About Wamhoff

Wamhoff Financial Planning & Accounting Services was founded in 1975 by Bob Wamhoff in North St. Louis County. Over the years, Wamhoff has grown into one of the largest independent financial planning firms in the United States, and has received scores of local and industry awards for their work and business practices.

Marketing Challenge

After over 30 years of dominating the North St. Louis County market, Wamhoff made the decision to move operations to St. Charles, an area where many of the firm’s clients had relocated and where many growth opportunities were available. Although he and many of his team members resided in St. Charles, Bob knew that his challenge was being a business outsider in the community. After a failed attempt with a PR firm to establish the Wamhoff name in 2008, the firm turned to Kolbeco in 2009 to accomplish the task.

Strategic Solution

Kolbeco facilitated an extensive discovery session with the Wamhoff leadership team, identifying the unique offering they brought to the market and crafting messaging that would resonate with the audience. A strategic plan was then put in place which involved:

• Partnership with KMOX radio and Mark Reardon as spokesperson for the brand
• Partnership with KTVI (Fox 2) which positioned Wamhoff as a financial expert for the station
• Extensive public relations campaign which has gained exposure for Wamhoff and their Honduran charity, Timmy’s Mountain: Just Because We Care
• Pursuit of local and industry awards, including, among others, a multi-year run on St. Louis Small Business Monthly’s Best in Business lists, Barron’s Top Advisors, St. Charles Employer of the Year, Streetscape Magazine’s Beyond the Best in Business, and Invest in Others, a national award recognizing community service.
• Involvement and support of local community events and charitable efforts

Since relocating to St. Charles and embarking on this extensive campaign, Wamhoff has grown its staff from 18 to 29, nearly doubled its assets under management, and is positioned today as one of the largest independent financial planning firms in the United States.