PATRIOT INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT GROUP - Key Persons
Aaron joined the Patriot team in 2022 as a Financial Advisor. He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and passionate about understanding each client's unique goals and objectives.
Before joining Patriot, Aaron worked as a Financial Advisor for over seven years. Focused on building strong, long-term relationships, he enjoys developing financial plans helping clients achieve their financial goals.
Aaron enjoys being involved in the community and is a graduate of the 2017 class of Leadership Oak Ridge. He holds a B.S. in accounting and an MBA from Western Governors University.
Aaron lives in Knoxville with his wife and two kids and enjoys spending time with family, traveling, and being outdoors.
Job Titles:
- Advisor
- Controller
- Financial Advisor
- Certified Financial Planner
- Financial Advisor and Planner
Adam joined the Patriot team in 2009 after serving for 18 years as Controller, Inventory Manager and as a member of the Investment Committee for Stowers Machinery; a Knoxville-based, family-owned Caterpillar Dealer. Adam holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia where he was a scholarship athlete on the men's tennis team.
Adam is a Certified Financial Planner™, and he also holds the FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) Series 65 license.
Adam serves as a financial advisor and planner, advising his clients in all areas of financial planning including investment management, asset allocation, estate planning, retirement planning, tax planning and insurance planning.
He is a member of the Financial Planning Association and the Rotary Club of Farragut.
Adam has lived in Knoxville since 1991 with his wife, Jenny. They have two adult children. In his spare time he enjoys tennis, gardening and fishing.
Job Titles:
- Financial Advisor With Patriot
Alex is a Financial Advisor with Patriot, where he builds lasting relationships assisting clients in all areas of their financial lives including investment management & financial planning. Alex enjoys the complex challenges that come with assisting clients with their financial lives. He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional. He joined Patriot in 2014.
Prior to coming to Patriot, Alex graduated with an MBA in Finance from the University of Tennessee, earned a Juris Doctor from The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, and graduated with a double major in Political Science and Legal Studies from The University of Tennessee. While enrolled in the MBA Program, Alex was a member of The LaPorteTorch Fund, a student-run investment portfolio, a Graduate Assistant in the Haslam College Finance Department, a member of the Tennessee Organization of MBAs, and a Campus Ambassador for the MBA Program.
Outside of work, Alex enjoys playing and watching golf, being outdoors, watching college athletics, and spending time with his family and friends. Originally from Memphis, Alex lives in Farragut with his wife, Emily, and their three children. They are members of Cokesbury United Methodist Church.
Job Titles:
- Advisor
- Associate
- Associate Advisor With Patriot
Amy joined the Patriot team in 2019. She earned her Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Prior to joining Patriot, she worked in the financial services industry for six years as an Administrative Assistant, Assistant Operations Manager, Client Service Representative, and Operations Team Lead for a local Registered Investment Advisory Firm.
Amy serves as an Associate Advisor with Patriot, providing excellent customer service and support for her clients. She enjoys interacting and connecting with clients while building trust and a meaningful relationship. Amy strives to provide clients with the best service possible while making sure that the client's needs always come first.
Amy lives in Knoxville with her husband and enjoys the outdoors, gardening, and traveling.
Job Titles:
- Advisor
- Certified Public Accountant
- CFP
Andy joined Patriot Investment Management in 2017 after struggling for years to find a dependable and trustworthy fiduciary to provide investment management for his existing RIA and tax practice. He found that at Patriot.
Andy is a Certified Public Accountant, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional, and he also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation, which is a rare combination for an advisor considering the rigorous path to achieve all three of these credentials. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from the University of Tennessee.
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner
- Patriot 's Founder, President, and CEO
Brad graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1982. After serving six years of active duty in the Army, Brad began his career in financial services working for a large brokerage firm in Washington, DC. He then moved to Knoxville in 1992 and co-founded Patriot Investment Management in 1993. He passed the Certified Financial Planner® exam in 1996.
Brad is proud to have started a fee-only firm that works exclusively for its clients. After a short time in the brokerage world, he quickly realized that there is a better way to help clients. Patriot's fee-only compensation model allows the advisor to focus solely on the client's needs and eliminates any potential conflict of interest that can be caused by the traditional brokerage commission structure.
