From Mount Hood, to Cannon Beach, I enjoyed exploring Oregon for the five years I lived there. If there is one thing I learned after walking up and down Mississippi Ave during the Mississippi St Fair, running from Mt. Hood to Seaside in 24 hours, and eating donuts with captain crunch on top, it is that Portland is keeping it weird!
And weirdly enough, I moved to another city that touts its strangeness via ‘Keeping it Weird’ bumper stickers: Austin, Texas. And although so many things here are different, quite a bit has stayed the same. The scenic mountains are replaced by the beautiful hill country, my running sanctuary in Forest park has become Town Lake trail, and my occasional weekend spent at the beach with just my toes in the freezing water are now spent at Barton Springs, well, still with just my toes in the freezing spring fed water!
It is exactly the uniqueness of both Portland and Austin that fosters the growth and independence of small businesses that do outstanding work, such as Independent Actuaries. Founded in Portland in 1994 by Paul Engstrom on core values of respect, trust and quality work, the company has now become the largest independently owned actuarial firm in the Pacific Northwest and has clients throughout the United States.
So now Independent Actuaries brings their superior retirement plan design and administration consulting skills to the capital of the Lone Star State. And I have to add that I feel very fortunate to work with this group of talented, caring individuals, albeit now from a few miles away. I look forward to helping them expand from a city I loved exploring to a city I am continuing to discover!
If you are interested in exploring a qualified plan, from Austin, Portland, or any other city, please contact us at 503-520-0848 or www.independentactuaries.com/contact!
