Crescent Grove Advisors established a new asset management firm, Barrett Upton Capital Partners (Barrett Upton), to provide institutional and high-net-worth investors with turnkey access to various alternative investment opportunities.
Both firms are based in the affluent Chicago suburb of Lake Forest, Ill. Crescent Grove, which acts as a registered investment adviser with $4 billion in assets under management. Barrett Upton is pursuing a distinct strategy focused on democratizing access to private markets, without the high investment minimums or barriers to new limited partners that often constrain asset managers’ capacity.
“Our industry relationships and disciplined, in-depth manager selection process help advisors offer differentiated private markets exposure to their clients,” said David Keevins, managing partner and co-chief investment officer of Barrett Upton. “We take the time to not only foster relationships with managers, but also to understand strategies within the context of key market trends and how they complement an investor’s entire portfolio.”
Keevins is also a managing director of Crescent Grove, which he co-founded in 2015 along with Gregg George and Nick Kochanski. He previously served at boutique wealth management firm Cedar Street Advisorsand The Ayco Company, a financial advisor acquired by Goldman Sachs in 2006.
“We witnessed the private markets ‘access dilemma’ firsthand and wanted to create a thoughtful solution,” said Andrew Krei, also a co-CIO at Barrett Upton. “The platform was purpose-built for investors and advisors seeking greater portfolio diversification and looking to generate attractive returns relative to public markets.” Krei, who holds a CFA designation, joined Crescent Grove in 2015 from Cedar Street Advisors.
