Team

Based in Toledo, Ohio, Craig Findley is the Chairman and CEO of Venture Visionary Partners. He holds the Certified Private Wealth Advisor (CPWA®) certification, administered by Investments & Wealth Institute and taught in conjunction with The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. As a Wealth Advisor, Craig has 25 years of experience.

Craig has been the recipient of numerous awards notably, his recognition by Barron’s as a Top 1,200 Financial Advisor for 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019; the Forbes Best in State Wealth Advisors List for 2018 and 2019; as well as the 2019 Financial Times Top 400 Financial Advisors List. He also pioneered the first totally integrated benefits solution in the industry. Craig earned his bachelor’s degree from Hillsdale College and attended an exchange program at Oxford University.

Prior to going independent, and founding Venture Visionary partners, Craig was a Managing Director at UBS Wealth Management where he led and grew one of the largest and most successful teams in the firm with over $6 billion in client assets. He was also the co-chair of the distinguished UBS Financial Advisor Advisory Committee (FAAC), which serves as the collective voice of the firm’s nearly 6,300 Financial Advisors.

Craig and his wife Amy have been married for twenty-five years and reside in Ottawa Hills, Ohio. They have four daughters Mallory, Molly, Mary, and Megan.

Brian is a Managing Director, Investments/Retirement Plan Consulting at Venture Visionary Partners. With 15 years of experience, he manages the team’s Retirement Plan Consulting Practice, assisting companies in delivering a well-structured retirement plan that properly addresses and documents each company’s fiduciary governance. Brian also works directly with the employees of Venture Visionary Partners’ clients to help ensure they are making the right retirement planning decisions for their future. Prior to joining Venture Visionary Partners, Brian worked as a Managing Partner and Senior Retirement Plan Consultant at UBS and served on the UBS DC Advisory Council which implemented the firm’s visions for excellence in Retirement Plan Consulting.
Brian is a Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist® and Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor .™ Brian was named to the Financial Times Top 401(k) Retirement Advisers list for 2015 and 2016, and he earned his bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University.

Brian and his wife, Stephanie live in Monclova, OH with their son Nolan.

With over 23 years of experience in the investment industry, Rob serves as Chief Operating Officer for Venture Visionary Partners. He is responsible for developing and implementing the business operations of the team and is involved in the strategic planning for the team.

Prior to joining Venture Visionary Partners Rob worked as a Financial Advisor and Chief Operating Officer at UBS. His knowledge and experience have been critical in helping top clients achieve their financial goals.

Rob is a member of St. Rose Parish and a past board member of the Perrysburg Amateur Baseball and Softball Commission. He and his wife are passionate about children’s literacy and helping struggling readers achieve the lifelong benefits of reading proficiency. Rob graduated from the University of Toledo with a Bachelor of Business Administration. He lives in Perrysburg, Ohio with his wife and three children.

With 25 years of experience, Melissa serves as the Chief Administrative Officer for Venture Visionary Partners. Directing the internal operations of the team, Melissa is responsible for the overall performance of the team- providing strategic planning, setting goals, and leading the Relationship Managers to unify the communication between the client and the firm. She also works as a direct point of contact in educating clients on account services, overseeing the client onboarding process, and managing both the investment and financial planning aspects of the practice.

Prior to joining Venture Visionary Partners, Melissa was a team administrator and partner at UBS where she worked with the Wealth Management Team and was responsible for managing, preserving and enhancing client relationships.

Melissa has her Series 7, 63 and 65. She lives in Sylvania and has two children, her son Jacob who is in the Army and her daughter Emily who is on course to graduate from Mercy College of Nursing.

John serves as the Director of Retirement Plan Consulting for Venture Visionary Partners. He brings more than 11 years of dedicated qualified retirement plan design and investment management experience.

John partners with companies to invigorate and revitalize their retirement benefit plan. A robust employee engagement initiative, sound investment selection and management, proven plan governance process, and an executed 3(21) or 3(38) fiduciary agreement all form the foundation of this partnership.

