There are many family-owned and operated businesses in Bainbridge. One business that has stayed in the family for years is the local Raymond James. Stephen Poitevint, the Registered Principal, Financial Advisor, recently passed the 40-year milestone, since he began his career in the investment advisory business. This just happened to be a milestone commemorated by his daughter, Jordan Gilbert, joining the company.

Her addition completed the family business, as her siblings Phillip and Preston have been involved in the company for a combined 31 years.

“I never envisioned bringing my children in, at the time,” Poitevint said. “I was just trying to survive and make a living.”

He recalled taking a $1,000 bonus from a previous employer to take out a $1,500 loan, which he used to start his career, back in February of 1985.

“Now that doesn’t sound like a lot of money,” he laughed, “but for somebody that’s broke, and back in those days, it was a lot of money to me!”

Now, four decades later, Poitevint has built a strong reputation, and through years of networking, now has clients from coast to coast, from Amelia Island to California.

“I’ve gone from making a living to making a life,” Poitevint said, “and a purpose-driven life, like Pastor Rick Warren says. I’m doing it today because I love it, and I want to do it, not because I have to do it.”

He described working with his children as “a new chapter.” Phillip, the oldest, has been in the business 20 years, and alternates between the Bainbridge office and his own office in Huntsville, Alabama, while Preston Poitevint has been involved for 11 years now.

“When he graduated from Auburn,” Poitevint recalled of Phillip, “I had no idea he wanted to do this. I said ‘Well what are you gonna do son?’, and he said, ‘Well I wanna do what you do.’” Poitevint pointed his son off to another office to gain experience, leading to Huntsville. “Twenty years later, he’s doing phenomenal.”

Daughter Jordan previously worked at Southwest Georgia Farm Credit, in finance and marketing. After gaining some experience with finances and mortgaging at Farm Credit, Jordan realized, “I was better at numbers than I thought… In the meantime, Dad and I were kind of having conversations, and I still was like, ‘I don’t know if that’s right for me.’”

After some thought and deliberation, Jordan ultimately made the choice to join her siblings at Raymond James, just in time for the business’s 40th anniversary.

“That was not intentional by any means,” she said, “we didn’t know it until I started.”

“I’m real proud of all my children,” Poitevint said. “So now, it’s like ‘Hey, we’ve got our family here, come join the family!’”

Looking to the future, Poitevint stated he hopes to continue to expand their clientele, and to continue to improve their service.

Stephen P. Poitevint, Inc

908 Tallahassee Rd Bainbridge, GA 39819

229 246 7208

Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. Stephen P. Poitevint, Inc. is not a registered broker/dealer and is independent of Raymond James Financial Services.