LPL Advisor Spotlight

When asked to summarize Highland Financial Group’s path to success, Washington, DC based LPL advisor Casey Craig responds with the photo below. He points out that he’s not at the table, but rather standing aside as he trusts his team to communicate with the potential business partner. Casey believes that the day he started trusting in the talented and dedicated superstars he works with was the day HFG began to realize its enormous potential.

“In order for HFG to blossom, I had to get out of the way. I came to the realization the answers to our questions were not going to come from the outside, but from within. We already had all the players, knowledge and experience we needed on our team, but unless I gave them the opportunity to succeed (and also fail) we just weren’t ever going to be all we truly could be” Casey said. As a result, Mariah Lightfoot assumed the role of Chief Operations Officer and PJ Horan became Chief Financial Officer. “They both have skills and makeup that I just don’t have”, Casey shared. “They’re each remarkable in their own way – more patient, more detail-oriented, more people-oriented and so on. I realized I was wasting our time trying to make myself into everything we needed when they were already there.”

Add in the innovative and bright account executive, Landon Oddono, and the tenured business and account management acumen of David Grenham and Michael Glassman, and you have the full roster of talent at Highlander.

The result? HFG has climbed the rankings in the LPL system quarter after quarter and attributes much of their success to the acquisition of 5 firms since July of 2019 and 8 since HFG was founded in 2012. By virtue of this success and know-how, the representatives of HFG have not only become professionals in the financial industry’s M&A space but an innovative partner and turnkey asset management program provider to advisors who aren’t yet ready to sell but recognize they need help modernizing their practice and preparing for acquisition. With locations in Washington, DC, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Denver, we are a Chairman’s Club qualifying practice (based on most recent production report of 12/2022).

And while Casey is proud of the collective growth and success of his firm and the team, he is most gratified that Highlander Financial Group stands for diversity, equality and inclusion.

As Mahatma Gandhi proclaimed, "If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do." And as Casey Craig added, "Who better to make the changes that need making in this world than us? When is a better time than now?"

A proud new addition to the LPL Ambassador's Council, Casey plans to utilize his experience and attitude of inclusion to help lead change and innovation across LPL.