Our Story

Meridian Wealth Management of Michigan has roots going back over 100 years in Jackson, Michigan. In the mid 1970’s the regional firm, Watling, Lerchen & Co., Inc. had operated a number of branches throughout Michigan for over 60 years. The Jackson office was situated for many years on the ground floor of the Hayes Hotel. In 1977, Watling, Lerchen was purchased by a larger regional firm, A.G. Edwards and Sons, Inc., headquartered in St. Louis, MO.

Two financial consultants of Watling, Lerchen joined A.G. Edwards at that time, Jim Grace and Tom Draper, whose father, Howard Draper had worked at Watling, Lerchen for a number of years. The A.G. Edwards office, which now was located at One Jackson Square, quickly grew from two registered representatives in 1977, to an eventual ten financial consultants and four support staff and relocated to the Fields Building at the corner of Jackson Street and Michigan Avenue in downtown Jackson in 1994.

In 2007 the entire firm of A.G. Edwards & Sons was purchased by Wachovia Corporation which merged the firm with Wachovia Securities. In 2009, Wachovia Corp. including Wachovia Securities, was purchased by Wells Fargo & Co. at which time the brokerage operations and the Jackson office became part of Wells Fargo Advisors which maintained the original A.G. Edwards headquarters in St. Louis, MO.

In 2019, the entire Jackson office transferred to an independent platform supported by Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, and became today’s Meridian Wealth Management of Michigan, still located in the Fields Building in Jackson.

The financial consultant team includes Brad Clark, who succeeded Jim Grace as manager of the office in 2006, Karen Barnes, John Stewart, and the Grace Group, including Jamie Grace, Jim Grace, Robyn Dirlam, Frank Lusebrink, Gabe Davis and Danielle Peters. Client Associates Jennifer Jarchow and Barbara Lee support our client experience at Meridian Wealth Management of Michigan. More recently, William Stewart joined our practice as an Associate Financial Advisor.

Placing clients first since 1977.