Brad is passionate about using low cost, tax efficient index funds. This approach allows him to develop fundamentally sound portfolios for his clients and give them a very high probability of outperforming the more costly broker marketed funds. He takes a great deal of pride in being a fiduciary and helping clients achieve all their financial goals.
Brad enjoys giving back to the community. He is on the Board of the Boys and Girls Club of the Tennessee Valley and the Finance Committee of Concord United Methodist Church. He is the past president of the Holston Home for Children and the Florence Crittenton Agency. He has also held leadership roles in the West Point Society of East Tennessee, the East Tennessee Financial Planning Association and The Episcopal School of Knoxville.
Brad Bower, Patriot's founder, president, and CEO, has over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. After graduating from The United States Military Academy at West Point and serving in the United States Army, he began his career with a large Wall Street firm as a stockbroker.
Brandon joined Patriot in 2019 after graduating from The University of Tennessee's Haslam College of Business. Throughout his time at The University of Tennessee, Brandon served with the Office of Orientation and Transition as a New Student Orientation Leader and with the Haslam College of Business as a Peer Mentor. Prior to joining Patriot, he interned with an independent financial advisory firm in Knoxville. Brandon obtained the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation in 2023.
Brandon is passionate about serving clients. His mission is to connect with people and build lasting relationships that allow him to understand their values, goals, and passions in order develop strategies to achieve them.
Brandon lives in Knoxville and enjoys traveling, hiking, and playing with his dog. He attends and serves in various ministries at Tristar Church.
Brandon joined the Patriot team in 2017. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in Finance from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with a collateral focus in Marketing. Before joining Patriot, he worked in the financial services industry for five years as a ParaPlanner, Operations Manager, and then as Director of Operations for a Registered Investment Advisory Firm.
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant
- Patriot in 2018 As an Executive Assistant
Brenda joined Patriot in 2018 as an Executive Assistant. She has over 20 years of experience in the Financial Planning and Investment Industry, in which she has held many roles. Brenda takes great pride in her work; always striving to provide clients with the best service possible.
Outside of work, Brenda is a busy mom and wife. She enjoys spending time with family, watching her children play sports as well as college football.
Charlie serves the community in a number of ways. He serves on the Board of HonorAir Knoxville. He is the Treasurer of the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial Association. In 2016 the Mayor appointed him as a Commissioner for the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority.
Charlie and his wife Lynne attend Middlebrook Pike United Methodist Church where he is the Endowment Committee Chair and previously served as Church Leadership Council Chair and Finance Committee Chair.
Originally from Texas, Charlie joined Patriot Investment Management in 1994 and serves as Financial Planner and Investment Manager. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from West Texas State University and a Master of Science in Human Resource Management from Troy State University. Charlie also holds the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) designation.
Prior to joining Patriot, Charlie served in the United States Air Force for 26 years as a fighter pilot, air force planner, operations officer and wing commander. He was combat qualified in the F-100, A-7, F-4, A-10, F-117 and F-15. He flew 200 combat missions in Vietnam in the F-100 Supersabre and was director of the Tactical Air Control Center during Desert Storm.
His military decorations include the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Air Medal with 11 oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm, and Kuwait Liberation Medal.
Charlie serves the community in a number of ways. He serves on the Board of HonorAir Knoxville. He is the Treasurer of the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial Association. In 2016 the Mayor appointed him as a Commissioner for the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority.
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant
- Executive Assistant With Patriot
Connie has been an Executive Assistant with Patriot since 2007. Prior to joining Patriot, she served as the Export Manager for an engineering firm specializing in border control security.
Overall she has had over 38 years of business management experience.
Dave Palamar joins the Patriot team following his retirement as a Managing Director with JPMorgan in New York City where he spent the last 29 years. In his last position at JPM he worked in the Investor Client Management Group. In this role he was the primary point of contact between JPM and the senior management at some of JPM's largest institutional accounts. He was responsible for all aspects of the markets and business relationship between JPM and these clients, primarily Asset Managers. Prior to this role Dave spent 24 years as a senior salesperson in the Credit Markets team. This group distributes and trades fixed income securities with top tier Global Institutional investors.
