2003 Training Top 100: Editor's choice: A.G. Edwards Inc

Chuck Van Gronigen is a lucky duck, and he knows it. As the director of training for St. Louis-based A.G. Edwards, Van Gronigen says the company's history, values and corporate philosophy support a training-rich culture. In fact, Bob Bagby, CEO, chairman and president, renewed the 115-year-old retail brokerage firm's commitment to learning and training in 2000 when he formally set a goal for A.G. Edwards (ranked 40 in the Training Top 100) to have the "best trained financial professionals in the industry." And even though the last 2 years have been challenging, to say the least, for financial services companies, Bagby and the company have stayed true to that promise.