Legacy Trust Announces New CEO and Adds Three Established Wealth Advisors
Local wealth management firm and private trust bank repositions team to further deliver an all-local, personalized client experience.
Grand Rapids, Mich., Sept. 14, 2017 – Legacy Trust, an independent private trust bank that provides trustee and wealth management services in the greater Grand Rapids area, has announced the appointment of Tracey Hornbeck as president and CEO. Hornbeck heads the organization’s 20-member team of locally-based advisors who specialize in investments and wealth management, trusts and estate planning and family financial planning.
As part of Legacy Trust’s focused growth strategy, Hornbeck recently added three new senior vice presidents who bring decades of experience in the areas of investment and wealth management. Jeffrey Dixon serves as senior portfolio manager. Kelly DeRidder, CTFA, was named senior trust officer, and Steven Doorn, CFA, has been appointed director of portfolio management.
“Delivering outstanding results for our clients and shareholders coupled with a strong culture of employee engagement, is key to our success at Legacy Trust,” said Hornbeck. “These new additions add depth and diversity, making a great team even stronger.”
Hornbeck has also restructured, elevating three senior vice presidents to the firm’s executive leadership team. The team now includes Mark Periard, JD, director of wealth management, Laina Mills, CFP, chief investment officer and Melanie VanderHoff, senior operations manager. VanderHoff has been with the firm since its founding. Mills has been with the firm since 2009, serving as senior portfolio manager the past three years before being promoted to CIO. Periard joined the firm in 2016, leading the wealth management division.
“Our new leadership team brings tremendous experience and energy that reflect the hardworking and ethical culture of West Michigan,” said Legacy Trust Board Chair Steve Heacock, who serves as senior vice president at Spectrum Health. “They’re smart, trustworthy and results-driven. Their investment decisions – made locally – are personalized and focused solely on the well-being of their clients.”
Founded by William Walker and Robert Prevette in 2004, Legacy Trust has built a reputation as an independent, unbiased, fee-based firm committed to customized client service and local decision making. “No matter the size, each and every relationship is important because our ability to help our clients establish their legacy is how we will measure ours,” said now retired co-founder Bob Prevette.
Periard sums it up this way, “All of our decisions are made within 100 feet of our desks.”
Additionally, he points to the value of working with a fee-based firm. “It’s not about how many products we sell,” says Periard. “It’s about how well our clients’ investments perform.”
VanderHoff points to the entrepreneurial culture this cultivates. “We’ve attracted a lot of people with an entrepreneurial attitude, which has helped us grow,” she says. “That culture, in turn, cultivates longevity. We want this to be a place where team members want to stay until they retire.”
Doorn agrees, saying it’s one of the features that attracted him to Legacy Trust. “We each have a voice in shaping the direction of the firm,” he explains. “We take a very entrepreneurial approach in the way we work together. In turn, we work with a lot of current and former business owners – this gives me a direct link with them.”
If you would like photos or bios of Legacy Trust team members, please contact Amy LeFebre at alefebre@truscottrossman.com or 616- 726-7800.
About Legacy Trust
Legacy Trust is an independent, locally owned, Michigan-chartered bank that specializes in providing investment and wealth management services to individuals, families, foundations and non-profits in West Michigan. Legacy Trust delivers highly customized financial and investment solutions tailored to meet the unique situation of each client. For more information, visit www.legacygr.com.
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