Robert Russo
Chief Executive Officer, Independent Advisor Alliance (Strategic Partner)
In 2013, Robert Russo established IAA to help advisors harness the synergy that drives practice growth through shared resources, collective intelligence, lower expenses and access to business consulting resources.
In 2008, prior to establishing a Hybrid RIA firm, Robert founded Blackbridge Financial and served as the CEO and Director of Corporate Retirement Plans. Blackbridge Financial was named among Charlotte’s ’50 Fastest Growing Companies’* in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Currently, Blackbridge Financial is used as a “Doing Business As (DBA)” for more than 30 IAA advisors.
Robert has received industry recognition for his business acumen and innovation. He is a member of LPL Financial’s Executive Council, which comprises the top 1% of its advisors based on total gross production. In 2012, he was named Advocate of the Year by LPL Financial and in 2015 he was featured as a ’40 under 40’ award recipient by Investment News. ** In 2016, Smart CEO named Robert a ‘Future 50’ award*** recipient.
Robert graduated from the University of Tennessee where he was awarded a Certificate of Achievement recognizing his academic accomplishments as a student athlete with the football program. He is an avid sports fan supporting Charlotte’s local teams, the Knights, the Panthers, and most especially the Hornets. Originally from Philadelphia, PA, Robert resides in Charlotte, NC, with his wife and two young sons.
- * Charlotte Business Journal Fast 50 Award: Companies qualified for the rankings based on a formula that reflects dollar and percentage growth during a three-year period. To qualify, companies had to have at least $1 million in revenue based on the year and be based in the Charlotte region.
- ** Investment News ’40 Under 40’ award for 2015 is based on accomplishments to date, contribution to the industry, leadership and promise as defined by Investment News.
- *** Smart CEO ‘Future 50’ award for 2016 is based on three-year average of employee and revenue growth for mid-sized companies.
*“Independent Advisor Alliance and LPL Financial are separate entities”