Wedbush Securities Welcomes Alex Froloff as Financial Consultant in Pasadena, CA

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Wedbush Securities Welcomes Alex Froloff as Financial Consultant in Pasadena, CA

2025-01-09 21:30 Last Updated At：21:52

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 9, 2025--

Wedbush Securities, a prominent diversified independent financial services provider, is pleased to announce that Alex Froloff has joined the firm as a Financial Consultant in Wealth Management.

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Joining from Merrill Lynch, Froloff brings more than 25 years of experience designing, implementing, and consulting on retirement plans for executives and business owners. Throughout his career, Froloff has worked to establish customized wealth management and investment strategies for his clientele with a focus on their unique goals and current financial circumstances. His expertise lies in retirement planning, and he is passionate about helping business owners and their families pave the way for retirement and beyond.

“There is a wealth of resources and products at Wedbush that will enable me to fully support the needs of business owners so they can ease their financial burdens and focus on growing their pensions and retirement plans. Wedbush’s entrepreneurial spirit is a match for my personality and the potential for growth here is very clear,” Froloff said.

"We are thrilled that Alex has joined our growing Wealth Management team in Pasadena. His extensive experience and expertise will play a key role as we continue to expand our Los Angeles area presence and enhance our client offerings,” adds EVP, Head of Wealth Management, Chris Mone.

Froloff is a long-time resident of Southern California and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

About Wedbush Securities

Wedbush Securities, the largest subsidiary of Wedbush Financial Services, has been a prominent name in the financial industry since its establishment in 1955. Renowned for offering a comprehensive array of services, including securities brokerage, wealth management, and investment banking, Wedbush caters to both private and institutional clients. With its headquarters in Los Angeles, California, the firm operates 100 registered offices and employs nearly 900 professionals. Wedbush is dedicated to client service, financial safety, innovation, and leveraging advanced technology.

Securities and Investment Advisory services are offered through Wedbush Securities Inc. MemberNYSE/FINRA/SIPC

SW Graduate School of Banking Announces 2025 Distinguished Service and Distinguished Alumnus Awards

2025-04-05 02:14 Last Updated At：02:20

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 4, 2025--

The SW Graduate School of Banking at SMU Cox (SWGSB), a nationally renowned source for banking executive education, has announced the SW Graduate School of Banking’s highest honors for 2025. H. Gary Blankenship, chairman, CEO and chief lending officer of Bank of the West, will be honored with the Distinguished Service Award on May 29, 2025, and Ron Butler, chairman and CEO of First Financial Bank Abilene Region, executive vice president and CAO of First Financial Bankshares, Inc., and a graduate of SWGSB Class XXXVII, will be honored with the Distinguished Alumnus Award on June 5, 2025.

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“We’re proud to announce these award recipients who have contributed immense time and talent to the betterment of their communities, their banking institutions, and SWGSB,” said William T. Chittenden, Ph.D., president and CEO of SWGSB. “They represent the best of SWGSB, and we are honored to present them with these awards.”

H. Gary Blankenship
Distinguished Service Award
Born in Lockney, Texas in 1940, Gary Blankenship began his banking career as a National Bank Examiner with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency stationed in Denver, Boulder, and Grand Junction, Colorado. He has been chairman and CEO of Greater Southwest Bancshares, Inc., and Bank of the West since chartering the bank in 1986. Bank of the West has grown to include nine locations in Texas in Flower Mound, Grapevine, Horseshoe Bay, Irving, Lewisville, Marble Falls, Ponder, and Vernon. Blankenship embodies the bank’s motto of, “It’s personal with Bank of the West.” He was previously president and CEO of two other local banks and served several years in the corporate structure of other large Texas banking organizations as an officer and director.

A leader in the industry and his community, he has served on the Texas Department of Banking Commissioner’s Council, as a trustee on the Independent Bankers Association of Texas Insurance Bond Trust, and as a director of National Bancshares of Texas, Inc. He previously served on the board and as vice chairman of Adfitech, a mortgage technology and consulting company. Blankenship is a director of The Independent Bankers Bank (TIB), a $2.9 billion-asset bank that serves as a national community correspondent bankers bank.

Blankenship received the prestigious Chairman’s Award for the Independent Bankers Association of Texas. In 2013, he and his wife, Cynthia, were named recipients of the prestigious D. E. Box Citizens of the Year Award for Grapevine, Texas. He was named one of the top 500 Most Powerful Business Leaders in Dallas-Fort Worth for 2016 and 2017.

Blankenship is an active community servant and is a member of the boards of directors of the Irving Chamber of Commerce, Irving Symphony, and Dallas Summer Musicals. He has a master’s of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Dallas.

Blankenship graduated from West Texas State University, now known as West Texas A&M, with a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Accounting in 1969 and received a master’s of Business Administration from the University of Dallas in 1982. He has completed various other courses in commercial lending, bank accounting, and one year of law school.

Married to Cynthia Blankenship, a banker and cofounder of the Bank of the West, they have three daughters, three granddaughters, and one grandson. Their daughters are also involved in the bank and/or mortgage company.

Ron Butler
Distinguished Alumnus Award
Ron Butler is the chairman and CEO of First Financial Bank Abilene Region in Abilene, Texas, a $14 billion bank with 79 branches located throughout Texas. Butler is also executive vice president and CAO of First Financial Bankshares, Inc. He has been with First Financial for 31 years and previously was CEO of First Financial Bank in Eastland and Stephenville.

Butler has been active in the community serving on numerous boards and is the former board chair of the Abilene Industrial Foundation and Abilene Chamber of Commerce. He also serves on the Advisory Council of the Excellence in Banking program at the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University. Butler served a six-year term on the Brazos River Authority board of directors, appointed by Governor Rick Perry.

He has served numerous terms as a director of the Texas Bankers Association and is currently serving as its vice chair. He was inducted into the Texas Bankers Hall of Fame in 2023. Butler has a bachelor’s of Business Administration degree from Texas Tech University and a master’s of Business Administration degree from Tarleton State University. He is a graduate of SWGSB Class XXXVII. Butler was named a Distinguished Alumni by Texas Tech University in 2024.

Married to Lorilei Butler, and they have two grown children, a son and a daughter who are also graduates of the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University.

To learn more about SWGSB’s nationally renowned program that propels careers, visit www.swgsb.org/summer2025.

ABOUT THE SW GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BANKING AT SMU COX

Since 1957, the SW Graduate School of Banking at SMU Cox (SWGSB) has educated and empowered bankers in all positions, other financial services professionals and affiliates, regulators, bank directors, and aspiring bank directors with knowledge and relationships that strengthen careers, organizations, and communities. SWGSB is a nationally recognized leader in banking and commercial lending education, bank management training, and bank director training programs. Learn more at swgsb.org or call 214.768.2991 for more information.