Now that the entire world has experienced working from home, professional life has changed forever. Whether or not your company will remain remote in the future, work-from-home days are the new normal and all firms need to strategize for how this shift impacts their company culture. Without detracting from the strong ethos you have spent years, or even decades, building, here are three ways you can build and maintain a strong culture in a remote or hybrid work environment:
Jennifer has been in the wealth management industry for over 35 years, with a primary focus in managing financial services for high net worth individuals. Activities included extensive consultation and support to the investment advisors and their clients through the utilization of a full balance sheet and financial planning approach. Identification and deployment of services, ranging from banking and customized lending, investment management and insurance, and detailed estate and tax planning.
Jennifer has a very strong trust background and has become a liaison for third-party fiduciary trust services across the country. Enabling investment advisors and their clients to maintain investment advisor consistency, while providing beneficial tax situs, creditor protection, and legacy planning if required.
Jennifer’s strength is relationship management. Providing services and solutions to the advisor, while ensuring prompt responsiveness to inquiries.
Mark is an investment industry veteran. Over the past three decades he has provided stock, mutual fund and ETF analysis, as well as overall portfolio analysis, and information on economic and market dynamics to advisory firms nationwide. He is a long-standing member and past board member of the CFA Institute & CFA Society of Portland, and SIFMA Research Director and a CFA Research Challenge Judge. He was formerly a Director of Private Client Research at multibillion dollar advisory firm which handled over $28 billion of assets under management.
Craig is a passionate entrepreneur who has been actively involved in the investment industry since 1980. In addition to founding tru Independence, Craig played a major role in developing, building and growing two small investment businesses into multi-billion dollar enterprises.
Prior to creating tru Independence, Craig spent 14 years at Common Sense Investment Management. During his tenure at CSIM, he served as President & COO and was responsible for setting the vision, overseeing the management team, and conducting research due diligence. Craig worked with the firm’s largest institutional clients and consultants, leading the business development team in growing the business from $200 million to a peak of $4.5 billion. Craig enjoyed a 16-year career at the Crabbe Huson Group where he helped build the firm from $30 million to a $5 billion enterprise that included a robust, separately managed accounts business, a family of mutual funds, and a well-managed trust company. While at CHG, Craig was a member of a five-person management team that ran the underlying businesses. He served as President of the CHG’s family of mutual funds, Executive Vice President of CHG, and a board member of both entities. Over his years at CHG, his responsibilities included oversight of marketing/business development, client services, and business planning. He served as an investment liaison with the firm’s largest institutional clients and consultants.
Craig holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Oregon. He held past securities licenses as a general securities representative (7) and a uniform investment advisor (63 & 65).
Craig loves to explore the outdoors through cycling, skiing, hiking, fishing, and golfing. He is an avid sports fan and enjoys spending time and making memories with his large family.
Doug joined tru Independence 6 months after launch. He recognized the value of the business model and the unparalleled feeling of freedom attached to leaving a corporate structure and being the owner of one’s own firm. Doug sees tru as the place where an advisor can grow their business “their way.” He believes tru’s model of allowing advisors to maintain 100% control of their business, while utilizing tru’s unique blend of talent, cutting-edge technology and support, is the future for independence in the industry.
Doug is responsible for Business Strategy, Development and Relationship Management. He manages and administers tru’s and client’s payroll, HR and outsourced HR. Doug spent more than 20 years in the mortgage industry, where he managed annual loan originations of over $1bn. He is bringing his decades of expertise to build a mortgage platform for tru clients.
Doug is a builder and his passion is building new solutions and long-lasting relationships for advisor clients. Doug believes his contributions at tru have helped to shape the company culture of enthusiasm and support for advisors, their growth, and their independence.
Doug is mortgage and insurance (life and health) licensed. He graduated from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR with a BA in History.
Doug is the quintessential family man. He lives with his wife and sons near his mother and siblings and enjoys spending time with all of them. He and his wife can often be found cheering at their sons’ sports teams. Doug is also an avid golfer and occasionally competitive, Masters Level, basketball player.
Amit is passionate about driving growth in financial services. He has been actively involved in the investment industry for nearly 25 years.
