The COO Roundtable

By Coldstream Wealth ManagmentBusiness Education Arts

The COO Roundtable episodes

July 06, 2021EP 31 - Eric Stephenson of Align Impact & Natalie Wheeler of Berkshire Money Management
In the 31st episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two operations professionals who have had a huge impact on their respective organizations, Natalie Wheeler, Chief Operating Officer at Berkshire Money Management and Eric Stephenson, Director of Client Advisory and Operations at Align Impact. Celebrating 20 years in business this year, Berkshire Money Management is located in Dalton Massachusetts. They have 15 employees and manage $775 in AUM. Founded in 2014, Align Impact is headquartered in Los Angeles and has 20 employees. They manage $1.6B in AUA. Matt, Natalie, and Eric discuss how they have worked to standardize their firms’ processes and procedures and much more including:
Background of each guests’ firm including ideal client and service offerings
Our guests’ professional background, including a fun story about Eric’s past as a pole vaulter and Natalie’s recent promotion to Chief Operating Officer
How each guest “keeps their sanity” while juggling the many demands of their role
How they impact organic growth at their firms
How career opportunities come to those who raise their hands
The “Profit vs Growth” question, or as Matt calls it “The Chicken and Egg Conundrum”

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33 min
June 02, 2021EP 30 - Michael Paley of Klingman & Associates and Kevin Hrdlicka of Savant Wealth Management
In the 30th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Michael Paley, Chief Operating Officer at Klingman & Associates and Kevin Hrdlicka, Chief Operating Officer at Savant Wealth Management. Klingman & Associates is located in New York City, has 18 employees and manages $2.7B in client assets. Savant Wealth Management is headquartered in Rockford, Illinois, has 18 offices across the country and manages just under $11B. Matt, Michael, and Kevin discuss how professional management drives RIAs to the next level and much more, including:
The background of each guest’s firm, their ideal clients, and how each firm has historically grown assets under management
Our guests’ professional backgrounds, including Michael’s time as an early employee at Focus Financial Partners and his continued growth in the industry, and Kevin’s career-spanning journey with Savant Wealth Management
How they, as COOs, support their firm’s growth, including Kevin’s input on “specialization” and Michael’s advice to think “five years ahead”
How the COO is the “keeper of the client experience”
What each guest does on a daily basis to make employees as successful as possible
The KPIs our guests use to monitor the health of their respective firms
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51 min
May 04, 2021EP 29 - Gina Bradley of Colony Group & Susan Korin of Balasa Dinverno Foltz
In the 29th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two highly accomplished RIA professionals, Gina Bradley, COO & General Counsel of Colony Group and Susan Korin, COO & CCO of Balasa Dinverno Foltz (“BDF”). Colony Group is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year and is headquartered in Boston, MA. With 15 offices nationwide and 260 employees, Colony Group manages $13B in AUM. BDF was also founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Chicago, IL. They have 67 team members and currently manage $5.3B in AUM. Matt, Gina, and Susan discuss the many areas a COO impacts their firm, how the COO manages people vs infrastructure, and much more including:
Background of each guests’ firm including ideal client and service offerings
Our guests’ professional background, including how they both became COOs and how they juggle their dual roles in their respective firms
How their role as COO both supports and manages the growth in their organization and the infrastructure needed to achieve those goals
Both firms’ vision (as of April 2021) of a post-COVID workplace
The cultural impact the COO has on a firm

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45 min
April 06, 2021EP 28 - Tony Parkin & Nikolee Turner of Charles Schwab Advisor Services
In the 28th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes two extremely experienced consultants from Charles Schwab Advisor Services’ Business Consulting & Education division, Tony Parkin and Nikolee Turner. Matt, Tony, and Nikolee discuss how professional management drives “lasting and significant changes” at organizations, the importance of clear and repetitive internal communication, the need to understand your ideal client before determining your firm’s organizational structure, and much more including:
An overview of Schwab’s consulting services and how they provide support to help RIAs run successful businesses
A funny story about Tony’s first time visiting the PFI Advisors’ office
Both guests’ professional backgrounds, including how Tony discovered the benefits of the independent model and Nikolee’s fascination with “how people pursue their own excellence”
Nikolee shares Schwab’s Five Guiding Principles for Advisory Firm Success
Tony and Nikolee’s thoughts on when they believe a firm needs professional management
Challenges firms face when bringing in professional management for the first time

