Allegiant Private Advisors Blog Getting to Know Your Allegiant Team: Susan Bacon

Susan Bacon joined Allegiant late last year as a Senior Operations Manager on the firm's Client Service team. We invite you to get to know Susan in her own words:I joined the Allegiant team in December 2020, where I feel blessed to work with a group of professionals who have the same goal in mind: providing a superb client experience in a unique and passionate way. Having worked in the financial industry for over 20 years, I enjoy continuing to grow and learn in a forever-changing industry.I grew up in a small town in Binghamton, NY, located south of New York State in the hilly Southern Tier region, near the Pennsylvania border. I was number five of six kids growing up and was outnumbered by boys in my family - as well as the neighborhood. After graduating high school I was hired by State University of New York (SUNY) to work as an Operations Dispatcher and enrolled in college. However, I was always very intrigued with travel, history, and discovering and experiencing different cultures from all over the world. My focus became stronger every day and led me to leave my job and college at SUNY to pursue "new heights" so to speak. To lay the foundation of a new career in the airline industry, I attended the Wilma Boyd Travel School, which was considered a very prominent school. I was hired soon after by the Hyatt Hotel and, simultaneously, with a small commuter airline. I accepted both positions, working in the morning with the airline and at night at the hotel as a guest desk agent. After some time, I relocated to Rhode Island to work with Pan American Airlines as an operations/ticket agent. It was quite the experience, however, after a decade of working and traveling the world with Pan Am, the airline filed for bankruptcy.I went back to my roots in business and finance where I was hired by a local bank and discovered I had a knack for helping people reach their financial goals in different stages of their life, i.e. buying a home, obtaining a mortgage or other loans, starting a new business, reaching retirement. I loved the business and people, working hard, often long hours, and obtained my security licenses to broaden my knowledge. Soon after, my mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and I was granted part-time family medical leave to take care of her and my dad in upstate New York. The sacrifice took its toll on my marriage which unfortunately ended in divorce. I raised my two boys, Daniel and Zack who were 10 and 7 at the time, as a single mother. It was the most rewarding, humbling job I know to date. They have grown into extraordinary human beings. My oldest Daniel is now 28 years old and in his final year of medical school at Chapel Hill, UNC. My younger son Zach is 24 now and working for Federal Express while exploring career options.After 17 years working in the banking arena, another opportunity came my way, and I was hired by a MetLife Company. I enjoyed the greater diversity and broader level of services given the platform and resources offered, but after five years, MetLife changed directions and sold off the investment portion to strictly focus on life insurance. Through networking and word of mouth, Prudential hired me as an Operations and Control Manager located outside of Boston.After some time, my significant other and I relocated to Sarasota, where we already owned a home. Through research and networking I met Kristina Eastmond, Allegiant's Director of Client Service and a Principal of the firm. My standards were high and I wanted to ensure the highest level of client service on all levels as well as a genuine family environment. I feel so lucky and blessed to be with this group of individuals who are leaders, and professionals who strive every day to be the best they can be.