As President, Chief Operating Officer and board member of tru Independence, Amit is focused on how to better serve the tru Independence community of advisors while also driving the growth and profitability of the firm. He is a recognized executive and thought leader in the financial services industry. Amit uses his previous experiences to aid advisors in their business lifecycle: from wirehouse to independence, from advisor to business owner and from founder to succession.
Prior to joining tru Independence, Amit was the CXO for Sanctuary Wealth responsible for the overall experience delivered by Sanctuary through its products, investments, services, and technology for its advisors. Amit helped grow Sanctuary from $2 billion to $15 billion in AUM.
Before joining Sanctuary, Amit was the CEO of Third Seven Advisors, a national advisory firm that provides technology & services to both RIAs & family offices. Amit was the Managing Director for HighTower Advisors, where he was responsible for over 175 advisors, $35 billion in assets under management generating $150 million in revenue.
Amit joined HighTower from The North Highland Company a global management consulting company where he was a leader of their wealth management and advisory group. Amit has previously worked as a Director with BNY Mellon, Brinker Capital and SEI, working with independent advisors and family offices on their growth and technology initiatives.
Amit is a recognized thought leader and frequent speaker on the state of the financial services industry, trends and economic impact with appearances on Yahoo! Finance, Fox Business, and has been a contributor to Investment News, Family Wealth Report, RIABiz, ThinkAdvisor and CityWire, as well as being on the cover of Real Assets Advisor magazine.
Amit graduated from Boston College, with a BA in Economics and has held past securities licenses as a general securities representative (7) and a uniform investment advisor (63 & 65).
When away from work, Amit can be found running his kids to soccer, dance, basketball or their friends’ houses. In moments of true peace, you can find Amit at the beach, skiing or just being outside.
Stacy ensures all areas of compliance for tru. She has over 20 years of experience in the financial industry, 12 of which are in the field of compliance. She has worked with broker-dealers, investment advisors, and hybrids of the two at CitiGroup Smith Barney, D.A. Davidson, and M Securities. Her strong background in compliance, regulatory audits and her passion for organization is a tremendous asset to tru.
Stacy attended Oregon State University and earned a B.S. in Sociology with an emphasis on Journalism and Marketing. An Oregon native, Stacy, her husband, and teenage daughter reside in Portland and are an avid basketball family.
Jason is the Director of Operations at tru Independence. In this role Jason oversees the operational staff and processes supporting each tru client. Jason’s team is primarily focused on portfolio accounting system setup and maintenance, billing, reporting, and custodian support.
Prior to joining tru, Jason was most recently a Partner, Director of Operations and CCO for an $800 million RIA in Portland, Oregon. Jason has served in various investment operations and consulting roles over his 25 year career, at Registered Investment Advisors, a family office, a Broker/Dealer, and a securities litigation consulting firm. He has a broad base of investment industry knowledge, with deep skills and experience in the areas of Portfolio Accounting, Performance Measurement and Compliance.
Jason received his BS in Economics from the University of Oregon, and has earned the right to use the Investment Adviser Certified Compliance Professional (IACCP®) designation.
Jason is family-oriented and enjoys spending as much time as possible with his wife and two teenage sons. He also loves supporting his Oregon Ducks!
Throughout Tami’s 18 year career, she has been responsible for numerous roles including servicing large institutional investment consultant relationships, multi-billion dollar public institutional investors, foundations and endowments, high net worth individual investors, and countless third-party service providers. Tami’s vast experience with technology systems, operational protocols & processes, and human resources are significant to the true team.
Prior to joining tru, Tami spent 11 years (2003-2014) with Common Sense Investment Management. At that time, the firm crossed $1 billion in AUM when she joined the Institutional Services team. Over the course of 11 years, CSIM’s assets grew to a peak of $4.5 billion. As the Institutional Services department expanded, Tami was promoted to Institutional Services Manager where she managed a staff responsible for: marketing & communication, investment consultants & institutional investors services, research/analytics, management, and operations/legal. Tami began her career in the financial industry in 1996 as an assistant in the Custodial Trust Division with Copper Mountain Trust (currently part of Union Bank of California), working directly with trust officers to set up new retirement accounts and profit-sharing plans. In addition to finance, Tami has experience in human resources working for Selectemp Staffing Services (1999) and CompView as a Training Coordinator in 2000. Tami earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Idaho in 1995. She also holds a Certificate of Human Resource Management from Portland State University.