To view a copy of the 2020 Schwab RIA Compensation report, click here.
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50 min
March 04, 2021EP 27 - Kara Armstrong of CapSouth Wealth Management & Nick Maggiulli of Ritholtz Wealth Management
For this special edition of The COO Roundtable, Matt recorded live from Mercer Capital’s inaugural RIA Practice Management Insight’s conference. This virtual conference “focused on back of the house (operational) issues that are as vital to success as they are easy to ignore.” Joining Matt as guests were Kara Armstrong, Chief Operating Officer of CapSouth Wealth Management and Nick Maggiulli Chief Operating Officer (and Data Scientist) of Ritholtz Wealth Management. CapSouth Wealth Management is headquartered in Dothan, AL and has two other locations in Georgia and North Carolina, and they manage $650M in client AUM. Ritholtz Wealth Management is located in New York, NY, has 33 employees, and manages $2B in AUM. Together, Matt, Kara, and Nick discuss how COOs drive efficiencies and manage their most important clients – the employees of their respective firms. Other topics covered include:
Each guests’ professional background and personal journey that led them to their current role, including Kara’s route via finance and Nick’s background as a data scientist
Overview of their respective firms and their growth visions for 2021
How each guest defines their role as COO due to their firm’s unique demands
The ways Kara and Nick balance being “behind the scenes” while making sure they are recognized for their hard work and contributions to their firm
How they each tackle integration of the various tools and systems that make up their firm’s technology stack
We’d like to thank Mercer Capital for providing this opportunity.
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43 min
February 02, 2021EP 26 - Kelly Downs of Berman Capital Advisors & Matt Ran of Telemus Financial Life Management
In the 26th episode of The COO Roundtable, our host, Matt Sonnen, welcomes Matt Ran, Chief Operating Officer and Partner of Telemus Financial Life Management, and Kelly Downs, Chief Operating Officer of Berman Capital Advisors. Telemus has two offices in Michigan, another in Chicago, and manages $3.5B in AUM. Berman Capital Advisors also manages $3.2B is headquartered in Atlanta, GA and has two additional offices in Chicago. Matt, Kelly, and Matt discuss how a COO impacts all aspects of a firm’s success, including client “stickiness”, adopting new technology, and much more including:
An overview of their firms’ backgrounds
Matt and Kelly’s professional backgrounds and how they shifted toward professional management after both spent time as financial advisors
What new initiatives each firm implemented during the pandemic that they plan to keep long term
How each firm has placed priority and continued to focus on culture even in a Work From Home environment
Each firm’s growth-oriented projects and outlook for 2021
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44 min
January 12, 2021EP 25 - Lisa Cook of Pacific Portfolio Consulting & Erica Farber of Balentine
In the 25th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Lisa Cook, the newly-appointed COO at Pacific Portfolio Consulting in Seattle, WA and Erica Farber, Partner at Balentine in Atlanta, GA. Balentine’s 39 employees manage $3.5B in assets under advisement and Pacific Portfolio Consulting manages $3.8B in client assets with 17 employees. Lisa and Erica join Matt to discuss how RIAs can leverage the role of the COO to its fullest potential, including the following topics:
The history, ideal client, and service offerings of both firms
Erica and Lisa’s respective backgrounds, including the support Erica received when she “raised her hand” and asked for a larger role, and Lisa’s industry experience while being caught in “merger mania”
How they each impact their firm’s culture, including Lisa’s opportunities as the first COO in Pacific Portfolio Consulting, and how Balentine empowered their employees to create their present-day authentic culture
The strategies they use to gain adoption and affect change in their organization
How RIAs should rate the success of their COO
How their firms are preparing themselves to be “M&A ready”
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37 min
December 09, 2020EP 24 - Phil Hildebrandt & Paul Lythberg of Segall Bryant & Hamill
In the 24th episode of The COO Roundtable, which marks our podcast’s 2nd anniversary, Matt welcomes two prominent guests from Segall Bryant & Hamill: Chief Executive Officer Phil Hildebrandt and Chief Operating Officer & Chief Compliance Officer Paul Lythberg. Segall Bryant & Hamill is headquartered in Chicago, IL, has been in business for over 26 years, and manages $22B of client assets. Matt, Phil, and Paul discuss how their CEO and COO roles work together to ensure “the trains are running on time,” the nuances of running a large organization, and much more, including:
Overview of Segall Bryant & Hamill’s history and services
We hear Phil and Paul’s background, including Phil’s start with the firm in 1995 when SBH was in its startup phase and how Paul has honed his skills from his days at Allstate to joining SBH 8 years ago
How SBH’s growth required investments in their infrastructure and professional management, which led to Paul’s COO role allowing him to free up more of Phil’s time and increase organizational scalability
Their views on culture, including Phil’s take that culture is a “living, breathing, organism you can’t fabricate”
How our guests manage change in their larger-than-average firm
The Key Performance Indictors they rely on to get a picture of the “health” of their business
We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe!
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35 min
November 10, 2020EP 23 - Aiki Altmets of Regimen Wealth & Lynne Born of Wealth Architects
In the 23rd episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Aiki Altmets, COO and CCO of the newly-formed Regimen Wealth and Lynne Born, President of Wealth Architects. Regimen Wealth is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and manages $200 million in client assets with 6 employees. Located in Mountain View, California, Wealth Architects has over $1 billion in AUM with 20 employees. Matt, Aiki, and Lynne discuss the entrepreneurial spirit and the commitment necessary to be successful in professional management while growing an RIA, and much more, including:
Overview of their firms’ backgrounds, services, and ideal clients
We hear each guest’s fascinating background, including Aiki’s story about co-founding an RIA during a global pandemic; and Lynne’s journey from running one of the largest accounting firm-owned multifamily offices to her decision to join Wealth Architects earlier this year
How each guest works with their respective CEOs to tackle their firm’s needs and the demands of their positions
The technological challenges each guest has overcome to build a more efficient back office infrastructure
What entrepreneurial characteristics help both Aiki and Lynne in their respective roles

