hustles?
   1. I like the experience of working NFL games, expos, music and food festivals

Lisa Fleming

Trading, St. Petersburg, FL

1. Where are you from?
1. Born and raised in Chicago
2. Tell me about your role in the department
1. Onboarding specialist for FAD Discretionary Trading
3. What do you like to do away from work?
   1. Spend time with my family
4. What accomplishment are you most proud of?
   1. My children, Michael and Nichole
5. What was your favorite job?
   1. Working at the Chicago Board of Trade
6. What’s your favorite family tradition?
   1. Getting new matching pajamas on Christmas Eve
7. Favorite sports team?
   1. Definitely a Chicago fan – Bears, Bulls, White Sox and the Cubs
8. If you could instantly acquire one talent or ability, what would it be and why?
   1. I would like to fly to get through this Florida traffic

Pet Corner

Figaro

Owner: Sandy Volpe

Figaro is the newest addition to our family. The Humane Society thinks he must have been sleeping on a car engine to keep warm and fell into the road where he was found. Unfortunately, his left hind leg was injured and had to be amputated. Having only three legs doesn’t slow down Figaro. He loves to chase and play with his other housemates.

Max

Owner: Megan Bryan

This is my main squeeze, Max. What you see is what you get. He enjoys short walks, snacks and has never met a pillow he didn’t enjoy resting his gigantic head on. After a brief career as a guard dog at an auto shop (where he was crated all day and left alone all night), Max now enjoys a life full of air-conditioning and all the snuggles.

Midnight

Owner: Kellee Dennis

This is our puppy Midnight, the sweetest little 4-month-old black Lab. He is our first pet and certainly growing to be my 2 and 6-year-olds’ best buddy. We went to a pet store in October just to look around, but, when we laid eyes on Midnight, we knew he had to come home with us. He has been one of the most energetic and loving additions to our family. Nature is his favorite place but cuddled up by the couch taking a nap is where you will find him most of the time. The first thing I thought about when we got him was that I finally had a sweet fur-baby to share with our newsletter.

MishMish

Owner: Victoria Zimina

MishMish is a true gentleman. He wakes up every day at 8 a.m. sharp and ensures his bow tie is ready as he begins his shift reviewing various accounts.

Nala

Owner: Chris Shaw

Here is a picture of my fur baby. Her name is Nala, like “The Lion King.” She is the biggest baby and loves all the attention she can get. She loves peanut butter cookies from 7-Eleven, which she wants every day. Nala is 5 years old but still acts like 6 months!

Zander and Artemis

Owner: Rachel Ramos

Here are my Great Danes: Zander (left) and Artemis (right). Both came to us through an amazing rescue, Great Dane Love, that my partner and I volunteer for. Zander is 4 and Artemis is 3. They enjoy nothing more than walks and snuggling their humans or each other. They are almost always touching and are very in sync, they even have matching ears in this photo.

Model Citizens

Habitat for Humanity

Pictured: Bingham Family

AMS Asset Community Involvement had four associates Sara Witt, Andres Puerta, Mike Meleen and Edward Wilson (pictured below) participate in the Habitat for Humanity build on March 22. Our team helped to install the insulation in the home, which was a big undertaking.

The Bingham family is thrilled to move into their new home and expects their life to be much better. They are excited to have more space to live and have family members over for functions. “I am looking forward to my children having their own room and having the extra space. I am also looking forward to being in something new because I have never lived somewhere that was new.” Desheka’s new family home will be custom-built and tailored toward her family’s needs. “I want a better life for me and my children now and in the future, by creating generational wealth and being able to pass something down to my children.”

MS Bikeathon

This is the fourth year in a row Raymond James has participated in the Bike MS fundraising ride in support of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. This year’s team included Paul Mahfouz from our sales team and the captain was AMS alum, DJ McElroy. Nineteen associates signed up for the ride and raised almost $7,500 to date as a team. The event has raised a total of ~$344,000 with 400 riders – 25 of whom have MS themselves. We were able to hear from those with MS about the ways in which the National MS Society has helped them personally.

Raymond James riders participated in both the 23-mile and 50-mile rides, and some even participated in the 75-mile ride. We had wide participation across the firm, including advisors from RJA, RJFS and Alex. Brown as well as home office associates from Technology, AMS, and Raymond James Bank. Our eventual goal is to build a national team with representation across the U.S.

