Our Leaders Are Also Owners

Aligning the business interests of all parties extends to HighTower’s executives, advisors and board of directors. All are equity owners in the business, along with our financial advisors. Ownership by advisors, managers and board members is an important part of what makes HighTower different from today's Wall Street firms. Together, the people who operate HighTower and the advisors who work with clients own the majority stake of the company.

Leadership

An experienced executive management team and board, with deep industry knowledge and a long-term commitment to building something compelling and new.

Elliot Weissbluth

Elliot S. Weissbluth
Chief Executive Officer, Director

Mr. Weissbluth is the former President of US Fiduciary, a boutique broker-dealer. He led the firm's expansion, recruiting high net worth advisors from top brokerage firms. Previously, Mr. Weissbluth was at RogersCasey, one of the nation’s leading investment research and institutional Registered Investment Advisory firms. Mr. Weissbluth serves as Trustee and member of the Investment Committee for Interlochen and Center for Performing Arts in Michigan. Mr. Weissbluth began his career as a practicing attorney in Chicago.
Mr. Weissbluth is a member of The Economic Club of Chicago.

Larry Koehler

Larry Koehler
Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Koehler was a founder of EVEREN Securities, the 10th largest securities broker dealer and 20th largest majority employee owned company with over 4,000 employees, 2000 financial advisors and 70 Billion of AUM. He spent nearly a decade at EVEREN where he was a member of the Board of Directors and the Executive Operating Committee. While at EVEREN, he served most recently as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. After the sale of EVEREN, Mr. Koehler served as Chief Financial Officer of two venture-backed companies. Earlier in his career, Mr. Koehler worked as a Senior Tax Manager at KPMG Peat Marwick in Chicago.
Mr. Koehler holds a BA from Loyola University of Chicago and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Andrew Korneich

Andrew Kornreich
President, Director

Mr. Kornreich was the former Senior Vice President and General Counsel for FreedomRoads, where he executed the successful consolidation of the Recreational Vehicle dealership industry, consummating 27 transactions in 30 months representing nearly $1.3 billion in revenue. In a previous role, he assisted start-up companies with the challenges of growth. Mr. Kornreich began his career as an M&A specialist at the law firm Reed Smith LLP. He earned a J.D. from Loyola Law School in Chicago and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Matthew Camden

Matthew Camden
Chief Technology Officer

Mr. Camden brings more than 24 years of technology and technology management experience to HighTower. He was the first Chief Information Officer at UHY Advisors in Chicago, a top-ten CPA firm resulting from CPA consolidation in 2004. As the Chief Information Officer, he architected a high-performance Enterprise IT infrastructure for the integrated firms. Previously, he spent eight years as partner and CTO at Clifton Gunderson, LLP in Peoria, Illinois, a top-twenty CPA firm, where he designed a data center approach to application access and data consolidation that remains an industry standard. As KPMG’s Midwest MIS Director in Chicago, he streamlined and managed the region’s technology needs as KPMG reorganized along regional districts. Mr. Camden attended Benedictine University, and holds a BA in Literature and Communications.

Dan Lidawer

Dan Lidawer
Executive Director, Client Service & Practice Management

Mr. Lidawer is a former Partner with William Blair & Company, where he supervised a 150-person department that included 85 of the top investment advisors in the Chicago area. With 26 years of industry experience, Mr. Lidawer began his career on Wall Street, first at Salomon Brothers Inc, and then Lazard Frères & Co. He is the past Chairperson and a current board member of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, Central States District, and a FINRA arbitrator. He holds FINRA series 7, 9, 10, 24, 28, and 66 licenses.
Mr. Lidawer graduated from The Wharton School and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Ed Friedman

Ed Friedman
Managing Director, Business Development

Mr. Friedman has been in the securities industry for 24 years, the last 22 of which were spent with Morgan Stanley, Manhattan, New York. During that time, he served in the positions of Financial Advisor, Branch Manager and Director of the Wealth Advisor program. The Wealth Advisor Program supported the top Financial Advisors at Morgan Stanley, providing training and support to attract and work with HNW and UHNW households. During his tenure at Morgan Stanley he served on the Management Committee of the private client business as well as guest speaker on development and compliance topics. He holds FINRA series 3, 7, 8, 63 and 65 licenses. Mr. Friedman holds a BA in Business Administration from Rutgers University and is a graduate of the Executive Education Program at the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business.

Robert Pagliuco

Robert Pagliuco
Managing Director, Accounting & Finance

Mr. Pagliuco has over 25 years of financial, accounting and regulatory compliance experience in the financial services industry. He has served in multi-disciplined capacities as Principal and CFO of registered broker-dealers and Futures Commissions Merchants providing clearing and trading services to professional, institutional and retail customers. Most recently, he was the Americas CFO and CCO of a European based market maker and derivatives liquidity provider and an instrumental manager in the organization’s geometric expansion on major security options and futures exchanges in the United States. Earlier in his career, Mr. Pagliuco served as an Audit Manager of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and was a member of the Joint Exchange Audit and Regulatory Compliance Committees. He holds FINRA series 4, 7, 24, 27 & 63 licenses. Mr. Pagliuco holds a BS in Accounting and Finance from Northern Illinois University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Matt Reynold

Matt Reynolds
Chief Compliance Officer, Operations

Mr. Reynolds was the former Chief Operating & Compliance Officer of Advanced Equities, Inc., a privately held venture capital and private equity firm with over $1.5 billion portfolio assets. Prior to this position Mr. Reynolds was the Chief Compliance Officer and Senior Operations Manager at US Fiduciary, where he built out the firm's B/D, TAMP and Hedge Fund platform compliance and operations. He also served as Chief Compliance Officer of RogersCasey, a leading investment consulting firm with more than $400 billion in assets under management. Mr. Reynolds holds FINRA series 4,7,24,27 and 66 licenses, a degree in accounting, and is a MBA candidate at Loyola University Chicago.

Bill Norton

Bill Norton
Managing Director, Operations

Mr. Norton has over 15 years of brokerage operations experience. Before joining HighTower he was the Vice President of Change Management for Goldman Sachs, working with operations personnel, financial advisors and technology developers to develop new enhancements and products for the system. Mr. Norton has also managed the Goldman Sachs Client Reporting and Transfer of Assets departments. Prior to joining Goldman, Mr. Norton managed the Transfer of Assets and Corporate Services teams for National Financial Services Corporation, a Fidelity Investments owned broker dealer, in New York City. He holds a FINRA Series 7 license and is a Commander in the Navy Reserves.

Max Mintzer

Max Mintzer
Managing Director, Operations

Mr. Mintzer has more than 20 years of operating experience. Prior to joining HighTower, he was the First Vice President and Operations Manager of LaSalle Bank’s Financial Services Group. In that position, he spent the past 2 years overseeing the back office operation for advisors over a broad network of more than 400 locations in Illinois and Michigan. Prior to joining LaSalle’s Financial Services group, Mr. Mintzer implemented LaSalle Preferred Services, the bank’s affluent clientele model, where he led the opening of 8 offices within 12 months. Mr. Mintzer worked with The Chicago Trust Company, serving as the operations manager of the trust, custody and deferred exchange groups. He holds FINRA Series 7 and 24 licenses. Mr. Mintzer holds a BS in Business Administrations from Indiana University and is an honors graduate of the Cannon Financial Institute Securities Operation program.