BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Saxon Birdsong knows how to shift gears.

A Porsche enthusiast, the president and director of investments for Baltimore-Washington Financial Advisors Inc., prides himself on being able to handle challenges that come his way, but isn’t hesitant to use the team he has assembled. Jump-starting the company in 1990, Birdsong’s Columbia-based firm specializes in investment management, tax services and retirement and estate planning.

But for Birdsong, it’s not about how much business he does, it’s about how his company does it.

“Everything we do we want it to be Class A,” said Birdsong, 62. “The way we greet clients, the way we plan, the way we have seminars, all the way down to our coffee cups.”

One of the biggest differences that separates Birdsong’s firm from others is that it is a fiduciary company. This means that advisers and workers don’t get paid on investments or a commission, but rather are paid for the advice that they give. Not only that, but BWFA doesn’t sell insurance or mutual funds, instead focusing on providing the best information it can for clients. This all has been part of Birdsong’s vision for the company.

Perhaps the most remarkable part of this approach is the way that it has come alive in the office. On the walls, Birdsong has pictures of teamwork and inspirational sayings. Through team-building exercises and meetings, he has had the 11 workers at BWFA create a credo and a list of core values that the company and workers adhere to.

“As a [chief executive officer], my responsibility is to lead,” Birdsong said. “I provide direction and purpose to the business.”

Through developing this company-wide culture of teamwork and putting the customer first, Birdsong says he believes that he has created a firm reputation for his business and secured a bright future.

“He has a unique vision and he communicates it with everyone on staff,” Lisa Juranic, an administrative assistant with FBWA for the past five years. “Every Monday, we have a staff meeting where we go over different issues and he wants everyone on the same page.”

SAXON BIRDSONG

» First job: Sold soft shell crabs

» Education/credentials: Undergraduate degree from William and Mary and a Masters in Business Administration from Loyola College

» Best job perk: The beautiful office I work in.

» Daily e-mails received: 15 to 20

» Daily voice mails received: Four to five at the most.

» Career objective: To see the company into perpetuity

» Favorite gadget: Working on and fixing the 15-plus gas motors at my house

» Hometown: Springfield, Va.

» Birth date: Oct. 28, 1944

» Original aspiration: Serve in the military, work for a large corporation and start my own business

» Sports/hobbies: Fishing and Porsche club events and boating

dcarey@baltimoreexaminer.com