We empower elite life and wealth firms to achieve a new level of growth and profitability.
Not just any firm can join Lion Street. Because we serve elite, highly successful clients, we hold our Firm owners to a higher standard.
To those who join Lion Street, we become “The Firm behind the Firm.” Our team of experts help Firm owners amplify their businesses through new market opportunities, new products, new financial professionals, and collaboration with other trusted advisors.
Distribution Partner
With Multiple Partner
Carriers
Gen I/Gen 2
Firms
Corporate &
Executive
Benefit Firms
Wealth
Management
Firms
As of 2023
Lion Street Firms are driven by a unique set of values. To join our exclusive network, your firm must:
Be, or want to be, fiercely independent. You built the value, so we believe you deserve to reap the benefit.
Be willing to share ideas and contribute to the Lion Street community.
Have a proven track record of success, plus a strong desire to build on that success and grow.
Operate with a strong ethical framework.
Always place your clients’ interests and goals first.
We’ve structured Lion Street around four pillars of support that help our Firms achieve greater growth and profitability.
We have the scale to provide unparalleled access and influence for every firm.
We provide deep resources to grow your business to the next level.
We provide services to improve your efficiency and increase coordination.
Our firms actively share their best ideas and practices, supported by our life and wealth experts.
Lion Street’s network of elite, independent Firms create an unparalleled scale, providing greater access and influence.
Lion Street Firms benefit from:
Lion Street is the only producer group in the industry that provides firm-building consultants backed by resources to spur organic revenue growth and commercial value.
Each Firm Builder partners with a dedicated cohort of Lion Street Firms to help them unlock incremental revenue growth by:
Lion Street’s integrated platform provides open architecture and direct access to all major insurance carriers, an exclusive broker dealer, and sophisticated resources for the advanced markets. It enables our independent Firms to efficiently serve the life and wealth needs of their clients, consolidating coordination and support across product and regulatory spectrums.
Our integrated platform centralizes the key sales and service components of your business, consolidating coordination and support across the product and regulatory spectrums. In the end, it makes it easier for you to do business, increase clarity for your staff, and help provide better outcomes for all parties by streamlining the following service components:
Our open architecture model enables Lion Street Firms to efficiently and objectively deliver high-quality products and resources to help meet clients’ goals — without the bias of proprietary products or technology. This approach is foundational to how the Lion Street Network operates, offering you access to broader range of carriers, partners, and technologies.
In addition, Lion Street’s relationships with insurance carriers, professional organizations, and service providers ensures you can receive dedicated resources, access to decision makers, and better underwriting decisions.
Lion Street has created a unique ecosystem that pairs deep knowledge with a culture of sharing. As leading practitioners in high-net-worth life insurance and wealth planning, Lion Street Firms have extensive practical knowledge.
Together, we are the market authority in:
Our supportive and success-oriented culture is manifested through:
In addition, Lion Street’s in-house experts provide firms with dedicated:
Our expertise is sustained by a uniquely open culture in which Lion Street Firms share their intellectual property, design techniques, and best ideas with one another. This leads to new growth, greater revenue, and improved outcomes for clients.
Brian Bonifant
Firm Builder
Brian Bonifant brings to Lion Street a 20-year history of leading top performing sales and business development teams. In his role as Head of Firm Selection, Brian is focused on attracting and supporting industry-leading life insurance producers as they become Lion Street Firms. Brian started his career as a life insurance agent with John Hancock in 1990. While at John Hancock, he held several leadership roles and contributed to John Hancock’s initial launch into independent Life Insurance distribution. In 2006, Brian joined Partners Financial, a division of NFP (NYSE: NFP) as Vice President of Business Development, where he helped life insurance producers uncover new revenue opportunities in the high-net-worth markets of wealth transfer, private business, and executive benefits. Brian earned his bachelor’s degree in business management from Oral Roberts University.
Jon Denote
Firm Builder
As Senior Vice President of Firm Development at Lion Street, Jon is responsible for helping Lion Street Firms enhance their practices, increase revenue, and enter new markets. He also engages with and selects new Lion Street firms. Prior to Lion Street, Jon held various roles at Equitable and AXA Equitable over a fifteen-year tenure. Most recently, he served as Director and Regional Vice President of Sales where he consistently met or exceeded sales goals. He began his career with AXA as an underwriter before joining the sales team. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Jon holds FINRA Series 6 and 63 licenses as well as the Chartered Life Underwriter designation from The American College of Financial Services.
