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The Edward Jones financial firm is celebrating 100 years of business with 50,000 associates and 15,000 locations nationwide.
Meanwhile, the Luverne location is celebrating 35 years of local business, and Kevin Thelen and his staff are celebrating their recent move to a new office space downtown.
“It’s a nice space to work out of,” Thelen said Monday. “It’s about taking better care of our clients in Luverne.”
He and his staff of Ellie Oldre and Kayla Carlson moved from their corner office at Main Street and Freeman Avenue Oct. 25 and reopened for business in their new space a block east on Oct. 26.
Thelen has been in Luverne for seven years, but Oldre had worked for other financial advisers in the corner office for 28 years.
“I remember when I started, we kept track of clients manually by writing them in a book,” she said. “Every single sale had to be manually recorded.”
She agreed with Thelen that the new space would better suit their needs.
“Mostly, this space is handicap-accessible,” Thelen said, “and we can be more accessible to all of our clients.”
In addition, it has a conference room that’s better suited for confidential meetings, and it has a staff break room — something not available in the previous location.
Thelen purchased the 1,800-square-foot building from Dave Deragisch, who is now leasing from Edward Jones for his Deragisch Insurance business.
Thelen had been renting his former 1,400-square-foot (on two floors) Edward Jones office from Dr. Mike Smith, who is now advertising the space for lease.
Thelen and his staff will host an open house from 1 to 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18, to celebrate the Edward Jones move and offer tours of the remodeled offices.
A Chamber coffee event at Edward Jones is planned for December.