HighTower’s Gryphon Financial Partners Adds Two Advisors, Surpasses $1 Billion in Client Assets

CHICAGO, Sept. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Two new advisors have joined Gryphon Financial Partners at HighTower, bringing $350 million in client assets to the Columbus, Ohio-based team and completing HighTower's eleventh transition this year. Jeffrey R. Lagusch, Director, Wealth Management transitioned $100 million from Morgan Stanley. He joined with Client Relationship Associate Emily Hipp in August. Tom Regan, previously of Lenox Wealth Management, started with Client Relationship Associate Traci Nickels on September 25, bringing $250 million in assets to the HighTower platform. Gryphon Financial Partners now manages a total of more than $1.1 billion in assets.

"The engine driving HighTower's steady growth, and the foundation of our sound business model and strong financial performance, is the talent and dedication of our advisors," said Michael Parker, Chief Development Officer, HighTower. "We recognize the importance of recruiting and transition support in building a thriving independent practice, which is why we work closely with Gryphon and our other teams to welcome outstanding professionals like Jeff and Tom—as well as their clients—to HighTower."

Mr. Lagusch began his career in 1996 with Dean Witter before joining Salomon Smith Barney, a Morgan Stanley predecessor firm, in 2001.  He is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP^®) with expertise in insurance, investments, income tax, retirement and estate planning, as well as a graduate of John Carroll University's Executive Financial Planning program.

Mr. Regan began his career at Merrill Lynch in 1995. He then moved to J.C. Bradford, which became UBS Paine Webber in 2000. Most recently, Tom was a Vice President and founding member of Lenox Wealth Management from 2004-2014. He earned his CFP^® certification in 2004 and specializes in serving the needs of corporate executives and small to medium-sized business owners.

"Our vision in establishing Gryphon Financial Partners was to build a leading, independent Midwestern firm founded on a commitment to serving our clients' best interests," said Joel Guth, CEO and founder of Gryphon Financial Partners. "HighTower's community of top-performing financial professionals and sophisticated, open-architecture platform enable us to grow our business and achieve that vision."

For media inquiries, please contact Melinda Brodbeck, JCPR, at 973-850-7348 or mbrodbeck@jcprinc.com.

About HighTower

HighTower is a national firm built by and for elite financial advisors. HighTower advisors commit to the fiduciary standard: a binding promise to put our clients' interests first. Powered by a proprietary technology and investment platform, HighTower embraces bold change to create a culture of collaboration and growth and to meet the evolving needs of sophisticated investors.  For more information, see www.hightoweradvisors.com.

Melinda BrodbeckJCPR
973-850-7348
mbrodbeck@jcprinc.com

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SOURCE HighTower