Around the Firm
Promotions & Team Updates
Innovest celebrated Scott Middleton, CFA's 15 years of service to Innovest and a terrific career. Happy retirement, Scott, and we will miss you!
We have some exciting team updates! Help us welcome our new team members Paul D'Alessandro (Vice President), Nancy Rimington (Vice President), Matt Foster (Analyst Assistant), Marisa Joseph (Analyst Assistant), and Natalie Kuzia (Analyst Assistant)! Innovest is also excited to announce that Joanne Cinalli has progressed to Senior Manager, Stephanie Dufano has progressed to Manager, Peter Girard has progressed to Lead Senior Analyst, Sydney Aeschlimann, Alexandra E. Johnson, and Brian Curran have all progressed to Senior Analyst, Sarah McGuire and Denise Rice have progressed to Analyst.
We are always thrilled when our employees pursue further education and credentials. Sydney Aeschlimann passed the Series 65 Exam. The Series 65 exam, known formally as the Uniform Investment Adviser Law Examination, covers laws, regulations, ethics, and various topics important to the role of a financial adviser. Also, Natalie Kuzia passed Level II of the CFA exam, and Brett Minnick passed Level III of the exam making him a CFA charterholder. The CFA charter designation represents one of the highest levels of recognition financial professionals can earn and demonstrates a finance professional’s work ethic, analytical skills, and grounding in ethics.
Each month, Innovest employees recognize one team member who is an exemplary model of our main mission of stewardship. The recipients of the Service to Others monthly awards were Matt Popish in January, Abigail Thomas in February, and Eileen Pohs in March.
Awards & Publications
Innovest was honored to have been recognized this quarter by external organizations. Innovest President and Co-founder Wendy Dominguez was named a finalist for the 10th Annual Family Wealth Report Awards in the category of Women in Wealth Advisory. Congratulations Wendy! Innovest has again been named to the National Association of Plan Advisors’ (NAPA) top defined contribution (DC) advisor teams ranking us 12th in the Nation with assets under advisement of at least $100 Million.
Innovest is also in the media this quarter! Innovest Consultants Dustin Roberts, MBA, QKA, AIF and Franklin Cornett , CFP® authored “Your 7 Point Year End Retirement Check List,” which was recently published by 401K Specialist. Innovest Vice Presidents Brett Minnick and Kyli Soto authored “Does your 401k Plan Offer the Best Cash Options: What do employers need to know about capital preservation,” published by BenefitsPro. Innovest CEO Richard Todd’s article “Secular Firm Created a Christian Culture,” was recently published by the Central Florida Christian Chamber of Commerce. Innovest Vice President Paul D’Alessandro’s article, “Donors: Beware of Nonprofits,” was published in NonProfitPRO.
Lastly, congratulations to Innovest intern and Arrupe Jesuit High School Senior Jose Huerta on being awarded one of the Daniels Scholarships for the Class of 2023. Way to go, Jose!
Service
We are proud to be a charitably focused firm and look forward to service opportunities each quarter. Innovest employees helped assemble and deliver healthy meals for Project Angel Heart. This organization continues to have a profound influence on the health outcomes of individuals living with life threatening illnesses. Our team also collected baby items for Marisol Homes. Marisol Homes provides safe and secure emergency and community-based housing for pregnant women and single women with children who are experiencing homelessness. Additionally, Innovest hosted Michael Connors and his dog, Brian, from ConnorsK9-Academy – P.A.W.S. (Pups Assisting Warriors to Succeed) at our recent Rocky Mountain Benefits Conference! Participants of the conference were encouraged to support P.A.W.S. during the lunch time break. Lastly, Innovest employees helped sort through donations and prepared and served meals for Volunteers of America Colorado (VOAC)! VOAC is a nonprofit, faith-based organization dedicated to helping those in need transform their lives.
Conferences, Speaking, Events, & Sponsorships
Innovest was out and about in the community this quarter with some exciting speaking opportunities. Wendy Dominguez was interviewed at NAPO’s 34th Annual Police, Fire, EMS, and Municipal Employee Pension & Benefits Seminar in Las Vegas, NV. Also, Innovest was a proud sponsor of the Christian Leadership Alliance conference in Chicago. Sloan Smith, CAIA, CPWA® spoke on "Building a Biblically Responsible Portfolio," while Nancy Rimington delivered the "Economic Update - Looking Ahead in 2023 and Beyond: Key Implications for Portfolio Design." Rich Todd led the CFO Roundtable with insights on aligning vendor values.
We were thrilled to co-host the Rocky Mountain Benefits Plan Conference (RMBC) in Denver, CO with CliftonLarsonAllen. Innovest’s Rick Rodgers and Dustin Roberts were featured speakers at this year’s RMBC. The conference focused on the SECURE Act 2.0, ESG investing, the ESBA plan correction program, an economic update, and more. Thank you to all the attendees who joined us. It was great to be back in person this year!