Dave has taught MBA financial markets classes at Columbia University and NYU as a guest instructor and has served as a panelist at Columbia evaluating MBA student Private Equity presentations. He is currently serving as the USMA Class 1982 Treasurer as well as an Advisor-at-Large for the USMA Association of Graduates.
Dave brings to Patriot a deep understanding of Global Macroeconomics, Financial Markets and Products, and Financial Planning. He brings over 30 years of experience in the Securities and Investment business.
Dave has also spent a great deal of time in volunteer work primarily in teaching Financial Literacy to less-advantaged teenagers and to veterans and in counseling Service Members on their transition into civilian employment. He is a frequent speaker.
Prior to joining JPMorgan in 1992 Dave worked as a Financial Planner. Prior to that Dave served as an Armor officer in the United States Army leaving the service with the rank of Captain in 1987. Many of Dave's family also served in our country's military including his Mom, Dad, Aunt, 3 Uncles, Brother and Brother-In-Law.
Dave received a BS in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1982 and an MBA in Finance from Columbia University in 1992.
Job Titles:
- Chief Administration Officer
Dolores joined Patriot in 2005 as an Administrative & Client Services Assistant. In 2008, she held the position of Office Manager before becoming Chief Administrative Officer, in which she oversees all firm administrative functions and daily operations.
Dolores earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Merchandising from the University of Tennessee, and she has over 20 years of experience in retail, office and customer service management.
Dolores lives in Knoxville with her husband. In her free time she enjoys traveling, watching college basketball and football, and spending time with family and friends.
Grant joined the Patriot team in 2023 as a Paraplanner. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance from Mississippi State University. During his time at MSU, Grant participated in the TVA Investment Challenge where he, along with 5 other students, managed a portfolio sponsored by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Prior to joining Patriot, Grant worked at the Vanguard Group in the Advance to Financial Planner Program in Dallas, Texas.
Grant was drawn to the financial services industry by the desire to build relationships and connect with clients on more than just a financial level. His goal is to instill trust and confidence in Patriot's clients while simultaneously helping them achieve their personal and financial goals.
Grant lives in Knoxville and enjoys golfing, cooking, hunting and being in the outdoors. He is also a member of Sacred Heart Cathedral Catholic Church.
Taylor joined Patriot Investment Management in 2008. Prior to working at Patriot, Taylor earned a Mathematics degree from Vanderbilt University, a Master's degree from Georgetown University in Physiology and Biophysics and attended medical school at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He holds a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Series 65 license.
Taylor's goal is to help clients achieve financial independence through comprehensive financial planning, investment management, retirement and estate planning. He achieves this through a constant emphasis on personal service, setting expectations and following through on promises, and a passion for client education.
Taylor enjoys giving back to the community. He serves on the executive team for HonorAir Knoxville and has flown with over 3,500 World War II, Korean War and Vietnam veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit their monuments and memorials. In addition, Taylor is currently on the Board of Directors for the Knoxville Museum of Art and the Boy Scouts of America, Great Smoky Mountain Council. He has previously served as the Development Chair for the Knoxville Opera and Knoxville Museum of Art, on the Executive Leadership Team for the American Heart Association Heart Gala, and the Host Committee for the Knoxville Medal of Honor Convention. He is member of the Leadership Knoxville Class of 2018 and Introduction Knoxville 2010. He is the Vice President of the Phi Delta Theta Alumni chapter of East Tennessee.
In his spare time, Taylor enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, golfing, and college athletics.
Jeff is former Board President of The Holston United Methodist Home for Children, a Christian ministry serving children and family with special needs in East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. He is former Investment Committee Chair for the Holston Home for Children Foundation and currently serves as a Board Memember.
Kate joined Patriot in 2008 as an Administrative Assistant. In her current position, Kate is the Client Services Manager and assists multiple Investment Managers with most practices and procedures pertaining to daily operations. She is passionate about and strives to deliver excellent client service. She also works closely with the Chief Administration Officer.
