Texas-Based Endeavor Adds Northern Trust Alums

The founder and CEO of Endeavor Advisors, a registered investment advisor founded in 2023, has hired two Northern Trust alumni he worked with previously and brought on another former colleague as an independent advisor.

Adam Brennen, a former regional director and senior client advisor for Northern Trust in Houston, has joined Endeavor as a partner and president. Philip Armes, a senior vice president and senior wealth strategist with Northern Trust in Houston, has joined as a partner and director of business advisory.

In addition, the firm is adding Jeff Early, the former president of Northern Trust wealth management in Texas, as an independent director, Endeavor CEO and founder Colter Lewis told WealthManagement.com.

“We have a team of deeply experienced people in consulting, counseling and managing investments,” Lewis said of the newly constructed group.

Lewis launched Endeavor, which is based in The Woodlands, Texas, after more than 16 years at Northern Trust. His last role was president of the Texas region, where he built Northern Trust’s wealth practice to more than $10 billion in assets. He later decided to follow an entrepreneurial streak and start his own firm, “free from the frictions” of corporate, big bank environments, he said.

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Endeavor is a boutique firm with about $227.9 million in assets. Lewis said it is focused on high-net-worth families managing wealth and businesses with assets ranging from $5 million to $100 million.

At Northern Trust, Brennan led the greater Houston region, and Armes worked in mergers, acquisitions and business transitions.

Lewis worked with Brennan for many years and said the new partner would help the firm “scale and grow” through about 75% organic growth and 25% via acquisition.

Armes and Lewis also met many years ago. Lewis said he was impressed by Armes’ work with family-owned businesses, including his M&A prowess and private equity investments in those firms.

Lewis said the firm’s specialized, boutique nature will draw families who are tired of dealing with financial advisors who frequently change firms or leave altogether.

“Advisors that clients have invested time and energy in getting to know are not with them anymore or are asking them to move with them,” he said. “That experience is fatiguing. That’s why we’ve built Endeavor to give them that personal, stable experience.”

Perigon Wealth Announces Four Advisors Make Partner

Perigon Wealth Management, a $8.7 billion San Francisco-based RIA, announced that four advisors have become partners after completing the firm’s “path to partnership” program.

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According to Perigon CEO Arthur Ambarik, the four 1099 advisors participated in the program to earn an ownership stake in the RIA.

The new partners are:

Since December 2021, Perigon has added teams and offices across six major markets and, in January 2024, received a capital investment from Constellation Wealth Capital to continue fueling acquisitions.

Former Schwab Advisor Joins RIA Ballast Rock Private Wealth

Ballast Rock Private Wealth, a Charleston, S.C.-based RIA, has brought on Troy Davidson from Charles Schwab.

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Davidson joins the firm as a wealth advisor working with high- and ultra-high-net-worth clients. His advisement includes estate planning, tax minimization and cross-generational wealth management.

He was most recently a vice president financial consultant at Schwab, managing more than 300 households valued at more than $1.6 billion, including $480 million in assets under management.

Before that, he was a vice president and financial consultant at Fidelity Investments and a wealth management advisor at Bank of America’s Merrill.

Lenox Advisors Promotes Partner, Managing Director

Lenox Advisors, a New York-based affiliate of NFP, an Aon company, has promoted Gabe Schulman to partner and Michael Girasole to managing director.

Schulman, who joined the firm in 2011, was a managing director before the promotion to partner. He specializes in estate, insurance and wealth management planning for individuals and corporate clients.

Girasole joined Lenox in 2016 and oversees the growth and development of the firm’s East Coast offices in New York City, Baltimore, Maryland and Stamford, Conn. He also works with individual and corporate clients.

NorthRock Partners Expands In Chicago

NorthRock Partners, a $6.7 billion RIA based in Minneapolis, has bolstered its Chicago presence by hiring veteran advisor Tony Pondel from his LPL Financial affiliated practice.

According to his BrokerCheck profile, Pondel had been affiliated with LPL for over 20 years. He will join an already established Chicago practice for NothRock, which has more than 2,400 clients with services including investments, tax, insurance, legal and estate, and charitable giving guidance.

The RIA seeks to expand further in other U.S. markets through acquisitions. It did not respond to a request for comment on the size of Pondel’s client book.