Tami enjoys spending time with her husband and two young sons, and passionately training for triathlons and local running events.
Jamie is Chief Financial Officer at tru Independence, where she supports the organization’s mission of empowering investment professionals with the tools and support they need to create successful independent investment advisory and wealth management firms—while maintaining 100% ownership stake of their new entity. Jamie has considerable years of finance and accounting experience and enjoys sharing her strategic insights, financial management wisdom, and leadership skills with tru Independence and its independent financial advising clients.
She started her career as an auditor with PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she primarily worked within the investment management sector. She then worked as a financial advisor and CFO for a boutique independent advisor firm before transitioning into the niche market of providing middle and back-office services to independent financial advising firms. In this role, she harnesses her expertise to provide value and guidance to a larger audience of financial advisors, executives, and business owners.
Paul was previously Director of Technology for a multi-million dollar wealth management firm where he managed the information technology infrastructure and support for multiple offices across the United States. Prior to that, he served as network administrator of a multi-billion dollar registered investment advisor that managed long-short equity funds of hedge funds.
Craig is currently engaged in multiple professional roles at tru including business strategy, innovation and business development. He is the architect of the tru Advantage practice management program designed to help advisors transform their financial practices into high-performing businesses.
His career has been entrenched in the RIA industry for almost twenty-five years. He got his start initially with Fidelity Investments starting in 1995 and has since worked directly with hundreds of advisors over his nineteen-year tenure. As such, he has developed extensive knowledge and expertise around how to optimize business performance and enterprise value.
Craig has been a Certified Birkman Consultant for over 15 years and has trained to help build and optimize teams for business owners. He also has become a Certified Journey Business Coach, helping business owners maximize their skills as CEOs and leaders of their firms.
In addition to his professional duties, Craig gives back to his local community by serving as a life coach, at no cost, to high school and college students who lack clarity of their gifts, talents, and career focus. Using assessments and the art of coaching, he helps students build awareness of their unique talents and strengths and then helps them align their gifts with career pursuits that optimize both their interests and abilities. He and his wife Kristen recently bought a small horse farm outside Atlanta Georgia, exchanging life in the suburbs for the more open spaces of rural America. They are the parents of five children.
Craig holds a Bachelor of Art & Sciences degree in Behavioral Science from Ohio State University. He also holds an MBA from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio with a focus on Marketing and Finance and an Executive Certificate in Negotiation and Conflict Management from the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.
Gary is the Chief Operating Officer of tru Independence. Gary oversees all technology, finance, operational, and administrative areas and has extensive experience in both cybersecurity and compliance. Prior to joining the tru team, Gary spent close to 20 years at an independent financial advisory firm overseeing product and strategy, compliance, technology, cybersecurity, finance and human resources. Gary is dedicated to the financial advisory industry and has spoken at numerous conferences, served on a variety of panels, and been a key contributor to articles and journals. He is considered an expert in many facets of running, managing, and growing an independent financial advisory firm.
Gary received his BA in Economics and Finance from Texas A&M University.
Gary is passionate about volunteering. For 10 years, he served as Advisory Board Chairman of the Yellowstone Academy, a group devoted to providing underprivileged children formal education, in Houston. For 6 years, he was Vice Chairman of the Board of Spaulding for Children, an adoption agency helping to place abused and neglected children in loving homes.
Miles Lewis assists tru clients with implementation when they onboard, leads tru research, and works closely on the setup and support for the outsourced Chief Investment Officer (CIO) offering. Miles’ degree in Business Administration and Finance from the University of Oregon, his Series 65 securities license, and his passion for solving puzzles and building things give him well-rounded knowledge, allowing him to be a tru supporter of clients, and an active contributor to their positive tru experience.