Prior to joining Venture Visionary Partners, John was a Senior Retirement Plan Consultant and Senior Wealth Strategy Associate at UBS. A New England native, John attended the University of Toledo and returned to Ohio in 2008 after several years traveling the country. John, his wife Megan, and their children can frequently be found enjoying the outdoors in their free time.

Paul brings his 20 plus years of experience in the investment and insurance industries to the team. He has built a career on successfully managing an investment and wealth management practice consisting of high net worth clients and qualified retirement plans. Before joining the Venture Team, Paul worked as a Managing Director at DB Root and Co. and prior to that, served as Principal and Managing Director at Rehmann Financial. In addition, his experience includes time as President of Hylant Financial Services and as Senior Vice president for Merrill Lynch where he worked with high-net-worth individuals and corporate clients.

Paul received his bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University and attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where he participated in the Executive Leadership Program.  Paul holds the Series 7, 63 and 65 security registrations, life, and health insurance licenses as well as the Accredited Investment Fiduciary®(AIF®) designation.

With 23 years in the business, Jamie is a Relationship Manager for Venture Visionary Partners. Jamie directs her full attention to the needs of the client by engaging both the investment and financial planning aspects of the practice and assisting in educating clients on account services and capabilities. Working directly with the teams’ high net worth and 401k clients, Jamie works in successfully constructing, implementing, and monitoring client strategies for households and retirement plans. She is passionate about providing clients with exemplary service and solutions.

Jamie has her FINRA series 7, 63, and 65, licenses. She attended the University of Toledo and resides with her husband and two children in Sylvania, Ohio.

With 13 years in the financial industry, Lindsey serves as a Relationship Manager for Venture Visionary Partners. Engaging both the investment and financial planning aspects of the practice, she works directly with the team’s high net worth clients successfully constructing, implementing, and monitoring client strategies. Lindsey is responsible for enhancing the client experience by assisting in educating clients on account services and capabilities, as well as assisting with securities-based lending. She delivers exemplary client service solutions with enthusiasm.

Lindsey earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Toledo. She holds her FINRA Series 7 & 66 licenses. Lindsey resides with her husband Aaron and three children in Monclova, Ohio.

Nicole is a Wealth Strategist and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ at Venture Visionary Partners where her primary focus is assisting high net worth individuals and their families, corporate executives, and business owners achieve their financial goals. Nicole provides and maintains a foundation for client relationships by constructing goal-based financial plans and collaborating with Financial Advisors to customize and execute asset allocation and wealth management strategies.

Nicole has 13 years of industry experience and was most recently a Senior Wealth Strategy Associate on the Touchstone Wealth Partners team at UBS Financial Services. Her primary responsibilities included relationship management and developing financial plans for high net worth individuals and their families. Prior to joining Touchstone Wealth Partners, Nicole was a Vice President and Private Banker at the Northern Trust Company in Chicago, Illinois for over four years where she primarily focused on lending and depository solutions for high-net worth individuals, business owners, private equity professionals, and corporate executives. As a Private Banker she worked in conjunction with portfolio managers, trust advisors, and financial planners to assist clients in developing a plan in order to achieve their goals. Before joining the Northern Trust Company, Nicole worked for MB Financial Bank, N.A. for nearly seven years where she began her career as a Credit Analyst in the Leadership Development Program. Upon graduating from the LDP Nicole joined the Private Banking team within Wealth Management where she worked her way to Senior Private Banker.

Nicole graduated from Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Business Administration and concentrations in Finance and Marketing. While attending Saint Mary’s College, she was a member of the nationally ranked Golf Team and competed in the 2004 and 2005 NCAA DIII Women’s Golf Finals in Green Lake, Wisconsin and Pinehurst, North Carolina, respectively. Nicole earned her CFP® designation in 2012 and holds her FINRA Series 7 and 63 licenses.

Ryan is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER ™ specializing in retirement planning, financial planning, and all aspects of wealth management for clients. Ryan began his career in the financial services industry in 2010. Prior to joining Venture Visionary Partners, he served as a financial advisor with DB Root and Co, and prior to that served as a Financial Advisor at Rehmann Financial where he serviced and provided consultation for more than 50 retirement plans.  His experience also includes time with Jackson National Life Insurance Company where he worked with fixed, indexed, and variable annuities, as well as mutual funds and alternative investments. Ryan is a graduate of Ferris State University with a BS in business.  He holds a Series 7 and 63 securities registrations and certifications for life and health insurance and variable annuity lines. Ryan enjoys staying active by running and playing basketball.  He and his wife Heidi, live in Waterville with their two daughters.