Justin Gladieux
Firm Builder / Head of Corporate & Business Solutions
Justin helps elite financial and insurance professionals create better outcomes for their clients, grow their practice and enter adjacent markets. He has a special focus in the design and implementation of executive benefit plans, business succession and retention strategies, and corporate asset strategies using life insurance.
Justin spent the majority of his career as a recognized leader in the manufacturing and distribution of life insurance products for businesses and corporations. He has implemented and advised on transactions that exceeded $100 M in total premium. His navigation of the large case market has allowed him to help clients in the pricing and implementation of complex product purchases. Earlier in his career, Justin was an operational specialist with a leading life insurance carrier. He has been involved in some of the largest corporate-owned life insurance transactions placed in the last five years.
Justin holds a bachelor’s with honors from the University of Findlay and earned his MBA from Capital University. He also holds the CEPA designation as a Certified Exit Planning Advisor.
David Herrig
Firm Builder
As Senior Vice President of Firm Development at Lion Street, David Herrig is responsible for selecting new Lion Street Firms and helping existing Lion Street advisors develop their practices. Prior to joining Lion Street, David served as Vice President of Sales at Voya Financial in the Independent Life Sales division. During his nine-year tenure with Voya, he regularly exceeded the market targets established for his accounts beyond 100% of goal. David’s earlier roles included leadership positions at Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company and AIG American General. His experience spans more than 30 years of successful sales and marketing results with a notable track record of market development and increased profits.
Royce Imhoff
Firm Builder
Royce Imhoff plays an integral role in driving revenue for Lion Street, leveraging his extensive executive management experience to grow and advocate for Lion Street Firms. Prior to Lion Street, Royce was President of Independent Distribution with American General Life Companies. He originally joined American General in 1992, was named American General’s President and CEO of Affluent and Corporate Markets Group in 2002, and he was named President of Independent Agency Group of AIG American General in 2005. Royce began his career as an insurance agent with Travelers Insurance Company. A native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Royce holds a BBA from Rollins College in Florida.
Nellie Kerr
Firm Selection
Nellie specializes in identifying and connecting independent, growth-minded Firms within the Lion Street community. Her work enables prospective Lion Street firms to discover the full spectrum of value that Lion Street offers, including our comprehensive resources, robust tools and proven processes for nurturing firm growth.
As a second-generation financial services professional, she began her career at Lion Street as an intern while studying at the University of Texas. In 2016, she joined Lion Street full -time on the Marketing and Firm Selection team, and later moved into New Firm Integration and Practice Management. These experiences have enriched her understanding of the operational intricacies specific to independent firms, and how Lion Street supports the best and brightest entrepreneurs in the industry.
Karla Kirk
Firm Selection
As Vice President of Firm Selection, Karla drives the firm selection process, attracting top financial professionals to join the Lion Street network. She has over fifteen years’ experience working with financial professionals. Her past roles include NAIFA Vice President of Growth and Revenue, Executive Director of the Advanced Practice Center (a collaboration of NAIFA and the Society of Financial Service Professionals), and AALU Vice President of Partner Development. Karla is a graduate of Texas A&M University.
Walker Person
Firm Builder
Walker Person serves as Vice President of Firm Development for Lion Street. He works with Financial Advisors and professionals from all over the county to help their high-net-worth and business clients create better outcomes using proven and sophisticated insurance strategies. Walker has been in the financial services industry for more than 10 years, working both as a financial advisor and in distribution, which helps him understand the business and tailor approaches for the end client. He began his career at New England Financial in 2010, then moved to Volente Insurance Partners where he worked in the institutional space before joining Lion Street in 2018. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Fort Lewis College where he was a double major in marketing and finance, and he holds the FINRA Series 7, 63, and 65 licenses.
Natalie Ross
Firm Builder / Firm Integration
As a Firm Builder at Lion Street, Natalie works with Firms to leverage the power of the Lion Street network to drive intentional growth — advancing their practices and better serving their clients. Natalie spearheads New Firm Integration at Lion Street, incorporating joining firms into the Lion Street community to share tools, resources, and connections. Natalie has been in the industry since 2010, beginning her career at M Financial Group and holding positions working with insurance carriers, independent advisors, and in the institutional space.