Miles started at tru in 2017, and today is a Senior Operations Associate. Over time he has become the go-to for many clients, providing creative solutions and exceeding their expectations. Miles enjoys “making people happy” and he will go the extra mile to provide the right support, at the right time, for tru clients.
In his free time, Miles coaches baseball at Lakeridge High School. He is a family-oriented person with passions for hiking, snowboarding and recreational sports. Miles wants to see the world and has already traveled to the Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Japan and Mexico. He is always planning for his next trip!
Liz joined tru Independence as an Operations Associate in February of 2020. She works in conjunction with the other Operations team members to provide outstanding day-to-day client and operational service.
Liz grew up in San Diego, CA and graduated with her B.A. in Communication from California State University San Marcos. Prior to working at tru, she held a 7 year tenure at Chase in various commercial client service positions and then moved onto the wealth management sector upon her moving to Oregon in 2018. She is a registered notary in the state of Oregon.
Outside of work, Liz is frequently attending to her ever-growing menagerie of pets (currently at 3 cats, 2 dogs, and 1 human child), exploring Oregon and the many outdoor adventures it has to offer; and when it’s especially gloomy out, playing some video games or painting. She also enjoys a mean game of Top Golf, reading a murder mystery novel, and cosplaying as one of her favorite video game characters at the local comic conventions.
Mandi joined Tru Independence in September of 2018. As an Operations Specialist she works closely with the Implementation & Client Services teams to support the growth and day-to-day needs of advisor teams.
Mandi graduated from Portland State University with a B.S. in Social Sciences. She also holds a Certificate of Human Resources from Portland State. Prior to joining tru, Mandi worked at HighMark Capital Management as an associate.
Outside of work Mandi runs a portrait and wedding photography business. She also enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, and traveling.
Drew joined tru Independence in October 2019 as an Operations Associate.
Prior to joining tru, he worked in operations at both Fisher Investments and FocusPoint Solutions. He brings a wealth of experience within the RIA space as well as working knowledge of multiple custodian platforms.
Drew graduated from the University of Nebraska with a degree in Economics and a minor in Finance. In his free time, Drew likes reading, exploring the outdoors and playing softball.
Sara joined tru Independence in November of 2019.
Prior to joining tru, she worked in the billing department at Fisher Investments and has several years of administrative/operational experience.
Sara is a Portland native and graduated from Warner Pacific College with a BA in Business Administration, and also has an Associate’s Degree in Organizational Dynamics.
Outside of the office, Sara volunteers at the Oregon Humane Society and loves spending time with her family. Other hobbies include reading, camping and getting outside to explore as much as possible.
Ryan joined tru Independence as an Operations Associate in July of 2018. He provides support to tru’s teams ranging from platform support to account processing while providing exceptional customer service.
He moved to Portland from Texas in 2012 where he spent over 6 years as an Operations Manager of a fast-growing RIA. While there he spent time building financial plans, managing the firm’s platforms, databases, HR, IT, and account processing.
When not in the office he enjoys spending time with his wife and young daughter, cooking, woodworking, and playing with all things tech. He was born in Ohio and is an avid sports fan. Feel free to discuss the Ohio State Buckeyes at any time. Probably best to avoid discussing the Cincinnati Bengals as they are a constant disappointment.
Tiffany joined tru in February 2020 as Director of Executive Services.
Prior to joining tru she worked for Wells Fargo in Wealth Management supporting four of their top executives and has over 20 years of experience supporting executives in the financial and legal industries.
Tiffany earned her ABA Accredited Paralegal Degree and Tax Certification in 2015.
Tiffany enjoys spending time with her family and two sons and loves to explore new hikes throughout Oregon and Washington and volunteering for her community. Her passion is networking and bringing people together to help support a cause.
Michelle joined tru Independence in January 2020 as a Senior Compliance Officer.
Prior to joining tru Independence she worked at D. A. Davidson as a Vice-President, Data & Records Manager and has over 20 years of experience in the financial industry.
Outside of work Michelle loves spending time with her husband and son. When not attending one of her sons various sporting events, she enjoys cooking, traveling, hiking, and being outdoors.
