With more than 200 of our members having worked at the firm for twenty years or more, this blog story and the newsletter will feature stories from our members about their time with the firm.
The two strengths that have kept me at AIM/Invesco are the people and the career progression
Bryan Richardson
Katherine Davis joined AIM in June 1994 by answering a blind ad for an accounting position that was posted in the Houston Chronicle. "I had recently moved to Houston from Huntsville, Alabama as my husband was transferred with his job – working for Boeing on the Space Station. Honestly time has flown by – basically I blinked and I am closing in on my 29th year. During my tenure, I became a CPA, a mom to 2 boys, and now an empty nester. What has kept me at the firm…..simple….the people!! I have met lifelong friends working at AIM. Several of them are no longer employed with the firm but we remain close today.
I have met lifelong friends working at AIM
Katherine Davis
Anne Warnock moved to Houston from Scotland in the early 90's intending to stay a couple of years. She joined AIM as Supervisor of Corporate Services in 1992, and worked for 20 years in Facilities and Corporate Properties. "AIM brought me more than a great career and enduring friendships - my husband, Tim, and I met on the 25th floor of 11 Greenway Plaza, and we were married in Edinburgh in May 2004."
Becky Andrews clocked in at 25 years with the firm in June, 2022. She started working at AIM when her daughter was five years old, and now Becky is a first time grandmother. Her grand daughter was born in February 2023. While Becky could retire, she says she always worked, enjoys structure, and has something to get up for. “I like the people”, said Becky. “I worked in the bond business for 18 years and then the company closed and I moved on. When I went to work for AIM management, I worked for Ted Bauer until he passed away. There is a delightful picture of us dancing at an engagement party. I was a rotten dancer and he made me dance. Next, I worked for Bob Graham. After Bob retired, I joined the technology team.”
Tonya McManus joined the firm as a temp in late 1996 and was offered a full time position as an administrative assistant with Carol Drawe in 1997 working with the fixed income team. "My all time favorite memory is during the Christmas holiday I headed the Adopt An Angel project where employees would provide gifts for underprivileged children," recalls Tonya. "I relocated to Atlanta in 2013 with my group and it has been a great career move. I’ve chosen to remain with the company because there are so many opportunities to learn and move to different parts of the company and the support the company provides."
Manuel Castro, pictured in Las Vegas with his daughter, wife and his father, celebrated 27 years with the firm this year. Manuel is a Senior Derivatives Analyst in Portfolio Operations. "In my 27 years with the firm, I have done settlements for Domestic, Foreign, Fixed Income, TBAs, Powershares and Money Market. "I am very blessed to still be working here," said Manuel. "Some of my fondest memories at AIM were the barbeques after reaching a billion in assets under management. The once a year picnic and most of all the Christmas party. But I also missed the quarterly meeting with Mr. Bauer( God rest his sole ) and then Mr. Bob Graham. I remember when I first started at AIM, Mr. Bauer came to our new employee orientation and took the time to meet us and tell us the beginning of AIM and how it was founded by Charles (Ted) Bauer, Bob Graham and Gary Crum. Now with the recent pandemic, I realized the importance of spending more time with family. I am very thankful to AIM Investments (AIM Family of Funds) for giving me the opportunity to start my investment career and still be working with Invesco."
Some of my fondest memories at AIM were the barbeques after reaching a billion in assets under management
Manuel Castro
When Connie Porter first applied at AIM, in April 1995, she was hoping to get a job working in the Training Department as that was her minor in college. "Unfortunately," said Connie, "I did not have the experience required for that job and was denied an interview. I contacted the HR Dept and told them I would appreciate the opportunity to talk to them in person as my resume may not show all the experience I actually had. The good news is they agreed and found a better fit for my skills in the IT Department as an 'Automation Specialist' for Legal and Compliance due to my Computer Configuration and Sales knowledge. Over the years, I've worn many hats, such as IT Support, Project Manager, Team Lead, Business Analyst and currently as a Principal Engineer (i.e., Software Developer) and … survived Y2K, multiple mergers, and system upgrades. And, when I say survived, I mean we were busier than a one-armed paper hanger. But those times allowed me to grow and learn as I might not have at a smaller firm. So, for all my 26 years of ups and downs, I wouldn't change a thing and hope to retire in 7 years from my Invesco family."
Rhonda (Rowan) Kirkpatrick is currently a Compliance Manager for Communications Compliance at Invesco. She joined AIM in 1999, and is another of our colleagues celebrating 20 plus years with the firm.
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The company has often done a great job promoting from within...opening new doors for my career
Bryan Richardson
Bryan Richardson has been with the firm since 1995. He left in 1999 for several years to attend graduate school at The University of Texas, then returned to the firm in 2002. Bryan has been a Senior Client Portfolio Manager supporting the Diversified Dividend Team since 2021. "The two strengths that have kept me at AIM/Invesco for so many years are the people and continued career progression opportunities," said Bryan. "In terms of the people, many of my co-workers over the years have become some of my closest friends. We’ve been able to celebrate the most important things in life including weddings, the birth of children, kids graduating from high school and moving onto college, and retirement from Invesco and other firms. In terms of career progression opportunities, the company has often done a great job at promoting from within rather than going outside to fill positions, and that has always opened new doors for my career."
Rudy Cabarrubia is a Client Relationship Manager covering Retirement and Insurance Partners. "I began my career with AIM Funds in 1999 in the Transfer Agent as a Representative within the AIM Summit Group," said Rudy. "This team was a subset of Client Services that had the primary responsibilities of supporting clients invested in the AIM Summit Fund. After holding several positions in the Transfer Agent I found my calling at AIM/Invesco when I accepted a position in 2004 with the Distributor’s Institutional Business Development team. My early experiences on this team helped lay the foundation to a long-term career as a Client Relationship Manager partnering with some of the firms largest and most tenured clients in the Retirement and Insurance space.
What has kept me at the firm has been the amazing people I've had the privilege of working with and the friendships buld over the years
Ruby Cabarrubi
"What has kept me at the firm has been the amazing people I’ve had the privilege of working with and the friendships built over the years. Some of my closest friends today are with people I originally met at AIM. There have been a lot of fond memories during my time with AIM/Invesco from shooting free throws in the Summit arena during our $100 Billion milestone celebration to building lasting friendships with those in my new hire training class. However, the most special memory of all was meeting Lidia Resendiz for the first time in the lobby of 11 Greenway Plaza. I didn’t know it at the time, but she would later become my soulmate and mother to our daughter Roxana."
Lidia is also still at the firm, coming up on 25 years. She is a Senior Compliance Officer - Trust. “ In 1999 I started off as an administrative assistant in the pricing group under the leadership of Mary Benson,” shared Lidia. “With the help of the firm, I was able to go back to school, earn my finance degree and move up to assistant manager. One of my highlights in that team was in 2012 when I was offered a 4-month secondment in London with their pricing team. I had never been overseas before, and it was an unforgettable experience! I even had a chance to have a pint with Jeff Andrews! In 2014, as part of the company’s mentorship program, I was able to recognize it was time for a change and fortunately landed in my current group – Invesco’s Distributor’s compliance team supporting Invesco’s Trust Company. I am grateful for the people I have met along the way, but there are no words to describe how I will forever be appreciative in meeting Rudy Cabarrubia. He solidified the definition of happiness for me.”