Suncoast Wealth Solutions had an official welcome-to-town celebration with a ribbon cutting on June 14.
It was hosted by the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce and brought out many from the community.
The financial firm is located at 104 W. Reynolds St. Suite # 12, where it has operated since February.
Michelle Engle, a chartered retirement planning counselor, and Jennifer Girling, a certified financial planner, are at the helm of the company that is new to Plant City. They are the only two who work at the office branch.
“We’re a full service financial advisory firm,” Engle said. “We offer a multitude of things as far as wealth management, financial planning investing, college savings plans, and insurance.” It also has retirement planning services for things such as IRAs and 401Ks.
Suncoast works under its broker, Lincoln Investment – based in Philadelphia, and its main office is located in Saint Petersburg. The firm also has advisors in Phoenix, AZ, and Sarasota as well. However, there’s a vision to see more spring up locally.
There’s always the prospect that Suncoast could expand in the Tampa Bay area, Engle said.
For the past nine years she has built up her clientele. Although, her career path had initially taken a much different turn.
She received her undergraduate degree in education and then her master’s degree in education leadership with the intentions of becoming an administrator.
For seven years she was a teacher in Hillsborough County.
With the encouragement of a friend, she began to familiarize herself with stocks, bonds and mutual funds – things she had no clue about as an educator.
“I didn’t know the first thing,” Engle said. “I didn’t even know what type of accounts I had as a teacher. I just knew I was putting money away.”
At age 29, she decided to leave education and go into the world of finance. She trained and worked at a large brokerage firm in Tampa where she trained, then worked at for five years.
Over the years, she was able to obtain several licenses such as the Series 66 and 7 as well the 2-15.
These credentials have allowed her to buy or sell anything on the New York Stock Exchange, become an investment advisor, and provide insurance to others.
She has already taken classes to become a certified financial planner and will soon take her exam.
After her five years of service at the brokerage firm, she decided to become an independent advisor, and worked remotely from home for three years.
Even with the shift in her work life, she still had loyal clients who chose to remain with her. After three years at home, she decided she was ready to start working from an office again.
“Lincoln has been wonderful and welcoming, and all my colleagues at Suncoast – they’re family first and client-first-driven,” Engle said. “It’s not about the product. It’s not about generating this revenue. It’s about doing what’s right every moment and every step of the way. I love the community. I love this place and I couldn’t ask for better people to raise my children around.”
It wasn’t until after college that Girling decided to go into the world of finance. She had worked for the same brokerage firm as Engle, at the Miami office. She has been providing financial planning, insurance, and investment services for 26 years.
In 2020, she left the firm and came aboard Suncoast.
Last year, she moved from Miami to Plant City and began working alongside Engle.
“I have a very solid relationship with my clients, helping them 24/7 if they need it,” Girling said.
The majority of her clients are still in Miami and every so often she’ll travel down there to see them in person. And her service isn’t confined to just Florida but has branched out across the country.
Girling moved to Plant City after being encouraged by Engle to explore the area.
Leaving the city life in Miami and relocating to the small town was due to her wanting a more peaceful and quiet environment to raise her children, Girling said.
Her schedule at Suncoast allows her to spend quality time with her family and connect with the locals.
“I’ve been here less than a year and I’ve made some really good friends, and it’s just a really close-knit community that welcomed me with open arms,” she said.
Both ladies said they want to build good relationships with the Plant City residents by making their office a welcoming environment.
“I also believe it’s important for the community to have a safe place to come to just to ask questions,” Engle said. “I don’t care if you’re a client or not. If you’re concerned about something, whether you work with me today or in the future, or maybe not at all, feel free to come by.”