(From left) The Lewis Wealth Partners team of Joe Bartholomew, John Lewis, Kylie Roman, and Rick Blackwell are all now part of Rockefeller Global Family Office. (Courtesy Rockefeller)
A wealth management firm tied to one of America’s most notable business families has set up shop in Richmond.
Rockefeller Global Family Office launched its first local operations earlier this month.
The company, which has expanded into dozens of new markets over the last five years, made its move into Richmond by luring Lewis Wealth Partners, a 10-person team led by John Lewis that was previously with Truist Wealth.
The Lewis group officially started with Rockefeller on Feb. 1 and has taken on a new office in the Williams Mullen Center at 200 S. 10th St. downtown.
Rockefeller Global is a division of Rockefeller Capital Management, which was born out of an original venture dating to 1882 that was formed to manage the wealth and assets of magnate John D. Rockefeller, known for Standard Oil, among other businesses.
Today, RCM says it handles $122 billion in client assets across its three businesses, Rockefeller Global Family Office, Rockefeller Asset Management, and Rockefeller Strategic Advisory.
Its wealth management arm caters to ultra- and high-net-worth individuals and families, institutions, and corporations.
Lewis, who could not be reached for comment, had been with Truist since 2021, and was previously with predecessor BB&T Scott & Stringfellow, as well as Morgan Stanley.
Following Lewis to Rockefeller were managing directors Joseph Bartholomew III and Richard Blackwell; senior vice president Kylie Roman; financial planning officers Lindsay Dillon and Trevor Adams; wealth manager Michael Hofmeister; client service manager Catherine Elrod; and associates Lauren Hershey and Jessica Taylor.
The Lewis team will report to Kristen Sario, head of Rockefeller’s Southeast division out of its Atlanta office.
The expansion to Richmond follows a similar model deployed by Rockefeller in other markets since 2018. That’s when, according to the firm’s national field director Michael Outlaw, the decision was made to begin offering the firm’s capabilities to more than just the Rockefeller family.
Michael Outlaw
“In 2018, the current management team partnered with the family to transform this family office that at that point was devoted to the Rockefeller family and some of their friends, to set out and take their vast resources and bring it to life in different markets in the U.S.,” Outlaw said.
The firm is fittingly headquartered at 45 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City and the first stop in its expansion five years ago was Atlanta. It has since grown to 30 markets. Its largest operations are in New York, Atlanta, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago.
Outlaw said the firm looks for markets that have a concentration of wealth and industry talent that it can lure over. Its goal is to find groups with a healthy book of business of well-heeled clients in a given region and show them the benefits of Rockefeller’s capabilities.
“We’re looking at different markets where there are both the right families and right advisors for all that we do for our families,” Outlaw said.
He said the firm began to plan its push into Richmond about a year ago and eventually found the Lewis group. He said the goal is for the team to continue to serve the clients brought over with them from Truist and add new family clients over time.
He said Rockefeller plans to expand its Richmond ranks by attracting additional local wealth management operations into the fold.
“We do expect to grow in Richmond by adding other elite teams,” he said.
Despite its growth in recent years, Outlaw said the firm’s founding, namesake family remains part of the operation.
“We’re very proud of the brand and the legacy of the Rockefeller family,” he said. “They are still very involved in the firm.”
Richmond is the firm’s second office in Virginia, adding to one in Arlington that serves the Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. area.
Rockefeller is the latest out-of-town wealth advisory backed by a wealth founding family to try to win business in the competitive Richmond market.
Last month, Charlotte, North Carolina-based New Republic Partners launched its first Richmond-area operations by luring over industry veteran Ali Bayler. New Republic was founded by two wealthy Southeast families: the Belks, known for their namesake department store chain, and the Springs-Close-Bowles clan, which made its fortunes in textiles.
(From left) The Lewis Wealth Partners team of Joe Bartholomew, John Lewis, Kylie Roman, and Rick Blackwell are all now part of Rockefeller Global Family Office. (Courtesy Rockefeller)
A wealth management firm tied to one of America’s most notable business families has set up shop in Richmond.
Rockefeller Global Family Office launched its first local operations earlier this month.
The company, which has expanded into dozens of new markets over the last five years, made its move into Richmond by luring Lewis Wealth Partners, a 10-person team led by John Lewis that was previously with Truist Wealth.
The Lewis group officially started with Rockefeller on Feb. 1 and has taken on a new office in the Williams Mullen Center at 200 S. 10th St. downtown.
Rockefeller Global is a division of Rockefeller Capital Management, which was born out of an original venture dating to 1882 that was formed to manage the wealth and assets of magnate John D. Rockefeller, known for Standard Oil, among other businesses.
Today, RCM says it handles $122 billion in client assets across its three businesses, Rockefeller Global Family Office, Rockefeller Asset Management, and Rockefeller Strategic Advisory.
Its wealth management arm caters to ultra- and high-net-worth individuals and families, institutions, and corporations.
Lewis, who could not be reached for comment, had been with Truist since 2021, and was previously with predecessor BB&T Scott & Stringfellow, as well as Morgan Stanley.
Following Lewis to Rockefeller were managing directors Joseph Bartholomew III and Richard Blackwell; senior vice president Kylie Roman; financial planning officers Lindsay Dillon and Trevor Adams; wealth manager Michael Hofmeister; client service manager Catherine Elrod; and associates Lauren Hershey and Jessica Taylor.
The Lewis team will report to Kristen Sario, head of Rockefeller’s Southeast division out of its Atlanta office.
The expansion to Richmond follows a similar model deployed by Rockefeller in other markets since 2018. That’s when, according to the firm’s national field director Michael Outlaw, the decision was made to begin offering the firm’s capabilities to more than just the Rockefeller family.
Michael Outlaw
“In 2018, the current management team partnered with the family to transform this family office that at that point was devoted to the Rockefeller family and some of their friends, to set out and take their vast resources and bring it to life in different markets in the U.S.,” Outlaw said.
The firm is fittingly headquartered at 45 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City and the first stop in its expansion five years ago was Atlanta. It has since grown to 30 markets. Its largest operations are in New York, Atlanta, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago.
Outlaw said the firm looks for markets that have a concentration of wealth and industry talent that it can lure over. Its goal is to find groups with a healthy book of business of well-heeled clients in a given region and show them the benefits of Rockefeller’s capabilities.
“We’re looking at different markets where there are both the right families and right advisors for all that we do for our families,” Outlaw said.
He said the firm began to plan its push into Richmond about a year ago and eventually found the Lewis group. He said the goal is for the team to continue to serve the clients brought over with them from Truist and add new family clients over time.
He said Rockefeller plans to expand its Richmond ranks by attracting additional local wealth management operations into the fold.
“We do expect to grow in Richmond by adding other elite teams,” he said.
Despite its growth in recent years, Outlaw said the firm’s founding, namesake family remains part of the operation.
“We’re very proud of the brand and the legacy of the Rockefeller family,” he said. “They are still very involved in the firm.”
Richmond is the firm’s second office in Virginia, adding to one in Arlington that serves the Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. area.
Rockefeller is the latest out-of-town wealth advisory backed by a wealth founding family to try to win business in the competitive Richmond market.
Last month, Charlotte, North Carolina-based New Republic Partners launched its first Richmond-area operations by luring over industry veteran Ali Bayler. New Republic was founded by two wealthy Southeast families: the Belks, known for their namesake department store chain, and the Springs-Close-Bowles clan, which made its fortunes in textiles.