Forty Years Serving Clients: Meet Diane R.

The Charles Schwab Corporation was founded in 1973, and apart from Chuck himself, very few employees can say they’ve been with the firm for that length of tenure.

One of those longest-serving employees is Diane R., who’s celebrating her 40th anniversary with the firm from her seat in the branch in Naperville, Illinois. 

Question: Diane, just wow. Congratulations on celebrating 40 years with the firm! Tell us more about that…

Diane: Thanks! It has been and continues to be a very special journey. My official anniversary date is February 11. I first started my work with a company called Rose in 1981. Schwab acquired it in 1989 and the firm recognized my tenure. These days I work as a client relationship manager. I love what I do. I get to focus on service, procedures and compliance, and I hope through my years of experience I can provide quality counsel to my colleagues.

Question: What has kept you at the firm all these years?

Diane: I think mostly I love the Schwab culture. I love our focus on putting clients first and how we truly emphasize seeing things through their eyes. Schwab is a stable firm and we’ve survived a lot. I always tell my friends that Schwab is a rock-solid place to work and that we focus on ethics. That matters to me.

Question: What’s changed in 40 years?

Diane: I think one of the most interesting and impactful changes in financial services has been the advent of digital trading. Before the online experience took hold, clients used to hang out in the branch lobbies to make trades and we’d have staff on hand to make those trades whenever they were ready.

Question: Tell us a bit about your life outside of work?

Diane: I’ve been married for 34 years and have three children. My husband and I have a lot of interests, including country music, craft beer and baseball. Personally, I also really enjoy running and American history.