When Jill McGruder arrived at IFS
Financial Services in 1991, she was
the third person hired to build the Western Southern Life Insurance subsidiary. She was tasked with developing
and expanding new products and services
beyond the 100-year-old company’s traditional life insurance.
She was also charged
with building a team
within Western
Southern that would
be fully supportive
of a dynamic, new
culture that focused
on new products and
services.
While joining a company with a 100-year-old culture can have its challenges,
McGruder jumped right in with fresh ideas.
She also worked diligently to clearly articulate her ideas and strategies and the benefits of both to Western Southern in order
to obtain its resources, which it wasn’t willing to freely give to this new cultural
endeavor.
Throughout the next few years,
McGruder successfully rolled out several
new products to IFS Financial’s customers,
and her entrepreneurial outlook created
significant organic growth for the company. In 1999, Western Southern purchased
Country Wide Funds as a structural growth
strategy, and while it had been through a
rough patch, she hired the right people and
obtained the resources to lead a turnaround with the business. She was also
able to capitalize on the company’s hidden
potential, which Western Southern hadn’t
even realized when buying it.
As she works toward the future,
McGruder wants to continue growing IFS
organically, but she will also look at acquisitions and mergers with existing funds to
develop the company’s access and distribution channels.
HOW TO REACH: IFS Financial Services, (513) 362-8000 or
www.wsfinancialgroup.com
