- Becknell Industrial has built out a dedicated capital-raising team to support its newly launched Becknell Industrial Income Trust, Inc. Linda Cobelo, partnering with Alliance160, has been appointed director of national accounts. Richard Ranck joins as director of retail capital markets for the Eastern region, while Chris McCaffety will oversee retail capital markets for the Western region. Michael Gazsi has been named associate director of retail capital markets. Founded in 1990 and headquartered in suburban Chicago, Becknell has acquired or developed more than 225 industrial properties totalling over 40 million square feet and nearly $4 billion in total capitalization.
- Tom Madigan has joined LPL Financial’s broker-dealer, RIA and custodial platforms, aligned with Branford, CT-based Thimble Island Private Wealth, an existing firm supported by LPL Strategic Wealth. Madigan reported serving about $300 million in advisory, brokerage and retirement assets and joins LPL from UBS. Madigan brings 25 years of industry experience. His client base spans the U.S. and includes a unique mix of retirees, business owners and retired professional athletes who have moved into second careers.
- Neilson Arbour has been promoted to Co-CIO by SummitTX Capital, L.P., an equity-focused multi-manager hedge fund in Fort Worth, Texas. The announcement caps a pivotal year for SummitTX, defined by strong investment performance, strategic additions and meaningful platform expansion. On top of surpassing $3 billion in AUM, SummitTX bolstered both its portfolio management bench and core operations with key hires to support the firm’s next phase of growth.
- Art Djavairian has joined mid-market advisory and investment banking firm Portage Point Partners, LLC as managing director and head of performance improvement. Djavairian brings more than 15 years of experience leading large-scale value creation initiatives across business lifecycle and transaction-driven environments, generating over $10 billion in enterprise value for corporate and private equity clients. At Portage Point, he will oversee end-to-end value creation programs. Previously, he served as a partner in KPMG’s Deal Advisory and Strategy practice and as a director at AlixPartners.
- Kevin DiSano has been named President by Aspen Standard Wealth, LLC. DiSano will oversee Aspen’s organic growth efforts, collaborating with the leadership of the RIAs Aspen has acquired to advance strategic planning, advisor and client acquisition, and long-term value creation. DiSano most recently served as Chief Growth Officer at Beacon Pointe and has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry.
- Financial advisor Amanda Salyer has joined Prime Capital, where she will focus on delivering comprehensive, goals-based planning for individuals and families. Based in the Philadelphia area, Salyer brings experience guiding clients in aligning investment management, tax strategy, estate planning, retirement planning and long-term financial priorities through a personalized approach. She previously served as director of financial planning at a large RIA, advising individuals and families on complex financial decisions.
- Bob Biesterfeld has joined private equity firm ATL Partners as a senior operating executive, where he will collaborate with the firm’s investment team and portfolio company leaders to advance strategic and operational initiatives across ATL’s core sectors.Biesterfeld brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in global transportation and logistics. Most recently, he served as President and CEO of C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. Before becoming CEO, he held several senior roles at the company, including Chief Operating Officer, President of North American Surface Transportation, Vice President of Truckload, and Vice President of Temperature Controlled Transportation and Sourcing Services.
- SHOOK Research has appointed Molly Bennard as President, where she will spearhead the expansion of the firm’s research and events platforms while shaping its long-term strategic roadmap. The company also named Blake Eggemeyer as CMO, responsible for leading brand strategy and marketing initiatives as SHOOK enters its next phase of growth. Bennard and Eggemeyer join the leadership team alongside Founder, Chairman and CEO R.J. Shook and COO Liz Shook, who continue to guide the firm’s overall vision and day-to-day operations.
- Baker Street Advisors, an RIA overseeing $20 billion in client assets under advisement, has named Christopher (Chris) Wilkens as CEO in a newly created leadership role. The firm also appointed CIO Peter (Pete) Hand as Partner, effective immediately. Wilkens has been a Partner at Baker Street since 2007 and most recently chaired the firm’s Executive Committee. Before joining Baker Street, he co-founded and co-managed VERITY Wealth Advisors and advises more than 500 financially sophisticated families and endowments. Hand joined the firm as CIO in 2024, following prior roles at Aperio Group and Barclays Global Investors, now part of BlackRock.
- Janney Montgomery Scott LLC is strengthening its Delaware footprint with the addition of Warren-Fantano Wealth Management, a team previously affiliated with Merrill Lynch that oversees more than $1 billion in client assets. The group will operate out of Janney’s newly established Middletown office as well as its Lewes location. The practice is led by managing directors and financial advisors Peni Warren and Chris Fantano, with Fantano also assuming the role of branch manager for the Middletown office. They are joined by senior registered private client associate Crystal Van Lenten and senior private client associate Catherine Huffman.
- Willow, a WealthTech and advisor-matching platform focused on connecting women and families with personalized financial guidance, has formed a strategic partnership with HerMoney Media, a digital personal finance platform dedicated to advancing women’s financial empowerment. The collaboration will integrate Willow’s advisor-matching and referral capabilities into HerMoney’s community of more than 500,000 engaged, mass-affluent women. HerMoney co-founder and CEO Jean Chatzky will also join Willow’s Strategic Advisory Board.
- CAIS has partnered with REX Shares to introduce the REX Autocallable Income ETF (ATCL), an outcome-oriented income strategy developed in collaboration with RBC Capital Markets and Bloomberg Indices. The ETF is structured to provide a consistent income profile through a transparent, rules-based approach that avoids traditional credit risk and extended duration exposure. REX oversees portfolio management of the strategy, while RBC Capital Markets delivers institutional structuring and hedging support.
