Stephanie T. Ford is a director of Warren Whitney and is responsible for Business Development. Stephanie spearheads discussions with company owners and executive management to understand the unique challenges of their business. She collaborates with Warren Whitney’s professionals to offer practical solutions that produce results for organizations going through different stages in their business life cycle.
Management Experience:
Stephanie has 20 years of experience in finance, commercial banking, and business strategy. A Richmond native, she came to Warren Whitney in 2004 and works with company CEOs and CFOs to analyze their organizations and achieve their most important financial objectives. Stephanie is adept at recognizing companies’ needs and finding appropriate, value-added solutions. Her client experience is diverse, including manufacturers, distributors, service firms, real estate, and nonprofits.
After learning about the needs of an organization, she determines the most cost-effective approach to match the right Warren Whitney talent level to the task. Because of her background, Stephanie is able to provide insight into strategic planning issues and perspective on a variety of business situations.
Stephanie directly assists clients in the following areas:
- Sales management and business development
- Business strategy
- Exit strategy
- Marketing strategy
- Financing alternatives
Prior to joining Warren Whitney, Stephanie was a commercial lending officer for NationsBank (now Bank of America) and BB&T. In a high-service, client-focused environment, she worked with companies with $5-$500 million in revenues with capital markets, insurance, leasing, cash management, private client, and asset management services. Senior management recognized her ability to work through complex situations, asking her to intercede in several crisis situations to save key accounts. In relationship reviews, clients frequently cited Stephanie’s skills in financial analysis, deal structuring, and credit approval, as well as her ability to listen to their most important needs and get to the heart of the matter.
She also knows what it takes to work inside organizations going through dynamic change, having worked with GE Financial Assurance (now Genworth) during a period of rapid acquisition and integration. As a financial analyst in their insurance division, her experience included improving processes, enhancing internal efficiencies, product-line forecasting, and profitability analysis.
Education and Professional Associations:
Stephanie holds a BBA in Marketing from James Madison University, as well as an MBA in Finance from the University of Richmond. Stephanie is also a 2005 graduate of Leadership Metro Richmond (LMR). Stephanie remains active in the community in a variety of ways. She is serving in her fourth term on the Board of Directors of the Henrico County Economic Development Authority where she carried the role of Treasurer, Vice Chair and Chair. She also serves on the board of Richmond Montessori School, where she led the Unfold Our Future Capital Campaign and was an integral part of defining the Master Campus Plan for their expansion. Other prior multi-year trustee terms include The Richmond Ballet, Trinity United Methodist Church, and the local Risk Management Association. Stephanie has been a participant in the Greater Richmond Chamber’s Business Roundtable program since 1996 and remains active in the local business community through a variety of professional organizations, such as the Virginia Council of CEOs.