She previously served as the Chapter Executive for the East Tennessee Financial Planning Association and has volunteered for fundraising events for HonorAir Knoxville and Friends of Literacy.
Outside of Patriot, Kate enjoys the outdoors, sports and has a love for animals. She also enjoys spending quality time with friends and family.
Job Titles:
- Front Office & Event Coordinator
Originally from Northwest New Jersey, Lara's passion for exceptional Client Service was formed while working as a Concierge with Marriott Corporation. Her role as Front Office Executive Assistant allows her to utilize those skills when welcoming and assisting our clients in a multitude of ways. She joined the Patriot team in 2014.
She received her Associate degree in Culinary Arts and Hotel Restaurant Management from Newberry College in Massachusetts and has over 25 years in office administration in the medical, construction and retail fields.
She and her husband Bob enjoy their home in Hardin Valley where they entertain quite frequently. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, horseback riding in the mountains, taking care of the local wildlife and being "Mom" to her two precocious cats.
Lara is actively involved in service to the community as a member of Concord United Methodist Church, as well as with several volunteer organizations including HonorAir and Game on Against Cancer.
A Knoxville native, Laura has been with Patriot since 2001. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in Finance from the University of Tennessee, with concentrations in Corporate Finance and Investment Analysis. Prior to joining Patriot, she worked as a Corporate Financial Analyst. Laura has experience in all aspects of business management in a variety of settings, including healthcare, public utilities, and non-profit sectors.
Laura enjoys helping her clients identify their goals, providing practical, objective advice and finding solutions to complex situations. She has a great deal of experience working with disability, long term care, eldercare and special needs issues, and structuring investment plans to help meet those needs.
Laura enjoys teaching, and she has been an instructor for the Investment Planning course for the Certified Financial Planner™ certification program through the University of Tennessee.
She is a past treasurer for a local United Methodist church, where she also served on the Building Committee, and helped oversee the planning and construction of a $1.3 million facility. She is also a past member of the Trustees for the Knoxville District of the United Methodist Church, and is a current member of both the Finance Committee and Audit Sub-Committee for the Knoxville District of the United Methodist Church.
Laura lives in North Knoxville with her husband, John, and their three children. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, photography, cooking and gardening.
Renée supports multiple Patriot advisors in her role as an Executive Assistant. Providing exceptional service and a quality experience for our clients is her top priority. From New York to Knoxville, Renée has more than twenty years of diverse client service experience. Developing strong relationships is the foundation of everything she does, both professionally and personally.
Renée is inspired daily by her husband and their two children. In her free time, you will find Renée enjoying the outdoors with her family, serving in her church and community, and in great pursuit of real New York pizza.
Originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, Bob joined Patriot Investment Management in 2018 and serves as a Financial Planner and Investment Manager. He enlisted in the Army in 1976 and was later commissioned into the Infantry from the United States Military Academy in 1982. Bob culminated his 35-year career, serving from Private to Colonel, retiring from the Army in 2012. Since military retirement, Bob has worked for a knowledge management company, served as an "Educational Consultant" in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and worked with a software solution company.
Bob holds a BS in General Engineering from the United States Military Academy, a MS in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, and equivalent in Operations Research and Systems Analysis from Naval Postgraduate School, and a Master's in Strategic Studies and Advanced Strategic Arts from the U.S. Army War College. He is a Certified Knowledge Manager and a Certified Assistant Professor. Bob has also completed the Dave Ramsey Financial Coach Master Training. He is a member of an international financial coach mastermind group, Coach Connections and holds a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Series 65 license.
Bob is passionate about life-long learning, sharing knowledge, and solving problems. After an exciting personal finance class at West Point, Bob put that knowledge into practice assisting soldiers and their families. He and his wife of over 36 years, raised a family with five children, across 19 moves, on a single military income, while maintaining a disciplined investment program. He was able to evaluate numerous financial approaches from Warren Buffet to Dave Ramsey before becoming a client, then an adviser at Patriot Investment Management.
He and his wife Lauren enjoy history, travel, health and fitness, sharing time with their family and friends.