Goodbye Hilliard Lyons | Corporate Legacy Video Production

How do you say goodbye to a 165-year-old institution? Produced as Hilliard Lyons joined Baird, this legacy film lets the people answer — employee after employee, some with more than 40 years at the firm, reflecting on a culture of clients first, community, and family. One voice sums it up: the Hilliard Lyons name may be going away, but the mentality that made it really isn't.

We interviewed across the organization to build a farewell that honors the firm's history while carrying its values forward — the kind of internal communications piece that marks a corporate milestone with genuine emotion instead of corporate speak.

About This Project
Client: Hilliard Lyons
Type: Corporate Legacy Film, Internal Communications
Location: Louisville, KY
Services: Corporate interviews, legacy storytelling, internal communications video, editing

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Video Transcript:

Hilliard Lyons was started 165 years ago. Hard to believe — I've been 54 years of that. I've been with Hilliard Lyons 32 years. 35 years — no joke, it feels like 10. I have been here 15 years. A total of 10 years. I've been at Hilliard for a little over nine years. I started with Hilliard Lyons in 1973, so I've been here just about 46 years. I've been with Hilliard Lyons for five years. I've been with Hilliard Lyons for almost 10 years — it'll be 10 years in September. We've been here for about five years. I've been at Hilliard Lyons for two and a half years. I've been with Hilliard Lyons just over five years. I've been with Hilliard Lyons since 1986. I've been at Hilliard 28 years. I've passionately pursued it for 28 years, and feel lucky to have found it. In August of this year, I will begin my 42nd year, all with Hilliard Lyons.

They started with the mission of hiring the best employees, high integrity, and always putting the client first — and how well it's worked. I think the leadership has done a great job of really making the employees feel special. And I really do believe that Hilliard Lyons is just one of the better companies that anyone could ever work for.

I think the Hilliard difference is that we put the clients first. From day one, I was trained and taught: the client is first. The client is first, and subsequently, good things happen when the clients and your customers are your focus. The common thread has always been clients first, community, family.

Ever since I first got here, it's been like a big family. When you're a family, you want to do what's best for everyone — for the family, for the community, for your clients, for everybody involved. We are very people- and relationship-driven, and I have created some relationships here that I know will last a lifetime. We just have amazing people throughout our organization — our advisors, our CSAs, our home office people. There's a very strong collaborative process. That's what's fun about being in the business: having those relationships.

I'm on fourth-generation people now, and it's just fun. It's fun to see the money grow, to see the daughters and the granddaughters be happy with what you've done with their grandparents' money. When you can see the success of achieving those goals that you helped a client set forth, and they come in lighter and brighter and happy because they've accomplished that with your help — that's self-satisfaction.

This has been just a wonderful experience. It's just been a great second home. Hilliard Lyons just means a lot to me. It changed my life. The thing I've loved most about it, I think, is the attitude of the people — the culture that's here. I love Hilliard Lyons. Absolutely going to miss Hilliard Lyons, without a doubt. It's been fabulous. Just to be able to say that I was employed by Hilliard Lyons leaves me feeling great. I am grateful that Hilliard gave me this opportunity to actually be a part of everything. It is a special place, no doubt.

It is kind of sad that Hilliard Lyons itself is going away, but I know the mentality of what made Hilliard Lyons really isn't. I was lucky — very lucky — to have found Hilliard Lyons.