Benton Joins Coldstream Board Amid M&A Growth

Rush Benton, an experienced executive in wealth management mergers and acquisitions (M&A), has joined the board of directors at Coldstream Holdings. He is replacing Michael Butler, Cascadia Capital CEO and Chairman, who held the position for 13 years. Benton, with a storied career including founding WealthTrust and leading M&A strategy at Captrust, brings extensive knowledge in the industry, having been part of over 70 M&A deals. Benton's recent move follows his launch of the investment banking firm Gorman Jones in June. His appointment comes at a time when Coldstream, an independent and employee-owned registered investment advisor (RIA) based in Bellevue, Washington, is deepening its focus on M&A as a growth strategy. Recently, Coldstream merged with Arnerich Massena from Portland, expanding its reach further without resorting to external capital. Over the last three years, Coldstream has doubled in size through a series of Pacific Northwest-centric acquisitions, including Paracle Advisors and Rosenbaum Financial. The strategic direction aims to preserve independence and foster year-over-year growth through alignment with like-minded partners. Coldstream's approach eschews the typical pressure of private equity-driven growth strategies, emphasizing organic and partnership-led expansion.