The Skylight Showcase: New Hires of June/July 2022

Please join us in welcoming the newest members of the Skylight team: Scott, Brandon, Mike and Jennifer. Read more about our new hires below!

Scott Trent, Financial Planner and Senior Talent Acquisition, Cincinnati

Where are you from? Born and raised on the East Side of Cincinnati. Currently living in Mt. Orab, Ohio. 

Why did you choose to work at Skylight? I value the strength and stability of MassMutual and its deep history of keeping promises to its clients and being a respected financial services organization in the industry.  More specifically, I treasure the support and resources Skylight provides me and my practice.  I feel like I can serve any and every need of my clients with the products, services, and technology available to me.  I also have the ability to collaborate with of some of the region’s finest financial professionals which helps me keep the iron sharpened.  It makes a huge difference to be part of a culture of success to inspire you to be your best every day.

What causes or community services do you have a passion for? We’re big fans of school athletics because I’ve seen the difference it’s made in my two children’s lives and believe that often times sports can teach so many valuable lessons that prepare students for life as an adult.

What life achievement are you most proud of? I’m most proud of being a dad.  It’s the most challenging but most rewarding role I’ve had in my life.  I feel like having a close relationship with my two children has helped me as much as it’s helped them.  I’m incredibly proud of the young man and woman they’re growing into.  Of course, most of their best qualities I have to admit probably come from their mother.

Outside of the office, what do you enjoy doing? We love attending our children’s events.  My daughter is at Univ of Cincinnati currently, but we never missed a soccer game, art show, choir, or band concert while she was growing up.  My son is heading into 8^th grade and is heavily involved in school basketball, as well as AAU and Summer league basketball.  He works super hard and I absolutely love being in a career that allows me to never have to miss a game.

What was your first job ever? What did you like/dislike about it? My first real job was working for an auto dealership in their rental car department.   I helped wash and clean the cars that were going out for reservations, but also got to drive and deliver brand new cars everyday which was pretty amazing at 18 years old.  The best part is that I met my best friend there who I’m still close with 25 years later and have raised our families together through the years.

Brandon Vornhagen, Financial Planner, Cincinnati

Where are you from? I was born in Cincinnati, OH and have lived here my entire life. I grew up on the westside of Cincinnati where I attended St. Jude for grade school and Elder for high school. I attended the University of Cincinnati where I earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance. A little over a year ago, my family moved to Nashville, TN and I decided to make the move to the east side and am now located in the Hyde Park/Oakley area. 

Why did you choose to work at Skylight? The reason I chose Skylight Financial Group kept coming back to how closely the company’s values aligned with my vision of what a perfect company culture looks like, how to build a successful financial planning practice, and how to create maximum value for clients.  

Skylight’s continued success, growth, and determination to constantly provide the best tools, resources, and support made it an easy decision for me to transition my practice and continue to build something special here. 

What causes or community services do you have a passion for? I am passionate about helping people with special needs/disabilities. I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to partner with a couple of different organizations growing up through school, community service, and personal experiences. I think the coolest thing for me has always been how much I am able to learn from the organizations and individuals I’ve had the pleasure of connecting with.

What life achievement are you most proud of? I am most proud of being the oldest brother to my 4 siblings. I have a younger brother who is currently in college at Xavier University studying law, and triplet brothers and a sister who are currently freshman in high school in Nashville, TN.

Outside of the office, what do you enjoy doing? Growing up in Cincinnati, I have been a huge Bearcats, Bengals, and Reds fan my entire life. I have enjoyed attending/watching/following these teams since as young as I can remember. My friends and I had season tickets for Cincinnati Bearcats Football this past year and had fun traveling to games at Indiana, Notre Dame, and Dallas, TX for the Cotton Bowl. 

I also enjoy being active in my spare time outside of work. I like to work out, golf, play softball, play basketball, etc. I also enjoy spending time visiting my family, hanging out with friends on the weekend, and watching whatever sports events that are on TV at the time.

Who is your role model? What do you admire about them? Michael Jordan. He is my dad’s role model as well, so I have been getting MJ talks since I was a little kid. He also talked my mom into naming me Michael Jordan Vornhagen if I was born on the day the Chicago Bulls won the championship. Unfortunately, I was born a month early and that didn’t happen. 

Mike Gircsis, Agency Technology Specialist, Cleveland

Where are you from? Seven Hills, Ohio

Why did you choose to work at Skylight? My friend who works here says it is an amazing p

lace, and everyone feels like family.

What causes or community services do you have a passion for? Cancer research and Crisper technology

Who is your role model? What do you admire about them? My role model is my grandfather. I admire his easy-going nature and his deep passion for the things and people he cared about.

Where is one of your favorite places to travel and why? Nashville, Tennessee. I like the night life and all of the dreamers.

If you absolutely had to sing karaoke, what song would you pick? As I like karaoke, I would do Lips of an Angel by Hinder. It is an easy song, so less chance of messing up – LOL!

Jennifer Baum, Assistant Agency Supervisory Officer, Cleveland

Where are you from? I am from Perry in Lake County, that is where I grew up.

Why did you choose to work at Skylight? I was impressed with the history of Skylight Financials’ growth over the years and the size of the company with over 200 financial professionals now in four locations.

What causes or community services do you have a passion for? The conservation of endangered species and all efforts to take better care of our planet.

Outside of the office, what do you enjoy doing? In my spare time outside of work, I take care of about 150 succulents that I have in a grow tent with grow lights. I have been able to increase my collection by about 500% thru the propagation of original plants!

What was your first job ever? What did you like/dislike? My first job after delivering newspapers or mowing lawns was working at a Convenient store when I was 14 years old. I worked about 25 hours a week for all 4 years during high school. I liked making my own money and being able to save for a used car when I turned 16, which I did. There wasn’t much I disliked but I had to choose that or high school sports, not both, so I missed out on additional memories with my middle school teammates.

If you could only watch one movie for the rest of your life, what would it be? Forrest Gump.

Thanks for sharing, everyone, and welcome to Skylight Financial Group!

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