Heim, Young add Branson branch

While a familiar family name in finance is returning to Springfield, a familiar face in the Springfield financial industry is making its presence felt in Branson.

Financial planning firm Heim, Young & Associates Inc. opened its first Branson office Aug. 13 inside the Corporate Summit Office Complex on Buccaneer Road. The center is owned by Akers & Arney Insurance, which also has its headquarters in the complex.

Two full-time employees in the Branson office will get support from Springfield, said Dean Young, who co-founded the company with Dennis Heim. Young added that he will visit Branson clients several times a month.

The decision to expand to Branson, Young said, was based primarily on the existing customer base in the area, built through 20 years of business in Springfield and the firm's weekly TV segment, "Today's Money," which has aired on KY3 since 1993.

"It's a diversified area," Young said of Branson. "Obviously, it's built on tourism, but it seems to be a diversified economy that we think will grow quite a bit in the next few years."

David Arney, president of Akers & Arney Insurance, said adding Heim, Young & Associates fills the financial services side of Corporate Summit. Tom Boyce Excavating Inc. and Elite Landscaping also have space in the complex.

"Akers & Arney is a risk-reduction management firm, but we don't really provide investment services," Arney said. "Heim, Young, with 20 years of experience in the Springfield market, really rounds out the services we wanted to offer at the Corporate Summit."

Arney noted that his company is not currently charging rent for the space, because he considers Heim, Young & Associates' services to be an added benefit to clients.

"It's only about 300 square feet - it's basically two offices that were sitting empty," Arney said.

He noted that commercial rent rates in the Branson market range from $18 to $30 per square foot depending on location and amenities, though no future lease rate has been decided for the Corporate Summit, which was built in 2006.