History
The Early Days
Martin E. Segal founded The Segal Company, then known as the Martin E. Segal Company, in October 1939. His sister, Esther, was the Company's first employee, serving as telephone operator, secretary, and bookkeeper. In the decades since then, that two-person staff located in a one-room office at 347 Fifth Avenue (opposite the Empire State Building) has grown to become one of the nation's leading firms of benefit, compensation and human resources consultants.
Segal established its first office outside of New York in Chicago in 1954. During the next 20 years, our reputation and expertise increased dramatically. To accommodate the increased demand for our services, we opened additional offices throughout the US and in Canada.
From our very beginning, we have been dedicated to the development of all aspects of employee benefits. This dedication has resulted in innovations in every area of the employee benefits field. Many widely accepted benefit practices were first conceived, designed, and introduced by The Segal Company.
Independent and Employee-Owned
In July 1967, the Company was sold to what was then known as Wertheim and Company, an investment banking firm. At the time, Martin E. Segal relinquished the position of Chief Executive Officer of the Company. In 1978, a group of Segal employees and consultants purchased Segal from Wertheim and Company. Employees are now the sole stockholders, and ownership of the Company is vested in those who are actively leading it.
Mr. Segal served as Chairman of Segal's Board of Directors until 1991 when he was named Founder and Chairman Emeritus and the Company changed its name to The Segal Company. In commenting on the Company's growth and achievements, Mr. Segal said, "This fine organization owes its progress to many officers, executives and staff members. It is they, who, through their expertise, devotion to the clients' needs, hard work and intellectual curiosity, have caused the Company to achieve its preeminent position in the field. The combination of opportunity and fine training for newer staff members and appreciation for the experience of more seasoned staff members is a cherished arrangement, which is good for clients and offers the best future for the Company's staff. As a consequence, we look forward to the future with pleasure and great confidence."
Continuing to Grow
Founded in 1969, Segal Advisors, Inc., the Securities & Exchange Commission-registered investment consulting affiliate of The Segal Company, offers independent investment consulting services. An independent survey conducted by Nelsons Publications rated Segal Advisors as one of the top consultants to multiemployer plans.
In January 2001, The Segal Company acquired Sibson & Company, a human capital consulting firm, now known as Sibson Consulting. It now offers a full suite of employee benefits and HR consulting services. Today, Segal has nearly 1,000 employees in locations throughout the United States and in Canada.