Title: Senior Retirement Account Manager
Company: Gus Bates Insurance & Investments, a division of HUB International Texas, Inc.
Location: Fort Worth, TX
Education: BBA in Management with a specialty in Accounting at Baylor University Hankamer School of Business, 2004 – 2008
Career History: Senior Account Manager Retirement Plan Services at Gus Bates Insurance & Investments, Fort Worth, TX, Oct 2008 – Present;
Benefits Specialist at Jaynes, Reitmeier, Boyd & Therrell, P.C., Jan 2007 – Sep 2008;
Independent Contractor at Southwestern Company, May 2006 – Aug 2006
Type of Business: Retirement Executive
Susan Blassingame, Senior Retirement Account Manager at Gus Bates Insurance & Investments, a division of HUB International Texas, Inc., has been recognized as a Marquis Emerging Leader for their contributions and achievements in the field.
Initially, Ms. Blassingame set out to work as an accountant but when looking for an internship, she couldn’t find any in the field. She came across an open position in a pension department and worked there for two years before finding her niche with Gus Bates Insurance & Investments. She has been with the firm since 2008 and has enjoyed her time helping clients. Prior to this work, she worked as a benefits specialist for Jaynes, Reitmeier, Boyd & Therell, P.C. from 2007 to 2008 and as an independent contractor for Southwestern University in 2006.
Ms. Blassingame is supported in her work by her academic background. She earned a BBA in management with a specialty in accounting from Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business in 2008. Furthermore, she holds Series 6 and 63 licenses and certifications, and is QKA certified from the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA). In recognition of her work, Ms. Blassingame has been nominated among the Top Women Advisors by the NAPA. Ms. Blassingame attributes her success to the company she works for, as they are family-oriented. Both Gus Bates Senior and Gus Bates Junior have been a great influence in the community and always encouraged people to get involved and really care about the clients they work with. She considers both of them to be great mentors. One of their sayings is “do not tell people how much you know, show them how much you care”. The mentality of caring about what she does combined with hard work is the recipe for her success.
Ms. Blassingame intends on continuing working for Gus Bates Insurance & Investments. Her goal is to continue getting involved in the community and build in her relationships and bring business into the company. She wants to continue to grow, learn and get more credentials in her industry. On a daily basis, Ms. Blassingame is a problem solver. Her main responsibility is to assist and work with HR directors, HR staff and CFOs to make sure they are running their retirement plans in compliance. She provides suggestions for plan designs for their companies. She is also a part of participant education, taking phone calls from employees of retirement plans. She helps people figure out what their retirement goals are and how they can achieve them.