Insights

February 7, 2024

The COO Roundtable: Episode 61

In Podcast: The COO Roundtable

Contributions from: Matt Sonnen

We welcome Janelle Anderson and David Lehman for Ep 61!  Janelle is the Operations Manager and Chief Compliance Officer at Grand Wealth Management, located in Grand Rapids, MI.  The firm manages approximately $600 million and has 13 employees.  Matt and Janelle met at a DFA study group in May 2023.  David is a financial advisor and the Chief Operating Officer with Wealthbridge Advisors, headquartered in Lake Oswego, OR.  Wealthbridge is affiliated with Ameriprise Financial, has 18 employees and manages around $760 million for clients.  David has been a member of the COO Society since March of 2023.  Janelle and David discuss with Matt how they both juggle dual-title responsibilities at their firms, as well as:

  • Their approach to finding and retaining employees
  • How they have both impacted culture at their organizations
  • Productivity tips to ensure they are getting the most important tasks accomplished each day
  • Career paths for Operations staff
  • How they have both approached the “Valley of Doom,” made famous by Echelon Partners’ Dan Seivert

We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe on Google PodcastsApple Podcasts, or Spotify.

You can read the full transcript here.

Related Articles

June 2, 2026

The COO Roundtable: Episode 87

In this episode, Matt welcomes two dynamic operations leaders: Grace Balestrieri, Senior Director of Client Experience Operations at Brighton Jones, and Vince Nauheimer, Chief Operating Officer of OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners. Brighton Jones, headquartered in Seattle, WA, was founded in 1999 and recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Today, the firm manages approximately $30 billion in [...]

Contributions from: Matt Sonnen

May 5, 2026

The COO Roundtable: Episode 86

In this episode, Matt is joined by Dawn Claussen, Chief Operating Officer at Mutual Group, and Michael Young, President and Managing Partner at Integrated Advisors Network. Mutual Group specializes in providing operational, strategic, and advisory support to financial service firms. Their goal is to help organizations optimize their processes, scale efficiently, and focus on what [...]

Contributions from: Matt Sonnen

March 31, 2026

The COO Roundtable: Episode 85

Matt welcomes Josh Brier, Chief Operating Officer of Connecticut Wealth Management, and Aldo Tarantini, Managing Director and former Director of Operations at Family Management Corporation. Connecticut Wealth Management, founded in 2010 out of an accounting business, recently celebrated its 15th anniversary. Today, the firm manages approximately $5 billion of client assets with a team of [...]

Contributions from: Matt Sonnen