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Celebrating differences with Cecelia Perez

Cecelia was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. Her extended family “all live and die by Gator athletics,” so her graduating with dual degrees from the University of Florida seemed pre-destined. She joined Raymond James Marketing in 2018 and transferred over to AMS shortly thereafter. Cecelia is passionate about her role and loves the challenge of AMS Sales. She is married to a Florida graduate, who also works for Raymond James. They have a beautiful 2 ½ year-old named Victoria. Cecelia loves to spend time with her family and enjoys unwinding by working out and reading a good fantasy novel. She loves meeting new people and is always up for lunch or coffee!

During her time as a Gator, Cecelia was involved in several organizations that promoted D&I and was thrilled with Raymond James’ strong focus on it. She believes that bringing together unique individuals makes for a stronger work team.

She believes that D&I is “about everyone feeling equally welcomed, respected and valued. Everyone is unique in some way. No one person or group fits neatly into a box. Therefore, everyone should feel pride in what makes them unique and respect that uniqueness in others.”

Trivia

Want a gift card?

Check out the 4Q21 Swag Bag winner, Melinda Hopfauer!

Are you interested in winning? What about winning a gift card?

Did you read the newsletter? Let's see…

How to win:

• Read the newsletter.
• Click on the link to reply with your answers. Don’t forget to find the bonus.
• All entries that answer the questions correctly will be entered into a pool and 10 random winners will be selected for a $15 gift card to Target.
• If you answer all the questions correctly and find the bonus, you will be entered to win a $50 gift card to Target in addition to the other gift cards.

Questions:

1. Doing what daily, is good exercise for your brain?
2. Who is currently binging “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”?
3. Who might have been sleeping on a car engine?
4. Who put Memphis, Tennessee, on the map for his MVP type season?

Bonus:

Do you know the game Where's Waldo? You look at an image (in this case, the newsletter) and try to spot Waldo (in this case, Jeff Dowdle dressed up as Waldo). Well…can you find Where's Dowdle?

Entries must be emailed by June 6, 2022. Winners will be notified shortly after.

Extra Trivia

$50 Target gift card trivia

Winner of 4Q21 Extra Trivia, Mark Arkelian! Congratulations!

Now, let's see how many of you can answer these questions. You can use the internet to help you.

Answer all the questions correctly, and you could win the grand prize – a $50 gift card to Target!

Send an email with subject line "Extra Trivia" to AMSNewsletter@raymondjames.com with your answers.

Name the movie from these famous quotes:

1. “There has to be a mathematical explanation for how bad that tie is.” (2001)
2. “I’ll wait for you at the train station every day at five.” (2008)
3. “I do wish we could chat longer, but I’m having an old friend for dinner. Bye.” (1991)
4. “This trial … the whole world … it’s all … show business.” (2002)
5. “I am 42 years old; in less than a year I will be dead. Of course, I don’t know that yet, and in a way, I am dead already.” (1999)

TOM THORNTON'S TOP 5 REASONS WHY SPRING 2022 IS BETTER THAN SPRING 2020

“Back to life, back to reality/ Back to the here and now, yeah” – Back to Life, Soul II Soul

5. Back to the office. I know, I know. Some people have their own long lists of why they are more productive at home and don’t want to smile and talk to strangers in person. (And gas is expensive). In our business, the pros outweigh the cons, so this should be good for business and good for careers. And, by the way, while in the office, don’t forget to wash your hands for over 20 seconds, and don’t touch your face. And no sneezing, sniffling or coughing, please. Germs are scarier now.

4. Less Zoom (for us and our kids). March 2020 was weird for sure. Tom Brady signed with the Bucs and we all needed to go home for a “few” weeks to flatten the curve. (A few turned into 100.) Kids are back to school now and it seems like they will learn more at school. “You’re on mute,” “Sorry about my dog,” “My roommate yells when he talks,” “My internet is having issues today,” “How do you like my mullet?” will be less with less frequent video Zooms, Teams, Skypes and Webexes.

3. Spring outdoors not indoors. Vitamin D and better health can be found when taking a walk outside. There really isn’t a spring down here in Florida anyway, but spring training and spring break are much more fun with a drink in your hand and your toes in the sand rather than quarantining. Hopefully you learned how to play that new instrument and redecorated your house and perfected your perfect push-up. Now it is time to relax and feel somewhat normal again. You can still do your daily Wordle, good exercise for your brain.

