BBB Torch Awards 2026 Winner
Recognized for Integrity: Great Lakes Benefits & Wealth Management Wins the 2026 BBB Torch Award for Ethics
Great Lakes Benefits & Wealth Management has been named the BBB Torch Award 2026 for Ethics winner for the Eastern Counties. The award was announced this month by the Better Business Bureau Northwest Ohio & Southeast Michigan, Inc. and the BBB Community Partnership Foundation. It recognizes the firm’s commitment to ethical business practices and to building trust in the communities it serves. The honor follows the firm’s selection as a finalist earlier this fall.
About the BBB Torch Awards for Ethics
The Better Business Bureau has spent more than a century helping consumers find businesses they can trust. It sets standards for honest business conduct, shares information with the public and holds companies accountable to the people they serve. The Torch Awards for Ethics are among its highest honors. They go to organizations whose leadership, culture and community involvement reflect a clear commitment to doing business the right way.
About Great Lakes Benefits & Wealth Management
Great Lakes Benefits & Wealth Management was founded in 2001 by Wayne K. Maslyk Jr., CFP®. The firm provides financial planning and wealth management services to individuals and families from Lake Erie to the Gulf Coast. It has offices in Sandusky, Elyria and Madeira Beach, Florida.
“This award isn’t about me. It’s about the team we’ve built,” said Wayne K. Maslyk Jr., CFP®, founder of Great Lakes Benefits & Wealth Management. “The ladies in our office have been here for years. Our clients know them and trust them. We’re fiduciaries, and we do what’s best for the client every time. That’s why our clients stay with us.”
Wayne also pointed to the next generation of the firm. “Andrew went to school and earned his CFP®. He put in the work. He cares about these families the same way we always have.”
“People trust us with their life savings and their family’s future,” said Andrew L. Brewer, CFP®. “We don’t take that lightly. I learned that standard from Wayne, and I see it every day in how our team treats people. This award belongs to all of them.”
Why a Fiduciary CFP® Firm Matters
The firm is led by CFP® professionals who operate as fiduciaries. That means they are obligated to act in their clients’ best interest. Recommendations are based on each client’s goals and needs, not on what pays the firm more. Conflicts of interest are disclosed. For clients, this provides something essential: confidence that the person guiding their financial future is on their side.
Putting Clients First
The 2026 BBB Torch Award for Ethics reflects more than two decades of putting clients first. Great Lakes Benefits & Wealth Management is grateful to the BBB, to its team and to the clients and families who have placed their trust in the firm. If you are looking for a fiduciary financial planning partner in northern Ohio or on the Gulf Coast, our team is ready to help.
