Legendary football player, coach and analyst Lou Holtz took the stage Aug. 17 to speak to a team of store managers, operations managers, directors and executives with Nashville-based financial services company Advance Financial.

“It was an honor to hear Coach Holtz speak, and I am so happy to have shared the moment with our wonderful staff,” said Advance Financial Chief Executive/Chief Experience Officer Tina Hodges. “Coach Holtz is a true orator: funny, motivational and insightful. We’ll carry his lessons with us for years to come.”

Advance Financial owners Mike and Tina Hodges asked Coach Holtz to share his values because they are so similar to the company culture that the Hodges have worked to create—dedicated to serving their community, their customers and their employees, and, quite simply, doing the right thing. This experience is just one of the many outsize growth opportunities that Advance Financial works to give its employees.

From inspiring speakers to paid volunteer time off to a corporate care fund for employees in crisis, Advance Financial believes that by giving a world-class experience to its employees, they will pay it forward and deliver a VIP experience to their customers.

“Our goal is to bring world-class service to our customers, who represent a segment of the population in Middle Tennessee that is not used to being treated like VIPs,” Hodges said. “We want to be known as the company in Middle Tennessee that treats you like royalty no matter who you are or how much money you make. We believe that every person deserves respect and should be treated with dignity. And when we treat our staff members this way, they are likely to pass this attitude on to their customers.”

Looking to change public perception of the industry and provide world-class service to its customers, the Hodges hope that Advance Financial’s commitment to caring for its employees and its customers will force others to raise the bar when it comes to customer service.

Advance Financial, founded in 1996, is a family owned and operated financial center based in Nashville, Tenn. The company currently operates more than 70 locations throughout Tennessee and employs more than 600 local representatives. By focusing on a wide variety of financial services (including wire transfer, bill payment, unlimited free money orders and FLEX loans) they are committed to building long-lasting, strong relationships with every customer. Advance Financial recently earned an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and was named to the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the country for the fifth year in a row. For more information visit <www.af247.com>.