Title: Owner
Company: 1) Winbak Farm; 2) Pacer Financial Inc.
Location: Malvern, Pennsylvania, United States
Joe M. Thomson, CFP; CLU; ChFC, owner of Winbak Farm and Pacer Financial Inc., has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements, and leadership in farming and financial services.
Before beginning a career that has lasted more than 50 years, Mr. Thomson established his commitment to hard work in the military. Joining the U.S. Army in 1966, he was on active duty until 1969, followed by several years of reserve duty. Recognized during time in OCS for his skill at talking to others, Mr. Thomson served as a recruiter for officers during the Vietnam War, visiting colleges and talking to young men who could make an impact in the Army. He retired from military service with the rank of First Lieutenant.
In the early 1970s, Mr. Thomson started his professional journey properly as part of a brand-new insurance company. This experience taught him the essentials of working with annuities, investments and insurance. Building off his growing expertise, Mr. Thomson co-founded a new company, PLANCO, in 1977. Serving as that firm’s president until 2001, he helped turn it into one of the biggest independent distributors of financial products in North America. PLANCO was acquired and became part of The Hartford Insurance Group in 1998.
Concurrently with his role at PLANCO, Mr. Thomson embraced another passion of his: horses. In 1991, he founded Winbak Farm, a 2,500-plus-acre location dedicated to breeding and raising standardbred racing horses. Under Mr. Thomson’s ownership, Winbak Farm has created a lasting reputation as the standardbred industry’s largest single-family-owned breeding farm. The farm has collected a large list of accolades, including being named Standardbred Breeder of the Year by Sports Eye Magazine in 2001; being named Standardbred Owner of the Year by Times & Harness Magazine in 2001; being named Breeder of the Year by the United States Harness Writers Association in 2003, 2004 and 2009; being named New York’s Leading Breeder for every year between 2008 and 2021 except for 2014, when it placed second; being inducted into the Little Brown Jug Wall of Fame in 2009; receiving the Touch of Class Award from the Maryland Department of Agriculture in 2012 and 2013; being awarded the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award by the U.S. Harness Writers Association and being inducted into the US Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2015.
Several years after leaving PLANCO, Mr. Thomson discerned some major issues faced by investors. Inspired by these observations, he founded Pacer Financial Inc. in 2004. With this company, Mr. Thomson has built up an organization that provides exchange-traded funds for investors, with a focus on quickly adapting to changes in the market. Pacer Financial works with distribution partners, including Pacer ETFs, prioritizing diverse and creative strategies for wealth management and thoughtful consideration toward taxes and downside protection.
Mr. Thomson’s performance in the field has been supported by his academic journey. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in economics from Transylvania University. Mr. Thomson has further solidified his credentials through frequent professional training and advancement. He is a certified financial planner, chartered financial consultant and a chartered life underwriter. In 2009, he was recognized as a James D. Marsh Memorial Award Hall of Fame Inductee by IRI for his commitment to the annuity and financial services industries.
In addition to his career, Mr. Thomson is a loving father to two daughters, one son who tragically passed away and five grandchildren. His favorite pastime is raising horse, racing horse and watching his grandchildren grow-up. Though he has had an extensive and successful professional life already, Mr. Thomson has no intention of retiring. Instead, he looks forward to continuing his leadership at Winbak Farm and Pacer Financial Inc. for the foreseeable future.
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