Coldstream Wealth brings in new Chief Revenue Officer from Schwab
Coldstream Wealth Management, a Bellevue, Wash.-based registered investment adviser with approximately $7 billion in assets under management, announced the appointment of Natalie Straub as chief revenue officer.
“I always thought going to an RIA would be a great growth opportunity for me,” said Straub, who left his job at Charles Schwab after nearly 20 years.
Centered in the Pacific Northwest, Coldstream serves high net worth and ultra high net worth families, individuals and business owners. Straub came across the company shortly after taking her last job at Schwab as a senior business management consultant. This position led her to reconnect with the team a few years later.
“And now here we are,” said Straub, who said WealthManagement.com that she was immediately seduced by the company and attracted by the potential she saw in it at a time when she had already begun to reconsider her own path. When she was able to connect with them on a consulting assignment two years later, she was ready to finally take that step.
“I saw an opportunity and I looked for an opportunity too,” she explained. “We started having conversations and, to my surprise, there was something great there that we were able to build together. It was a perfect fit of the things I wanted to do, the things I was passionate about, my background. and things they needed.
Straub will report to Coldstream managing shareholder Kevin Fitzwilson while working from his home office in Marin County, Northern California, until another acquisition results in an official Coldstream office. hanging a shingle in the San Francisco Bay Area.
“As our growth accelerates through mergers of like-minded RIA companies, we continue to attract incredible talent to the business,” Fitzwilson said in a statement touting the experience, professional skills and Straub character.
Saying she doesn’t think the company has any short-term plans for regions outside the northwest of the country, Straub expects to continue ambitious growth within it. “I think that’s where we’ve found that we find the most like-minded advisors who have similar goals and hopes and dreams for their businesses,” she said. “But, again, I’m only a week and a half away. I’m still accelerating.”
With the intention of spending his first 90 days familiarizing himself with the company and “clarifying our vision and our strategic plan for the next few years”, Straub said that any concrete plans regarding possible changes should not be expected. before fall.
Areas she will address include developing and implementing an articulated Coldstream growth strategy; staff support, including establishing consistent business planning and mentoring programs; and scaling up Coldstream’s business operations.
“We look forward to working with Natalie to develop and refine business strategies to onboard our new partners and further grow the business,” said Fitzwilson. “His expertise as a hands-on coach and advisor advocate will support our teams’ ability to deliver exceptional client experiences.”
Straub’s addition to Coldstream’s management team comes as the company continues to grow at a rapid pace. In 2021, Coldstream merged with Paracle Advisors and Rosenbaum Financial, companies that collectively managed around $1.9 billion. Earlier this year it opened an office in Boise, Idaho, and this month it merged with LWM Wealth Management, a Kenai, Alaska-based company with about $170 million in assets. under management.
“One thing I will say,” Straub said. “I’m so excited to join Coldstream and be part of the growth I’ve seen happening here. And now I can contribute to that and have an impact. It’s just so exciting.