MAYBVM

308 309 AT A GLANCE VALUE PARTNERS INVESTMENTS WHAT: A Mutual Fund Company WHERE: Head office in Winnipeg, Manitoba WEBSITE: www.valuepartnersinvestments.ca VALUE PARTNERS INVESTMENTS TAKING THE FEAR OUT OF INVESTING VALUE PARTNERS INVESTMENTS S tarting up a business in a market dominated by the big banks and multi-billion-dollar mutual fund companies would be more than enough to cause family and friends to question your sanity. Considering the long odds and the countless failed companies littering the financial services landscape, there would have to be some ultra-compelling reason to convince your loved ones not to call a team of mental health experts to haul you away for extensive therapy. Luckily for Gregg Filmon, he had that compelling reason. Back in 2006, the now-president of Value Partners Investments (VPI) had spent nearly a decade in the in- dustry. He shared the same view as Jim Lawton, a veteran independent financial planner, that investors needed a firm where advisors invested their own money alongside theirs, was open and transparent about all business deci- sions and always sought to reduce fees, find efficiencies and reward long-time clients. “That was the vision when Jim hired me and his son, Paul, (VPI’s chief operating offi-