- AYU is launching AYU Capital, a matching platform designed to connect funds and founders with verified family office investors. The service provides family offices with access to curated deal flow, including introductions to funds and direct investment opportunities, while allowing them to remain anonymous. Powered by AYU’s AI-driven platform, Cupid, the system matches investors with relevant opportunities, facilitates introductions and coordinates meetings. According to the firm, nearly 500 family offices are already connected to active deal flow. The launch follows a year-long pilot program during which family offices representing more than $500B in assets were introduced to investment opportunities.
- Equity Services, Inc. (ESI), an independent broker-dealer and RIA, has adopted Fidelity Managed Account Exchange (FMAX) as the technology backbone of its proprietary advisory platform, ESI Illuminations. Developed in collaboration with Fidelity, the FMAX platform enables a broad spectrum of advisory capabilities, ranging from turnkey model portfolios to fully customized managed account solutions.
- InvestiFi has teamed up with Heartland Credit Union to integrate digital investing capabilities directly into the credit union’s online banking platform, enabling more than 33,500 members to invest seamlessly from their checking accounts. Through InvestiFi’s embedded InvestTech solution, members can access guided robo-advisory portfolios, self-directed trading in over 6,500 stocks and ETFs, and cryptocurrency investing—all without transferring funds to third-party applications. Based in Madison, Wisconsin, Heartland Credit Union has served communities across south-central and southwestern Wisconsin since 1936.
- Ballast Rock Capital will now offer institutional-grade supervisory controls within a flexible, boutique operating environment to outside investment banking professionals looking to remain independent.As part of the expansion, Carrie Schneidman and Dennis Azary have joined the firm as co-CIOs.With the added capabilities, Ballast Rock Capital is now serving investment bankers, M&A advisors, capital raisers, and independent representatives.
- Integrated Partners, a national financial planning and RIA firm overseeing more than $25B in assets under advisement, has launched Integrated Private Wealth, a dedicated platform focused on advising business owners and their families through complex liquidity events. Led by executive director and private wealth advisor Homer Smith, the platform consolidates Integrated’s business-owner advisory services, advanced tax planning, insurance strategies and family office capabilities into a unified offering. Integrated Private Wealth is tailored specifically for entrepreneurs facing pivotal moments such as business sales, recapitalizations and post-liquidity planning—providing guidance before, during and long after a transaction.
- Stanley Martin Homes has agreed to acquire United Homes Group in a take-private transaction valued at approximately $221M. United Homes Group focuses on affordable, entry-level and move-up housing across the southeastern U.S. Based in South Carolina, the company operates under multiple regional brands and serves high-growth markets, aiming to help address persistent housing supply shortages in its regions. The transaction is anticipated to close in the second quarter of 2026.
- The Vistria Group, LP, a middle-market private investment firm focused on essential industries, has acquired Lumen Holdings, LLC, a Dallas-based technology-enabled managing general agent. The transaction establishes Lumen as a new platform investment within Vistria’s financial services strategy. Founded in 2019, Lumen provides underwriting across commercial property, builders’ risk, commercial general liability, personal auto, homeowners and umbrella coverage in more than 30 states.
- Palm Peak Capital, LLC, a Boca Raton–based private equity firm focused on lower‑middle‑market industrial and services businesses across North America, has closed its inaugural vehicles, Palm Peak Capital Fund I, L.P. and Palm Peak Capital Fund I‑A, L.P., with a combined $374 million in committed capital. The oversubscribed fund hit its hard cap with commitments from university endowments, institutional family offices, pension funds, insurance companies, and fund‑of‑funds. Founded in 2024 by Steve Liff, Daniel Florian, and Jeremy Stone, Palm Peak has already completed platform investments in Pacific Shoring Products and Domaille Engineering.
- Updata Partners, a Washington, D.C.–based growth equity firm specializing in software investments, has closed Updata Partners VIII, L.P. at $875 million. The fund surpassed its target and was significantly oversubscribed, reaching its hard cap in just six months. Updata VIII is the largest fund in the firm’s history and brings total capital raised, including prior funds and co-investments, to more than $3 billion. The firm pursues both majority and minority investments, typically committing between $20 million and $200 million per portfolio company.
- Crescent Midstream Intermediate Holdings, LLC has secured $600 million in senior secured credit facilities, consisting of a $500 million seven-year Term Loan B and a $100 million five-year revolving credit facility. The facilities were rated B+ by S&P Global Ratings and B1 by Moody’s. Proceeds from the transaction were used to refinance the company’s existing debt.Royal Bank of Canada, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Mizuho Bank, Ltd., and The Bank of Nova Scotia served as Joint Lead Arrangers and Joint Bookrunners, with Royal Bank of Canada acting as Administrative Agent. Allen Overy Shearman Sterling US LLP served as legal counsel to Crescent Midstream.
- GCM Grosvenor has completed the second close of its structured alternatives investment vehicle, increasing total capital commitments to $625M. The strategy provides investors with access to a diversified portfolio of credit secondaries, with the option to invest through either equity or debt within a rated structure. The firm’s broader credit platform oversees approximately $16B in assets on behalf of more than 170 clients.
- Ascend Capital Partners, a healthcare-focused private equity firm, has held the final close of Ascend Capital Partners Fund II, L.P. and related vehicles, securing $791M in total commitment, above its original $700M target. The firm’s debut fund reached its $570M hard cap in December 2021 and is now fully deployed across eight investments. Fund II will focus on opportunities in physician and provider services, value-based care enablement platforms, and healthcare IT.
The post People & Company News, Week of February 27, 2026 appeared first on Connect Money.