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34 min
October 06, 2020EP 22 - Karen Denise of CAPTRUST & Kaylyn Melia of Socius Family Office
In this special episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt recorded live for Bob Veres’ Insider’s Forum. For those unfamiliar with Insider’s Forum, it “is designed to provide essential information for running and growing prosperous businesses and better serving clients, advanced technical content, as well as valuable opportunities for networking with industry thought leaders.” Matt had the pleasure of interviewing Kaylyn Melia, Chief Operating Officer at Socius Family Office and Karen Denise, Senior Director in charge of Client Service at CAPTRUST. Socius Family Office is headquartered in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and has one office just outside of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. With approximately 100 different client families, Socius Family Office manages approximately $550B in assets. A well-known name in the industry, CAPTRUST is headquartered in North Carolina and has over 30 locations and 721 employees. They manage roughly $400B in client assets across their various business lines. Matt, Kaylyn, and Karen’s thoughtful conversation covers just how involved operations professionals are in all aspects of a firm; they also discuss:
Overview of their respective firms and the clients they service, such as Socius Family Office’s focus on young professional athletes and entrepreneurs and CAPTRUST’s concentration on foundations and institutional retirement plans
The professional background of each guest and how they entered the wealth management industry
Fantastic career advice from both women including Kaylyn explaining how “Small wins can add up,” and Karen reminding professionals “Don’t limit your thinking to your current role”
How each firm manages growth in a profitable and scalable fashion
Where each guest goes for further industry-specific education

It was a great honor to record our podcast live as part of the conference. We’d like to thank Lisa Crafford of BNY Mellon Pershing and Shaun Kapusinski of HIFON for providing this opportunity.

We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe!

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Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.
58 min

About The COO Roundtable

From the publisher's feed

Join host Matt Sonnen and a panel of COOs, as they share an open discussion about operational and technology best practices for the RIA industry, and shed a light on the tremendously important work…