Watching the fish meandering around one of the giant aquariums at Bass Pro Shops caused Robert Hendrickson to examine his own life and career path.
“It occurred to me that we are each different fish but that we all have a vested interest in the quality of the water in which we swim,” he says.
Until recently, Hendrickson believed that his focus on a management career would eventually take him away from Springfield. But he is quickly making a name for himself as a financial adviser with New York Life Insurance Co., where he has been promoted to management associate. It is a role that allows him to grow professionally – right here in the Ozarks.
“The decision to put my family first and develop a permanent practice here made the state of the community of utmost importance to me,” Hendrickson says. “As a result, I have taken on new pursuits as well as volunteering for positions of leadership within my current activities.”
At New York Life, Hendrickson not only has the opportunity to operate his own financial planning practice, he also enjoys being able to help guide others in their careers. “I have been able to teach seminars and continuing education classes for new and experienced agents, as well as teaching financial fundamentals classes for students in the community,” he says. “At the same time, my career has been built on making families and businesses in the community more prepared for the future. It always is an awesome moment to look into the eyes of a client and say, ‘Congratulations, you’re retired.’”
Hendrickson holds several industry-specific licenses and designations, including chartered life underwriter and chartered financial consultant. He also has a master’s degree in music composition, leading to a diverse lineup of community activities, including serving as a board member, musician, composer and arranger for Caduceus-The Doctors Band. He has published musical pieces through Wingert-Jones, composed a national-championship-winning piece for the Evangel Temple youth handbell choir and represented southwest Missouri in Jefferson City as part of a task force to write grade-level expectations for the fine arts for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. He also has volunteered as a math tutor through Springfield Public Schools.
A member of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, Hendrickson has formed bowling teams for the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Bowl-a-Thon for three years. He’s also active with the local chapter of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.
“I intend to continue to seek influential involvement within Springfield … in order to do my part to make this not only an attractive place to grow my own business but to be able to attract other professionals – especially young professionals – to bring their businesses and jobs to this community.”
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