Boston’s Centinel Financial Group pairs client appreciation with philanthropy
Philanthropic causes can be one of the best places to put your marketing time and energies as a business practitioner. With these types of activities, the primary goal is helping an organization or people in need. One financial firm recently made a decision to combine a client appreciation event with a philanthropic purpose – supporting their local food bank –along with the help of some notable chefs in Boston.
Centinel Financial Group, LLC, a wealth management firm in Massachusetts, joined forces with three of Boston’s notable chefs and restaurateurs: Andy Husbands, Jeremy Sewall and Christopher Coombs, to support The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB). The event was held in honor of GBFB’s mission to provide at least one meal a day to every person in need in eastern Massachusetts. The event, entitled “The Boston Chefs Table”, was held at The Greater Boston Food Bank on Saturday, October 26, 2013. The client gala featured a multi-course dinner prepared by the esteemed chefs for over 200 guests of Centinel Financial Group, LLC. The event raised over $65,000 for The Greater Boston Food Bank with donations coming through Centinel Financial Group’s financial professionals and staff, matching gifts from John Hancock in Boston, MA and clients and guests of the firm who were in attendance.
“It was a privilege to partner which such a fine organization to assist in the mission to feed the hungry,” said Mark C. Sullivan, Centinel Financial Group’s Managing Partner. “We were pleased to be able to share the experience with our clients.”
About the Chefs:
Andy Husbands, the award-winning chef/owner of Tremont 647 & Sister Sorel in Boston’s South End, has been enticing patrons with his adventurous American cuisine at his South End neighborhood restaurant and bar for 16 years. Husbands competes with his internationally recognized BBQ team: iQUE BBQ, and released his third cookbook this past spring, Wicked Good Burgers.
Jeremy Sewall, a graduate from the esteemed Culinary Institute of America, opened Lineage in Brookline in 2006 with his wife, Lisa in 2009. In 2010, Sewall teamed up with Garrett Harker, owner of Eastern Standard, and Skip Bennett, founder of Island Creek Oysters, to bring the Island Creek Oyster Bar to the city of Boston. Next month, Sewall will open Row 34 in South Boston.
Christopher Coombs, a competitor on Food Network’s “Chopped”, graduated from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America. Known for his work at Boston’s dbar, Coombs opened his first restaurant with Brian Piccini, Deuxave, located in Boston’s Back Bay. In early 2013, Coombs opened Boston Chops, an upscale urban steak bistro in Boston’s South End.
Tiffany A. Markarian, Centinel Financial Group’s Director of Business Development, said that hosting a philanthropic gala, like any client appreciation event, requires thorough preparation and attention to detail. “With the goal being to raise money for charity, it is imperative that you are able to secure donations and discounts for food and keep the overall event costs low,” she said. She added that if you are having the event at the charity’s main headquarters or offices, you need to have each vendor post their certificates of liability insurance and have both the charity and your firm be added as additional insureds on the insurance certificates. You also need to make sure that any monetary donations that are collected that evening are made out to the charity and not to your firm or your staff.
This event helped Centinel Financial Group, LLC demonstrate to their clients how dedicated the firm is to the local community, while at the same time, providing their clients and guests with a truly memorable experience. It was a shared unique opportunity where clients and the firm partnered together for a higher purpose. Not only did the event bring the firm and its clients closer together, but it also helped personalize and humanize the relationship far beyond just working on financial goals.
The Greater Boston Food Bank is one of the largest food banks in the country. Last year, GBFB distributed close to 48 million pounds of food, enough to provide 40 million healthy meals to as many as 545,000 people. GBFB is committed to providing at least one meal a day to every person in need in eastern Massachusetts.
