When seasoned investment professionals George Wood and Wally Obermeyer joined forces in 2014 to create Obermeyer Wood Investment Counsel, LLLP they created a firm that is not just bound by a legal duty to act in the client’s best interest, but by a personal commitment as well.
The company is proud to have a team of experienced and objective advisers working in an environment where “the bottom line is, and always will be, that we put your interests ahead of our own,” the company states on its website. “Working with objective and experienced advisers, which we are proud to be, can help you find financial freedom today and through retirement.”
The company’s advisers pride themselves on being consistently available to help, communicate or make recommendations on issues of all shapes and sizes, from routine tasks to more complex matters.
Or, as Dana Gleason Nightingale sums it up, “We’re a great team with some wonderful clients.” Obermeyer Wood manages $1.786 billion in custodied assets; three of its seven partners are women: and everyone—from the president to the support staff—boasts impressive credentials.
A partner and vice president who performs security analysis, manages client relationships and spearheads Obermeyer Wood's Denver-area marketing initiatives, Nightingale joined Obermeyer Wood in 2012 after specializing in capital markets and investor relations for Intelsat, Washington Real Estate Investment Trust and Ford Motor Company. She holds an MBA in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a BBA in finance and political science from the University of Notre Dame. Forbes has included her in its ranking of America’s Top Next-Generation Wealth Advisors for the past four years.
Wally Obermeyer is the son of Klaus Obermeyer, the 101-year- old founder of the iconic Aspen-based ski and snowboard clothing company, Sport Obermeyer. In addition to his role as president and co-founder of Obermeyer Wood, Wally Obermeyer, a licensed pilot who uses his plane to cut the commute time between the Obermeyer Wood offices in Aspen and Denver, also serves as vice-chairman of Sport Obermeyer.
In a 2020 interview with Forbes, Wally Obermeyer, a trustee and investment committee chair of the Gates Family Foundation and recipient of several Best-In-State Wealth Advisor awards, discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a “unique opportunity” for clients to be more receptive to conversations around financial and estate planning.
“It has forced people to think more about their lives and it’s been an opportunity (for us) to play a bigger role,” he told the magazine. “They’re also, I don’t know if scared is the right word, but they’re worried, they’re concerned. So that means they are more receptive to what we should be doing overall. It’s been a unique time to deepen those relationships.”
George Wood, the partner and co-founder emeritus, started Wood Investment Counsel in 1982, following a 13-year career as an investment analyst for Stein Roe and Farnham in Chicago. He has an MBA from the University of Chicago and a professional engineering degree from Colorado School of Mines, where he serves on the school’s board of governors and chairs its investment committee.
Philanthropy has a significant role in the Obermeyer Wood company culture. In the past year, the firm provided significant financial support to the Colorado COVID Relief Fund, Food Bank of the Rockies and the National Forest Foundation. It also supports Denver Botanic Gardens, the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, Aspen Public Radio and the Coors Western Art Show & Sale.
Chief compliance officer Charlton Rugg serves on the board of directors for the Center for Work Education & Employment while partner and vice president Maia Babbs is on the University of Northern Colorado board of trustees. Vice president Mary Elisberg is a volunteer puppy raiser for Canine Companions for Independence.
Partner and executive vice president Ali Flynn Phillips is treasurer of the board of the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies Endowment Fund and is a member of the Aspen Theatre board. Client services and marketing assistant Efrata Kirose earned her bachelor’s degree in international relations from the University of Colorado Boulder. During a college internship, she provided financial literacy education to immigrant and low-income populations. She serves on the board of the Boulder Council for International Visitors.
As for the future, Nightingale and her colleagues encourage their high- net-worth clients to “stay invested because 2021—and beyond—has the potential to be very good,” thanks to pent-up demand and increased productivity. Obermeyer Wood, she adds, has a “very nimble and adaptive investment team” that excels in avoiding areas where there’s a higher probability of risk.
Her thoughts are underscored in an article in the company’s newsletter that advises, “Investors (should) remind themselves that cool heads in hot games win.”
Joanne Davidson has written about the Denver area’s charitable fundraising events and noteworthy individuals since 1985.
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