Larry J. Rybka joined Valmark in 1987 and became President and Chief Executive Officer twelve years later in 1999. In 2019, Larry became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Valmark. Under his leadership, the company has experienced revenue growth of 20X. Larry’s tenure at Valmark has been marked by working with advisors in creating innovative solutions to better serve clients and proactively anticipating regulatory challenges to improve client outcomes.

Larry’s industry leadership includes terms on the Boards of AALU, the MDRT Foundation, The University of Akron Foundation, and Arise Rwanda Ministries.

Larry is a noted speaker and author of over a dozen articles published in numerous industry journals. Two of his articles were recognized with industry awards: the Journal of the American Society of CLU and ChFC’s Author Award as well as the CFP Board’s Article Award. He has also co-authored two books, Tools & Techniques of Life Settlement Planning with Steve Leimberg and Life Insurance 10X. Other notable industry recognition includes induction into the NAEPC Estate Planning Hall of Fame®, recipient of the American Award from Lincoln Financial Group for lifetime contributions to the industry, and Finance Professional of the Year from The University of Akron.

Larry is credited locally with working alongside the University of Akron to create one of the first financial planning programs within the Finance Department at the University of Akron’s College of Business. Over the years, Larry and Valmark have worked closely with the University of Akron to improve and grow the program. Valmark has been rewarded for that effort with over 40 professionals joining Valmark’s internal team from the program.

Larry earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Akron, graduating with Honors, and a Juris Doctorate from Wake Forest University.

Larry and his wife, Wendy, reside in the Akron area and have four adult children and one grandchild.

About Us: For over 60 years and three generations, Valmark has remained committed to keeping the company privately held so financial professionals have a solid foundation and strong relationships upon which to build their business. Valmark’s unique value proposition lies in our innovative offerings at the intersection of a full-service broker-dealer, registered investment advisor and insurance producer group. The Member Firms who call Valmark “home” are independent, highly ethical financial services entrepreneurs across the U.S. who recognize the opportunity to enhance how they serve clients by embracing diverse methods and arrays of products when offering solutions. Streamlining complexity via a unified platform empowers Valmark’s community of like-minded Member Firms to use these “three circles” as an integral part of their success and ability to serve clients’ best interests.