What’s In A Name?

I am often asked about the name Aspen Grove Investments and how I came up with it. It is a somewhat different name in this part of the country and also in this industry where names that are hybrids of “Integrity”, “Global” and “Entrepreneurial” are often over-used.

Confucius said: “Ability will never catch up with the demand for it.”

I chose the name Aspen Grove Investments centered very much on the quote above and the desire to provide abilities to our clients that they demand and deserve. We believe that if we provide the ability the demand will take care of itself.

Aspen. At the time of starting our company we were on a trail ride in Colorado and the tour guide was explaining that the Aspen was arguably the largest living organism on earth.

[Aspens] typically grow in large clonal colonies derived from a single seedling, and spreading by means of root suckers; new stems in the colony may appear at up to 30–40 metres from the previous trees. Each individual tree can live for 40–150 years above ground, but the root system of the colony is long-lived, sending up new trunks as the older trunks die off above ground, spreading about a metre per year, sometimes eventually covering many hectares. They are able to survive forest fires because the roots are below the heat of the fire, and new sprouts can grow from the roots. One such colony of American aspen…in Utah, given the nickname of “Pando”, is estimated to be 80,000 years old, making it possibly the oldest living colony of aspens. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspen_tree

I liked the idea of an organism springing from a single seedling and growing into a colony which could survive under extreme circumstances.

Grove. The growth to a colony fit well with my concept of growing a virtual firm which aligned itself with other firms with complementary skills and experience. In this way we provide services required by clients that could not be produced elsewhere and we wanted to incorporate this in our name.

The “Grove” becomes self-sustaining over time and serves to support and nurture others in the grove through a well established root system. No single firm has the array of experiences and skills that a group of seasoned professionals can provide. It is in this spirit that I made the decision to join Business Legacy, LLC as an independent contractor. I am proud to say that Aspen Grove Investments was the first firm ever certified by Business Legacy. Each of the individuals in this group has significant experience in areas that add depth to the services that Aspen Grove can provide and we believe that Aspen Grove can provide depth to the services that Business Legacy offers.

We will continue to function as normal as Aspen Grove Investments, simply with added experience and skill-sets at our disposal when needed. We also have, and will continue to develop, relationships with other professionals and organizations, such as the Exit Planning Institute and other local firms and advisors, as we have in the past and will work with each client’s personal advisors to form a solid, experienced team. We feel this teamwork approach will be unparalleled in providing the service you deserve in planning and executing your business ownership transition.

Investments. This is a word that sometimes causes confusion in our brand name. We make strategic investments in the groups with whom we associate, both financially and with time and training. We expect them to invest in us in similar ways.

For example, I am required to complete 20 hours of continuing education with the Exit Planning Institute each year to maintain my Certified Exit Planning Advisor designation and 36 hours every three years to maintain my Iowa Real Estate Broker’s license. I participate in other training and networking groups that provide excellent experiences and visibility into the regional business community. We have carefully evaluated the organizations we work with and recommend so that you can feel confident in those that we bring to the table. Those that do not meet our requirements are eliminated.

We also fight the common axiom that people in the business planning and business brokerage field should be a “mile wide and an inch deep.” We feel that your business deserves much more than that and we invest time to get to know you, your business and your industry in a way that no one else will.

That is our investment in you in exchange for the trust you invest in us. Before you entrust your most precious asset, your business, to someone you should ask yourself “What’s In the Name?”