Western Reserve Wealth Management

The firm relies on a regional network of co-investors, attorneys, and operating partners rather than a centralized deal-sourcing platform. This network, built over decades in Northeast Ohio, surfaces middle-market real estate and private credit opportunities that complement the families' existing operating businesses. The approach favors relationship-driven, off-market transactions over competitive auctions.

Western Reserve operates as a multi-family office, serving a concentrated base of families rather than a single principal. It was not created from a single liquidity event — the practice grew from Thomas Stickney's professional-services background into a shared platform for multiple Midwestern families. This structure pools resources for investment access while preserving individual tax and estate planning autonomy.

No. The firm has never publicly disclosed AUM. Its advisory model skews toward retainer-based relationships rather than asset-based fees, reflecting a client base with substantial wealth held in illiquid operating businesses and real estate that would be difficult to capture in a standard AUM figure.

Western Reserve facilitates direct co-investment alongside regional private equity sponsors and real estate operators. The firm does not market itself as a capital partner to large institutional sponsors. Its co-investment activity is opportunistic, typically arising from existing relationships within Northeast Ohio and adjacent Midwestern markets.

Founding partner Thomas Stickney and partner James Williams jointly oversee investment decisions, with Stickney providing the primary legal and tax framework. The partnership structure means decisions reflect consensus between the two named professionals, without a separate investment committee layer. Clients retain ultimate discretion over their individual allocations.

Estate and succession planning anchors the practice. Stickney's dual credential as a CPA and attorney means the firm directly structures estate freezes, trust architectures, and business-succession agreements internally, coordinating with clients' existing legal counsel rather than outsourcing these functions. Investment allocation follows from that planning, not the reverse.

The firm maintains a broad mandate spanning direct real estate, private credit to middle-market companies, private equity co-investment, and insurance-based planning. Public-markets exposure is typically handled through external managers. The mix reflects the asset base of a Midwestern clientele — heavy in real estate and operating-company equity, lighter on venture or international allocations.