Pioneer Financial Services

Company: Pioneer Financial Services, Kansas City, Mo.
Company Description: Pioneer Financial Services, a privately held company in Kansas City, Mo., has been meeting the financial needs of U.S. military personnel since 1986. Dispersed across a network of offices and online, our 300 associates share one vision: to improve operational readiness through education and services that enhance quality of life and financial independence for military families.
Nomination Category: Company, Office & Product Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Corporate Social Responsibility Program

Nomination Title: Pioneer Financial Services: Quality of Life Initiatives for Military Families

   1. Tell the story about what this nominated company achieved in the past year (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

Founded in 1932, Pioneer Financial Services is one of the country’s leading financial services providers to members of the U.S. Armed Forces. One of the company’s core goals is to improve the quality of life for military families and individuals in the communities it serves.

Pioneer achieved this corporate goal in 2005 by focusing on the financial health and well-being of its customers and giving back to the communities it serves through financial and volunteer support.

Recognizing the importance of educating military families about personal finances and managing their debt, Pioneer developed a financial education program for military services members and their families in 2005. Appropriately named the Break the Debt Cycle program, more than 300 Pioneer associates were certified to train military families in how to manage their finances and debt.  In the first four months of the program’s roll-out, more than 6,175 military families had participated and been certified in these classes, saving these families more than $4.5 million.

In addition, Pioneer partnered with the Institute for Consumer Financial Education (ICFE), training all front line associates as Certified Credit Report Reviewers, who then provided thousands of customers with free consultations about their credit report. Pioneer also implemented a program with ICFE to train its associates as Certified Identity Theft/Risk Management Specialists in order to assist military families
in protecting themselves from credit and identity theft.

In 2005, Pioneer partnered with Park University,  the third largest on-line university, to provide discounted tuition rates for military personnel and their families and developed a certificate program that provides financial education through a series of select courses. Pioneer also published a book titled Personal Finance for Military Families that provides real-world monetary strategies for military families and is available on Amazon.com, implemented a grassroots outreach program to educate Servicemembers about state and federal efforts to crackdown on predatory lending, and revised on-line financial calculators for customers.

Within the community, Pioneer donated more 10 percent ($1.4 million) of its pre-tax income to charities and military programs in the form of scholarships, grants, and in-kind contributions in 2005. In addition, employees donated $4,500 in cash and thousands more in unused vacation time to Hurricane Relief efforts.  When matched by PFS, Katrina contributions totaled more than $20,000.

Furthermore, Pioneer donated $5,000 to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation in 2005, gave more than $40,000 in commissary gift certificates to 1,000 military families during the holiday season, and continued its alliance with Angel Flight Central, a non-profit agency that provides people in need free air transportation to health care facilities.

Pioneer also created a Paid Volunteer Time-Off Program in 2005, offering corporate paid time off to associates who volunteer for charity or philanthropic organizations in their communities. This popular and successful initiative resulted in 3,600 hours of community service for Pioneer’s 300 associates in its first year of operation.

Pioneer Financial Services’ leadership position and commitment of resources to educating military personnel and supporting the community makes it an excellent candidate for 2005 Best Social Responsibility Program.

   2. List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:

Focus on financial education and information:
 
http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/finEducation.do
 
--Providing free credit reports
http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/newsroom_news_
display.do?NewsFileName=news_art73.html
 
--Continuing education
http://www.park.edu/pioneer/
 
--Educating others about military financial services
http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/newsroom_news
_display.do?NewsFileName=news_art52.html

http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/newsroom_speeches
_display.do?SpeechesFileName=news_art75.html

--Books and newsletters
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0595331114/sr=8-1/qid=1143
833104/ref=sr_1_1/103-6120411-7401428?%5Fencoding=UTF8

http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/eBookFormSubmit.do

http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/content/services/newsr
oom/publications/VIP_vIII_n1_May_2005.pdf

http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/content/services/newsr
oom/publications/VIP_vIII_n2_Aug_2005.pdf

http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/content/services/new
sroom/publications/VIP_vIV_n1_Dec_2005.pdf
 
--Break the Debt Cycle program
http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/newsroom_news_displ
ay.do?NewsFileName=news_art61.html

http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/content/education/pubs/
BreakingTheDebtCycle.pdf

Services:
--Video e-mail
http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/newsroom_news_display
.do?NewsFileName=news_art66.html
 
--Help Loan
http://www.icfe.info/financial_news_press_releases/2005/20051022_payday
_lenders_and_the_military.asp
 
http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/newsroom_news_display.do
?NewsFileName=news_art74.html
 
http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/services.do
 
Community volunteer work and donations:

http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/newsroom_news_display.do?
NewsFileName=news_art59.html
 
http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/newsroom_news_display.do?
NewsFileName=news_art63.html

http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/newsroom_news_display.do?
NewsFileName=news_art76.html

http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/newsroom_news_display.do?
NewsFileName=news_art79.html

http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/newsroom_news_display.do?
NewsFileName=news_art82.html

http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/newsroom_news_display.do?
NewsFileName=news_art87.html
 
http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/newsroom_news_display.do?
NewsFileName=news_art89.html

http://www.teamrensimotorsports.com/press.php?storyid=249

http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/services_racing.do
 
http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/newsroom_news_display.do?
NewsFileName=news_art91.html
 
Awards & Recognition:
 
--Freedom Award
http://www.esgr.org/employers2/FAP2006.asp?c=FAP2005recipients.html
 
http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/newsroom_news_display.do?
NewsFileName=news_art80.html
 
--Governor's Medal
http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/newsroom_news_display.do?
NewsFileName=news_art90.html
 
--Top Military Friendly Employer
http://www.gijobs.net/documents/GIJobsDec.05.Top25.pdf
 

Scholarships:
http://www.jazzscholarships.org/JazzScholarships/
 
http://www.pioneerservicesfoundation.org/PFSFoundation/healthSciences.do
 
http://www.park.edu/Scholarship/scholar/Info/pioneer.asp
 
 
Legislative Support:
 
http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/newsroom_news_display.do?
NewsFileName=news_art69.html
 
http://www.pioneerservices.com/PioneerServices/newsroom_news_display.do?
NewsFileName=news_art81.html

   3. Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader of this nominated company:

Tom Holcom has been president of Pioneer Financial Services, Inc. since 1986, leading the company through several successful business expansions and product transformations.

Tom is a member of the Business Executives for National Security and the Association of the United States Army; President of the Command and General Staff College Foundation at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.; and President of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Bloch School Alumni Board. Tom has received personal recognition from the President for his volunteer efforts in the region, which include being a pilot for Angel Flight and serving as past President of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kansas City.

He previously served as the executive vice president of the First National Bank of Kansas City, and director of the Second Mortgage Association.