RubinBrown: Core Values

Chapter 1

From the Beginning

T he year was 2000. The setting for the annual Partner Retreat was tranquil and peaceful, at the small lake community of Innsbrook, less than an hour west of St. Louis. At that time, the firm was much smaller than it is today. RubinBrown had only one location, 212 team members and $22.5M in revenue. The firm made it through the Y2K craze and the partners were focused on the future of the firm and its growth. The discussion at the retreat was lively. The main challenge presented to the group during that weekend meeting was: How can we preserve RubinBrown’s culture as the firm grows? Developing guiding principles was a major focus of the retreat, along with growing the firm and recruiting talent. Using Goldman Sachs’ 14 guiding principles as an example, the partners decided to formalize the values by which the firm was already living.

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