EATON — Edward Jones Financial Adviser Mark Howard and his staff moved from their former location to 1751 N. Barron Street in Eaton on June 29. They held an open house on Friday, July 13, beginning with an open house for Preble County Chamber of Commerce members and Edward Jones clients and staff.

“I’ve been here in town for 17 years. There are two of us in town, I was the one downtown, but that is now going to become the Arts Council building. So, we’ve expanded and relocated up here and are very pleased with it,” Howard said. “I’m very happy that we have parking. Downtown parking was always a challenge, but part of me is going to miss being downtown.”

Edward Jones Investments is a financial firm that plans for everything life might hand a person: from college to retirement with many stops in between. They have 15,000 offices nationwide, making them the fourth largest broker in the nation. Every office is set up the same, with one adviser and one assistant. Sometimes there are multiple offices in town, like in the City of Eaton.

According to Howard, Edward Jones is employee owned, so they have never had a layoff. He considers Edward Jones the “most ethical company” he has ever worked for and says he will “never leave.”

He added, “I want to thank Preble County in general. I love living here and I love working here. It is in the middle of nowhere, but close to the big cities and we get the best of both worlds. I would also like to thank the Chamber of Commerce.

“I’ve been a chamber member off and on [over the years]. The Chamber has been very supportive of this. They help new and existing businesses expand. I have a very high opinion of the Chamber of Commerce.”