Volunteer Team Award
North Star Resource Group Team
Edward G. Deutschlander
Scott Richards North Star Charitable Foundation
North Star Resource Group Advisors
Securian Financial
Charitable giving is a way of life for the 300 advisors and employees of North Star Resource Group in Minneapolis (broker/dealer, Securian Financial Group Inc.). The firm’s financial advisors and other staff have donated nearly $1.2 million to its charitable arm, The Scott Richards North Star Charitable Foundation, since it began in 2004.
Furthermore, company officers donate at least $150,000 annually to the foundation, which focuses on cystic fibrosis, breast cancer awareness, bikes for kids, ataxia, myelofibrosis and Alzheimer’s disease – all causes that have touched employees personally.
North Star founder Phil Richards credits the organization’s philanthropic prowess to the fact that the example was set from the top. He established the foundation to “show leadership to inspire other people to do the right thing,” he said.
“There’s a lot of pain out there – the need is insatiable and takes everyone,” he said. From growing up in poverty to losing his son to myelofibrosis, Mr. Richards has transformed his own painful experiences into a zeal for giving.
Mr. Richards said that providing the opportunity for charitable engagement fosters employee retention and productivity. “It supports the mission of our company, and our [employees] feel like they are changing lives. It’s hard to leave a company with character,” he said.