Brian Gaister, Co-Founder & CEO, Pennington Partners

Investment and wealth management advisory firm Pennington Partners entered Houston to serve its growing base of ultra-wealthy entrepreneurs in a market lacking deep advisory services. “At the core, investment priorities are similar: people want peace of mind, simplicity, and value. But Houston is distinct in how much private investing happens within informal networks,” Co-Founder and CEO Brian Gaister told Invest:. The firm brings structure, strategy, and tech-driven support, focusing on talent, client value, and long-term impact.

What makes Houston an attractive location for Pennington Partners?
Pennington Partners is a multifamily office focused on elevating the lives of highly successful entrepreneurial founders and their families. Houston ranks fifth nationally in both millionaires and centi-millionaires, making it a key market for ultra-high-net-worth individuals.
What stood out to us was the concentration of private business owners. While Houston has a strong professional services ecosystem, its financial advisory landscape lacked depth. Which we saw as a clear opportunity.

Beyond that, Houston benefits from a business-friendly government, a diverse and educated workforce, and thriving industries like oil and gas, real estate, and business services. Combined with a welcoming, entrepreneurial culture, it’s an ideal place for us to grow.

How do investment behaviors in Texas compare to those in coastal hubs like New York or California?
At a fundamental level, investment priorities are the same: people want peace of mind, simplicity, and value. But Houston stands out in the volume of private investing that happens informally — through trusted networks, often without formal diligence or structure.
That’s where we add value. We don’t just bring opportunities to families. We help them evaluate existing investments, structure them appropriately, and implement governance. That’s been a meaningful gap in the Houston market that we’re addressing.

What factors have contributed to the firm’s rapid growth in Houston since entering the market?
It comes down to people, process, and product, all centered around the client. I learned early on that success isn’t about us; it’s about what matters to the client. When we listen closely and build around their needs, everything else follows.
That mindset shapes how we build our team. We invest in talent and align individual goals with firm objectives. When those things connect, one plus one can equal five.

How does your referral-based model influence client acquisition and relationship management?
Referrals are the result of delivering real value. When clients or advisers refer us, it’s because they’ve experienced a high level of trust and impact.
Our goal is to shorten the time it takes for the right people to access our expertise. That’s where training, technology, and thoughtful communication reduce friction and amplify value.

As you build your Houston team, what qualities are you looking for, and how do you retain talent?
We look for critical thinkers, resilient problem-solvers, and collaborative, growth-oriented professionals who are open to feedback. Every candidate goes through rigorous quantitative and qualitative assessments to ensure cultural fit.

Retention is about clarity and care. We map career paths, support development, and foster alignment between personal and professional goals. I view my job as working for our team, because when they thrive, the business thrives.

How are broader economic trends, such as the energy transition and regulatory changes, affecting your clients?

Oil and gas are inherently cyclical, and that impacts our clients’ businesses, income, and exits. But innovation has made U.S. production more efficient, and regulatory tailwinds are providing support.
While we are not in the oil business ourselves, many of the families we serve are. Our role is to help them navigate uncertainty across investing, tax and estate planning, and liquidity, with sound, strategic advice.

What are you seeing in terms of legacy planning and philanthropy?
It starts with understanding each family’s goals. For some, it’s multi-generational wealth transfer, which involves tax planning but also preparing the next generation… and this is often the harder part.
Philanthropy is personal. While there’s social pressure to give back, we believe in aligning giving with personal values. And building a business that creates jobs and opportunity is a form of philanthropy in itself.
We help families through naming rights, foundation creation, generational education, and values alignment, always focused on lasting impact.

How is technology helping you enhance services and efficiency?
Technology is core to how we operate. We also founded SaaS Ventures, which has backed over 120 B2B software companies, so I deeply appreciate the leverage tech can create.
We use platforms like Salesforce, performance reporting tools, KPI dashboards, and workflow automation to improve internal execution and client experience. We also use AI to simplify complexity and move faster. For us, tech is how we deliver speed, intimacy, and scale — all essential for a modern advisory firm.

What is your outlook for Houston’s investment landscape over the next two to three years?

We see three key trends. 1)Technology will continue driving margins and rewarding equity holders. 2) Early-stage innovation, particularly in AI, is enabling entrepreneurs to build capital-efficient, impactful businesses, and 3) Real estate is becoming more attractive due to limited new supply, which may drive rents and long-term value.
Together, these trends point to a strong environment for long-term, strategic investing.

What are your top priorities at Pennington Partners for the next two years?
Our priorities are consistent: recruit exceptional talent, deliver maximum value to clients, and selectively add the right relationships.
Everything starts with people. When you invest in your team and your clients, growth takes care of itself.
We also stay focused on client feedback and Net Promoter Scores, because that’s the truest measure of our value.