The partners and advisors of Salt Lake City–based Aptus Advisors have more in common than just their employer. They all have degrees from the same school.
The firm’s founders felt so strongly about the relevance of a Marriott School education to their work that the firm has a team comprised entirely of Marriott School graduates, including all five partners and four associate advisors.
Launched in March 2006 to enable private equity transactions, Aptus Advisors provides tools and technologies that enable investors and private companies to complete business deals more quickly and efficiently. The Marriott School’s focus on entrepreneurship and related financing issues makes its graduates uniquely suited for this job, the firm’s founders say.
“We chose these graduates because we firmly believe that they are the most qualified to meet the specific requirements of our clients—right out of school,” says Gregory A. Peterson, the firm’s managing partner. Peterson earned his MBA from the Marriott School and teaches entrepreneurial finance at the school. “I may be a little biased since many of them are my former students, but our clients agree.”
“We knew it was a perfect fit for getting a team together that had experience in the services we provide,” says Jill Dempsey , one of the firm’s founding partners. She earned a BS in finance from the school in April 2006.
The team’s other Marriott School graduates are Jon Duffy , a partner, who earned a BS in business and finance as well as an MBA; Trent Read , a partner, who earned an MBA; Justin Jory , an associate advisor, who earned a JD/MBA; Jeff Jensen , an associate advisor, who earned an MBA; Eric Nicholson , an associate advisor, who earned a BS in information systems and is currently pursuing a JD/MBA; and Bob Wood, an associate advisor, who earned an MBA.