2. Fun with friends. Restaurants with the family, festivals with friends, concerts, bars, movies, church and synagogue, malls, amusement parks. This one is big for mental health; it probably should be ranked No. 1. And yes, I know some Floridians never really stopped this fun.

1. Health. Many of us lost loved ones in the past two years and we are all feeling over it. Over the uncertainty, over the not getting sick so you don’t get your elderly loved ones sick, and over the mask drama at the grocery store. I hope not to jinx this positivity, or have bad karma come back in the form of a new variant, or have my peaceful feeling go away, or be cursed for thinking COVID-19 here in the U.S. is done. The past two years reinforced to not take mental or physical health for granted. This spring is obviously better than two years ago, a balanced of scenery, of family and friends, and of many more options to do what makes you feel good. Enjoy.

TALKING ABOUT MEMPHIS

Planning a trip to Memphis? Our Memphis associates have shared some places to visit and restaurants you don’t want to miss.

Holly Novell

Favorite Memphis restaurant: Coastal Fish Company – they have something for everyone and an amazing view both during the day and at sunset

Places to visit for someone visiting from St. Petersburg: Beale Street, The Orpheum, AutoZone Park, The FedEx Forum, Sun Studios, Graceland, National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis Zoo, The Peabody, Shelby Farms, Memphis Botanic Gardens, Big River Crossing and the Memphis Museum of Science and History

Something Memphis is known for: BBQ and Beale Street

Eric Monroe

Favorite Memphis restaurant? Vibe Foods, Las Delicias and Sunrise Breakfast

Places to visit for someone visiting from St. Petersburg: BB King’s live music on Beale Street, Grizzlies game at the FedEx Forum, any local restaurant and the Bass Pro Pyramid

Something Memphis is known for: A lot of people say Elvis and BBQ (and they are correct in saying that), but I’m going to say Ja Morant and the 2021 to 2022 Memphis Grizzlies. Due to the team’s success this season, along with Ja Morant’s MVP-type season, the Grizzlies have put Memphis on the map – nationally and worldwide. The media and NBA fans around the world have fallen in love with Morant. To put it in perspective, I spoke with a friend who was at the Grizzlies game not too long ago. He met an out-of-towner from Detroit who came to Memphis for a work trip. This out-of-towner (along with his wife) said they had to come see Morant play since they were in town.

RTO experience, What were you looking forward to? I was looking forward to building relationships with co-workers and meeting new employees in Raymond James.

Is this the first time coming in since you’ve been hired? I was hired in June 2020 which was right at the beginning of COVID-19, so I never got to work at the Downtown office. I have been in the office a few times near the end of COVID-19 (due to the ice storm, power outages, or internet loss); however, this recent RTO was the first time I’d been in the office with co-workers, which has been fun.

Were there any surprises when you got to the office? The free food and drinks as a friendly welcome back was a surprise! Lol. It’s not really a surprise but the office stays extremely clean and all employees are very nice. I was/am still impressed!

Alicia Pinkes

Favorite Memphis restaurant: One of my favorite places to eat is actually a food truck – Taconganas … love their chicken tacos!

Places to visit for someone visiting from St. Petersburg: National Civil Rights Museum, Stax Museum, Beale Street, Bass Pro Pyramid, Graceland … Memphis is known for home of the blues, St. Jude Research Hospital and the Grizzlies

RTO experience, What were you looking forward to? I was looking forward to meeting my co-workers in person. We worked in person a few days back in November, however, I was surprised to see so many familiar faces.

Kym Pew

Favorite Memphis restaurant: The Barbecue Shop located in the heart of Midtown

Places to visit for someone visiting from St. Petersburg: Graceland, National Civil Rights Museum- Lorraine Motel, Stax Museum, Beale Street, South Main Arts District and Sun Studio

Something Memphis is known for: Memphis is best known as the “Home of the Blues & Birthplace of Rock ‘n’ Roll” and the barbecue capital of the world.

RTO experience: Returning to the office after working from home for two years was very concerning. I mostly was concerned about losing the work- life balance I’d adjusted to and whether it was safe to return during a pandemic. Although I had reservations, I looked forward to reconnecting with my colleagues.

Is this the first time coming in since you’ve been hired? I’ve been employed with Raymond James since 2018 so no, this was not my first time coming into the office.

Were there any surprises when you got to the office? Surprisingly, it’s been a smooth transition back to the workplace.

New Hires and Transfers

Anniversaries (March – May)

If you would like to submit content for the next AMS newsletter, please email AMSNewsletter@raymondjames.com.