Crow Financial, Everest Consultants, Heritage Wealth Partners, and LPF Advisors join Summit’s expanding network to enhance client solutions, drive innovation, and boost growth.

Summit Financial (“Summit”), ​​a preeminent investment advisory firm empowering advisors to deliver​​ family office services and optimize growth, in collaboration with Merchant Investment Management, LLC ("Merchant"), has announced strategic investments in four new partner firms – Crow Financial Advisors, Everest Consultants, Heritage Wealth Partners, and LPF Advisors. These additions highlight the strength of the Summit-Merchant partnership, which continues to fuel the rapid expansion of Summit’s national network of elite, growth-minded wealth managers.

The four partner firms, combined, manage more than $1.2 billion in client assets and reinforce Summit’s leadership as the preferred platform for growing advisors. With these latest deals, Summit has completed 29 investments since early 2024, including 11 in 2025. Summit and its partner firms have over 150 advisors in 23 states managing over $20 billion in client assets, as of July 21, 2025.

“The addition of these outstanding firms is both a powerful validation of Summit’s momentum and a clear signal that our vision for elevated independence and exceptional client service resonates across the industry,” said Stan Gregor, Chairman and CEO of Summit Financial Holdings. “For over 40 years, Summit has been unwavering in our mission to empower advisors to grow with integrity, build enduring legacies, and deliver unparalleled value to their clients—always with a steadfast commitment to fiduciary excellence. Together, we are setting a new standard for what advisors and their clients can achieve.”

Crow Financial Advisors

Through its investment in Albuquerque, New Mexico-based Crow Financial Advisors, Summit expands its footprint into the Southwest U.S. Led by husband-and-wife team Tom Crow and Vicki Crow, the firm manages over $143 million in client assets, as of March 8, 2025. With over three decades of experience building wealth for individuals and families at every life stage, the firm has earned a reputation for integrity, personalized service, and a steadfast commitment to doing what’s right for its clients.

“We decided to partner with Summit because they share our commitment to delivering personalized, dependable, and forward-thinking investment solutions,” said Tom Crow, President and Owner of Crow Financial. “This collaboration enables us to continue serving our clients with the highest standards of integrity and excellence, while expanding the opportunities available to help secure their financial futures.”

Everest Consultants

Syracuse, New York-based Everest Consultants LLC, established in 1997, manages $633 million in assets, as of March 17, 2025, and is led by Managing Partner Alexander Pasquale and minority owners Nate Gavitt, AIF^®, C(k)P^®, and Anita Lombardi, AIF^®. Everest serves individuals, multi-generational families, business owners, and employer-sponsored retirement plans across the Northeast, focused on transparency, diligence, and lifelong partnership.

“Joining Summit Financial allows us to provide our clients with access to expanded tools, technologies, and support, enhancing our services without compromising our independent, fiduciary approach,” said Pasquale. “Our clients can continue to expect the same level of dedication, transparency, and personalized planning they've always received, strengthened by a broader platform aligned with our values.”

Heritage Wealth Partners

Heritage Wealth Partners, led by President and CEO Matthew Keyes, joined Summit in May 2025. The Dublin, Ohio-based firm manages $176 million in client assets, as of March 25, 2025, and brings a deep commitment to integrity, entrepreneurial drive, and delivering exceptional client outcomes.

"Joining forces with Summit is the logical next step to better serve the evolving needs of our clients and fuel the next chapter of our growth,” said Keyes. “We’re proud of the business we built and look forward to taking even better care of clients while achieving success as part of a preeminent, national firm.”

Since founding Heritage in 2007, Keyes and his team have built a reputation for excellence in investment management, financial planning, insurance, and tax planning. Their client-centric approach and dedication to guiding individuals and families through every stage of their financial journey make them a natural fit for Summit’s mission and culture.

LPF Advisors

LPF Advisors, based in Sarasota, Florida, is led by co-founders Mark Picchi and Kristopher Flammang, CRPC^®, AIF^®. Overseeing more than $277 million in client assets under advisory, as of April 15, 2025, the firm has built an impressive wealth management business providing clients with customized financial planning and investment advice services. LPF joined the Summit family in May 2025.

“We’ve found a partner who has created a path to growth and given us advanced capabilities that will empower our clients to maximize and protect their wealth so they can pursue their life goals,” said Flammang. “We’re excited to gain access to Summit’s technology and investment resources, letting us elevate our services and meet the unique needs of each client.”

LPF Advisors further expands Summit’s presence in the Southeast U.S. and shares Summit’s commitment to providing clients personalized wealth management solutions.

“Each partnership reinforces our core belief that true independence, paired with Summit’s enhanced capabilities and modern resources, creates the best environment for advisors to thrive,” said Keith Soltis, ChFC^®, Summit’s Head of Growth and Business Development. “Summit looks forward to delivering robust support and innovative solutions, ushering our partners to new levels of success.”

For more than 40 years,* Summit has empowered growth-minded advisors by offering the flexibility of independence combined with sophisticated and integrated wealth management services for high-net-worth clients. Advisors joining the Summit platform benefit from access to a dedicated Professional Strategy Team of attorneys, tax specialists, financial planners, and investment strategists.

“The addition of four new forward-thinking firms to the network marks another exciting milestone in Summit’s impressive growth journey,” said Tim Bello, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Merchant, an investment firm providing growth capital and long-term strategic support to independent advisors and related businesses. “We value our partnership with Summit and remain committed to its ongoing success by collaborating on investments, partnerships, and services that deliver meaningful value to visionary advisors and their clients.”

ABOUT SUMMIT FINANCIAL

Summit Financial (“Summit”) is a preeminent investment advisory firm with over 40 years of experience helping advisors elevate their businesses and deliver exceptional client experiences. Built by advisors for advisors, Summit champions independence while providing the tools, capital, and resources needed to achieve growth and success.

A 2024 Forbes|SHOOK and Barron’s Top 100 RIA Firm**, Summit is deeply committed to its founding principles of independence and powerful financial planning. Interested advisors and firm leaders can learn more about Summit’s all-inclusive platform of fully integrated industry-leading services, thought leaders, and innovative technology, known as the SummitVantage™, at summitfinancial.com.

Summit Growth Partners (“SGP”) is a partnership focused on making minority investments in high-quality advisory practices and firms. SGP provides capital and support to help advisors accelerate their growth, enterprise value, and the ability to participate in future monetization events. SGP represents a truly aligned partnership model that places the advisors’ interests side-by-side with management and capital.

*Summit Financial, LLC, a SEC Registered Investment Adviser established in November 2018, is the successor firm to Summit Equities, Inc. (registered with the SEC in 1991) and Summit Financial Resources, Inc. (registered with the SEC in 1983) for all of their investment advisory and financial planning business. Summit is wholly owned by Summit Financial Holdings, LLC ("SFH"), which is owned by Stanley Gregor and Merchant Wealth Management Holdings 3, LLC (“MWMH”). MWMH is wholly owned by Merchant Wealth Partners, LLC, which is wholly owned by Merchant Investment Management, LLC.

** Forbes| SHOOK (October 2024) America’s Top RIA Firms and Barron's 2024 Top RIA Firms (October 2024). Rankings were determined based on an evaluation process conducted by Forbes|SHOOK (Oct. 2023 - Oct. 2024) and Barron’s (Data as of 3/31/2024). Summit Financial, LLC, did not pay a fee to obtain or use these rankings.

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