Renaissance Investment Group Celebrates 25th Anniversary

LENOX — Renaissance Investment Group recently celebrated its 25th anniversary at a well-attended party at Gateways Inn, just next door to its 45 Walker St. office in Lenox. The Renaissance team, many of whom have been a part of the story from its beginning in September 2000, mingled with nearly 100 clients and local businesspeople who attended.

Tom Malinowski, one of the four founding partners, reflected on the first decade from the original concept of founding a wealth management business which saw the company’s fiduciary responsibility to its clients as sacrosanct. This included personalized investment management and financial counseling as the central part of Renaissance’s engagement with its clients, unlike the industry trend towards commoditizing investment management clients into often unsuitable investment choices and standardized financial planning products.

Trevor Forbes, president and chief investment officer of Renaissance, followed, reflecting on how this approach has been developed, bringing in more, specifically international expertise. He also covered the change in ownership nine years ago from Berkshire Bank to independence again, explaining that, despite all these changes, the central guiding principal toward engagement with clients had remained true to the founder’s principles.

The development of the team to provide for succession and continuity has been a key part of the firm’s development since 2016, and this included the recruitment of Chris Silipigno in 2018, who is now CEO.

Silipigno brought the gathering up to date with the significant growth in the size of the business over the last seven years; the recruitment of new, younger talent; and his plans for the future. His message was one of planned development through continuity, emphasizing the importance of retaining the service of talented individuals in terms of investment management and financial counseling with an unwavering commitment to deep client relationships.

“With nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars in assets under management, serving second-, third- and even fourth-generation clients across the entire U.S., Renaissance has grown tremendously in size and scope over its 25 years in business,” Silipigno said. “And we’re equally excited to expand our footprint together with our strategic partners, while staying true to our founding principles, in the coming years.”