Stonebridge Financial looks to grow client base with new Lancaster office

Listen to this article

Stonebridge Financial Group in Wormleysburg, Cumberland County, was about to sign the lease to its new Lancaster location when the pandemic struck and leadership agreed to delay opening a new brick-and-mortar storefront.

A year later, the personal wealth management and retirement planning firm is moving forward and is set to open the new office by the end of the month — a decision the firm says will help it access more of the region’s client base.

Stonebridge was founded in 2002 and has since operated primarily in Pennsylvania’s capital region, first in Lemoyne and later in Wormleysburg.

The firm has clients across the country and has strengthened its virtual communication like many other firms. However, while the company has the ability to hold online meetings with clients, there is still value in face to face meetings, said Jeffrey Kline, senior financial advisor, and one of three advisers moving to the new location.

“We embrace being in the communities so we can be face to face with clients,” said Kline. “We’ve worked virtually with our clients over the last 14 months but as we return to some normalcy, we looked at this as an opportunity to expand into the Lancaster marketplace.”

That face to face communication is particularly important with Stonebridge’s family wealth clients, which Kline referred to as a “highly relational business.”

“A lot of the higher risks folks for COVID are close to retirement age,” he said. “We were nimble and able to execute a virtual experience but it wasn’t that personalized contact that a lot of our clients seek out.”

Finding a new location was significantly easier the second time around, according to Kline, who said the pandemic caused many businesses to decrease their space, causing more inventory to crop up.

Stonebridge’s new location at 26A East Roseville Road, Lancaster, opens on April 27.

The firm’s founders and directors, Johnathan Freeman and Brian McCarver, said that the move will allow the firm to offer the same investment consultation services that it has used to help realize and secure financial goals spanning generations.

“We want Lancaster residents, businesses and organizations to understand the opportunities and potential rewards that become available by taking a proactive approach to their financial situations and retirement plans,” they said.