RIA Edge Podcast: Building Growth Partnerships with Summit Financial’s Stan Gregor

Explosive growth doesn’t happen by accident. It’s fueled by intentional partnerships, strategic resources, and cultural alignment.

In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong sits down with Stan Gregor, CEO of Summit Financial, who shares how his firm has grown from $3 billion to nearly $25 billion in assets since 2020. 

He reveals the minority investment model that prioritizes partnership over control, the resources Summit provides to help advisors grow organically and through acquisitions, and the importance of cultural fit. Stan also offers his perspective on private equity’s role in the industry and emerging service trends for RIAs.

Keypoints:

• Summit Financial’s minority investment partnership model and how it differs from roll-up and aggregator structures
• The selective approach to onboarding partners, focusing on cultural fit, aspiration, and willingness to leverage resources
• In-house resources, from legal and estate planning to marketing via Chapman Communications, that drive above-market organic growth
• Industry shifts toward private equity, private credit and alternative investments, and how Summit vets boutique opportunities
• Views on competition, partnership pitfalls and future monetization strategies while maintaining focus on growth and enterprise value

Resources:

• Listen to the RIA Edge Podcast on WealthManagement.com
• Listen and Subscribe to the RIA Edge Podcast on Apple Podcasts
• Listen and Subscribe to the RIA Edge Podcast on Spotify

 Connect With David Armstrong:

• WealthManagement.com
• LinkedIn: WealthManagement.com
• LinkedIn: David Armstrong
• Twitter/X: David Armstrong
• LinkedIn: Informa

Connect With Stan Gregor:

• Website: Summit Financial
• LinkedIn: Summit Financial
• LinkedIn: Stan Gregor

About Our Guest:

Stan Gregor is the CEO of Summit Financial LLC. As a senior executive with over 30 years of experience, Stan has operated in banking, private wealth management, investment management, fiduciary trust services, fixed income trading, investment banking, retirement services, insurance, financial planning, and public finance. He has also been involved in acquiring and integrating some of the largest and most complicated banking, wealth management, insurance, and capital markets businesses and cultures with a demonstrated track record of increasing productivity, profitability, and shareholder value.

Most recently, Stan was the founder and co-CEO of Cantor