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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Readers Choice 2006 Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Our Valley Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend October 13, 2006 Longtime Medford financial advisor dies Cutler's firm has symbolized the valley's economy since 1983 By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune When Kenneth Cutler and his family looked for a place to relocate Cutler & Co. Inc. more than two decades ago, Medford was still a timber town. By the time the 86-year-old financial advisor passed away last Sunday following a lengthy battle with cancer, the firm he moved here from Southern California in 1983 had long been a symbol of the Rogue Valley's changing economy. "What he did was bring a company that was in the intellectual property business to the valley at a time when the concentration of business in the valley was logging," said his son, Jeff Cutler. "There weren't many service firms in the valley in 1983." Kenneth Cutler entered the investment business in 1946, founding the California Fund and the Kerr Income Fund in 1951. He founded Cutler & Co. in 1977, attracting a wealthy client base to the Newport Beach firm. But as a second generation of Cutlers entered the field, there was a desire to seek a better place to raise the next generation. "We went looking for place to move because we didn't want to raise children there for various and obvious reasons," Jeff Cutler said. "We looked in concentric circles as far east as Albuquerque." Advertisement It was the founder's daughter, Brooke Ashland, who now heads up the firm, who happened on Medford during a Thanksgiving break in the early 1980s. "The things we needed were real air service, a real telephone company with a sophisticated switch so we could send data and a reasonable school system," Cutler said. "Brooke said it was the perfect place." As the story goes, the elder Cutler visited Jacksonville Elementary School, looked around and announced "This is a wonderful place," Jeff Cutler recalled. "He went into the boys' room and there was no graffiti on the wall. Coming from Southern California, that's quite a statement." The company soon relocated with six of its seven employees to a downtown Medford office on West Main Street. Given the economic conditions of the time, any kind of new business in the area was a boon. "They moved to the valley during the dreadful recession of the early 1980s and really helped bring a lot of good people to the valley," said Medford Fabrication President Bill Thorndike Jr. "They were one of the leading-edge financial advisor companies. Ken had come up with a process for selecting and recommending investments for clients that proved successful." Jeff Cutler said the company figured it would lose customers because of the move; every one stayed on. The company now has nine employees and 200 clients, including mutual fund customers. The firm was an early-adopter of computerized stock analysis, said Cathy Watt, who worked with Cutler. "He showed you could be a firm with a national client list and be located in the Rogue Valley," Watt said. "He was as honest as the day is long. I know that's an old-fashioned comment, but it applied to him. If it wasn't right for the clients, it wasn't right. Cutler was born in Tacoma, Wash., March 5, 1920, served in the U.S. Navy before attending Washington State University, the University of Chicago and UCLA. He married Patsy Virginia Reinecke in Santa Barbara, Calif., in 1943. In addition to his wife, he is survived by three children, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4463 or at [email protected] Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Windermere Van Vleet Men's Clothing Southern Oregon Loans --> GMAT Prep Fundraisers Send Flowers Texas Electric Choice Entertainment Guide --> Casinos Canada Trunks, Footlocker Online Casino Reviews Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com