Lauren is the Marketing and Communications Director for Venture Visionary Partners. With 6 years in the financial industry and 12 years overall experience in marketing, she specializes in marketing and communications with experience in advertising, business development, and overall client experience. Lauren is responsible for developing and implementing the communications for Venture Visionary Partners through branding, messaging, and strategic marketing that support the teams’ mission. In her role, she ensures all internal and external marketing represent the Core Values and Principles of Venture Visionary Partners.

Prior to joining Venture Visionary Partners, Lauren worked as a Wealth Strategy Associate at UBS. Lauren earned her bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University and a sales and marketing certification from the College of Charleston. She is involved with Toledo Rotary, is on the board of the Boys and Girls Club, and the board of The University of Toledo’s Women and Philanthropy. Lauren and her husband Bruce reside in Ottawa Hills, Ohio with their two sons.

As the Director of Operations for Venture Visionary Partners, Kristy is responsible for much of the money movement that occurs within client accounts both internally and externally. She is also responsible for onboarding new accounts, implementing account transfers, journaling of funds and securities between accounts, processing checks, and movement of funds to and from external bank accounts via Fed Fund wire, EFT, and ACH systems. She is proactive in ensuring each task is done efficiently and is properly performed to ensure a high degree of accuracy is maintained for each client.

Kristy worked for several years in the interior design field before transitioning to the financial industry in 2007. She graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1994 where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and currently lives in Waterville, Ohio where she raises her children and attempts to tame her garden.

Jackie is the Executive Assistant to the Chairman and CEO, Craig Findley at Venture Visionary Partners. With 9 years in the financial industry, and 20 in the travel industry, Jackie is responsible for high-level administrative and clerical assistance to support Craig and the team.

Jackie and her husband reside in Toledo, Ohio with their son.

Based in Toledo, Ohio Bruce Klinger is the President of Venture Risk Consulting. Venture Risk Consulting works in conjunction with Venture Visionary Partners to help advise clients on appropriate insurance protection strategies.

Bruce has over twenty-five years of leadership and management experience in the financial industry. Prior to joining Venture Risk Consulting, Bruce started his career at Northwestern Mutual and worked his way to becoming a district agent. In 1996, Bruce relocated to Toledo, Ohio where he ran a successful General Agency, and in 2012 was named General Agent and Managing Partner for the Ohio division Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance company.

Bruce holds several industry designations including the Chartered Life Underwriter^® (CLU^®) designation, The Chartered Financial Consultant^® (ChFC^®) designation and The Chartered Advisor for Senior Living^® (CASL^® ) designation each from the American College of Financial Services^®. He is a distinguished industry speaker and has earned the General Agents Management Association (GAMA) Platinum award for growth eight times, has been a member of the Million Dollar Round Table as a Financial Representative, and was a past president of NAIFA (National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors).

Bruce received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from The State University of New York at Binghamton and received his Master’s in Organizational Leadership from Lourdes University where he currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees and where he chaired the finance committee for four years. Bruce he is heavily involved in the local community, where he served as the president of the Juvenile Diabetes Research foundation.

Bruce and his wife Jayne have been married for 26 years and reside in Sylvania, Ohio where they raised their daughter Samantha.

Shirley is the front facing line of communication with clients for Venture Visionary Partners. She is responsible for assisting with day to day operations including regulatory and compliance initiatives, cashiering responsibilities, and providing support to Financial Advisors and Relationship Managers.

For over twenty years, Shirley worked in the Dundee Community School system, then in 1996 began work in the Financial Industry where she served in many capacities within the Operations area with Merrill Lynch, and UBS.

Shirley lives in Monroe, MI and has raised and watched three amazing daughters become strong independent women, as well as enjoying and spoiling two wonderful grandsons.