Phil Stoker and Creg Ostler met shortly after they graduated college, where they had both studied finance and estate planning, and then went on to pursue MBAs in finance. Some years later, they found themselves together again, working as financial planners for Harris in Chicago. During their time at Harris, they came to realize that they shared similar ideas about how to better serve clients.

Craig recalls, “I found that the values I shared with Harris, and that we later brought into our new firm, all revolved about serving the client need first. Those years were transformative for us both.”

Phil was later transferred to Arizona, but remained in close contact with Creg. It didn’t take long for the two friends to decide that they wanted to work together and create an independent wealth advisory firm. Creg and his family soon made the move to Arizona.

Creg recalls, “We had nearly 30 years of experience in financial planning between us when we started Stoker Ostler. We knew that we had good skills but we also knew that, if we were going to be truly different, we needed to set high standards and cultivate a culture of excellence and ethical service from the start. We devised an investment strategy that still guides us today.”

By 2009, Stoker Ostler had become one of Arizona’s leading wealth management firms and one of the fastest-growing private companies. Harris took notice, believing that a partnership with like-minded Stoker Ostler would significantly expand its operations in the state.

For Stoker Ostler, we found it appealing to be associated with a large, well-regarded financial institution, and yet be able to deliver the same types of services with the same team as before. “With the same open architecture system, we knew Harris would understand our commitment to putting the needs of the client first,” says Phil Stoker, “We also knew that it was an advantage to our clients because of our access to the extensive resources of Harris, such as its extensive research.”

Harris Private Bank is a trade name used by various subsidiary financial service providers of Harris Financial Corp.