Download Legacy Planning: Larry Rybka Forecasts a Bright Future (PDF)

Download Financial Expert Includes UA in His Estate Plan (PDF)

Several years ago, an alliance was formed between ValMark Securities, Inc. and The University of Akron. ValMark has been instrumental in the establishment of the Certified Financial Planning (CFP) curriculum at the University of Akron’s College of Business Administration.  As part of this relationship, ValMark staff members act as course instructors, judge investment competitions and serve on the university’s advisory board. They also offer invaluable guidance to students looking to pursue careers in the financial services industry.

Today, Larry J. Rybka, the President and CEO of ValMark Securities, Inc. is helping to groom the next generation of business leaders through a unique internship program. The process typically begins with a dinner hosted by ValMark, at which the top accounting and finance students are invited to learn about careers in the financial services field. A few  young men and women are chosen to participate in the internship program. For the next 12 months, interns are placed in a department rotation where they learn all of the different facets of the business. Upon their graduation, they are ready to join ValMark as full-time employees.

In addition, ValMark has established a scholarship that provides tuition assistance to outstanding finance majors who plan to sit for the CFP examination. To date, 32 former interns, two of whom received the Wall Street Journal Award for Outstanding Finance Student of the Year, have been hired as full-time employees. Ten years later, the internship program still exists and has grown exponentially. ValMark has provided $30,000 worth of aid, and has set the bar high for local employers looking to recruit new talent.

Throughout the years, ValMark’s support has been instrumental in the establishment of the Certified Financial Planning (CFP) curriculum at the University of Akron’s College of Business Administration.
Rybka has also taken measures to assure the program will benefit from ValMark’s generosity in the short and long term. His passion for the program runs so deep, he and his wife, Wendy, have made a provision for the program in their estate plan.