As a business owner, you know the importance of a talented and committed team. Our partners founded this firm because they recognized the complementary strengths of each other and believe that by working together, an elevated level of service and expertise is achieved. We are selective about the professionals we bring to our practice because we want to provide the best, most comprehensive service for our clients.
In his role as an advisor, Lars’ mission is to help independent businesses, entrepreneurs, and high-income earners solve their greatest financial challenges. He guides them through an in-depth planning process, helping them identify and prioritize their goals so he can design a custom financial strategy tailored to their unique needs. He specializes in business planning, succession strategies, valuations, key employee planning, tax strategies, retirement planning, risk management, and estate planning.
As a lifelong learner and entrepreneur, Lars thrives on helping fellow business owners achieve their goals. To him, these individuals are the backbone of the economy, the cornerstone of our country’s financial wellbeing, and his perspective as a fellow entrepreneur enables him to see their financial challenges differently than others in the industry. He’s built businesses from the ground up, scaled them, managed employees, sold companies—and he understands the unique responsibilities that come with running your own business. As he works with clients, his goal is to educate them and help them identify innovative strategies that position their personal and professional resources for success. He loves that by guiding his clients, he gets to positively impact not only their futures, but the lives of their families, employees, and community members.
Richard Girard is a co-founder at Core Partners, and is a Registered Financial Consultant*. He is committed to making sure his client's financial houses are in order.
Richard began his advisory role with AXA Advisors. He co-founded Core Partners upon moving to Austin, Texas.
His early work experience in the machining field (including an apprenticeship in Belgium where he worked on a yearlong project fabricating a structure for the Algerian oil industry) prompted him to build, run and later sell his own business: Aaron Paul Machine Works. Having spent time in the private sector, Richard's financial-planning acumen is enhanced by his unique, hands-on knowledge of the challenges faced by business owners and investors.
He is appointed with several carriers to provide insurance & securities. He is licensed with the Texas Department of Insurance. Richard Girard holds the series 6, 63, 65 and insurance general lines and health insurance certificates. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree from BCIT in British Columbia.
Jason Papp is an accomplished professional in the field of Special Projects and Research at Core, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise to his role.
Before joining Core, Jason held leadership positions at New Republic Studios and Big PlayAR, where he excelled in management, content operations and production development.
Jason contributed to the Research and Development Division at Cirque du Soleil's headquarters in Montreal for the show "KA." Subsequently, he spent six years touring Europe as an aerialist with the production "Quidam." Notably, Jason has also represented Canada in three World Championships as a member of the Gymnastics National Team and earned a place on the Olympic Team.
In his spare time, he takes to the skies as a commercial multi-engine instrument pilot.
Tristen Cleve is a seasoned Investment Advisor Representative and the founder of Cavalry Financial Services Company, where he serves as the lead financial advisor.
Mr. Cleve's expertise is in crafting investment and wealth strategies that suit his clients' unique needs. He has focused his practice on serving large homeowner assciations, with an unwavering commitment to delivering personalized portfolio management and individualized client attention.
Having spent six years at New York Life Insurance Co. as an insurance agent, Tristen gained invaluable experience before transitioning to an investment-focused domain. He further honed his expertise during four successful years as an independent advisor at SagePoint Financial, a distinguished Broker-Dealer catering to independent advisors and private wealth managers.
Tristen holds a bachelor's degree in business administration with a specialization in Finance. He possesses a range of securities licenses, including Series 65, 7, 6, and 63, and is licensed in Group Life & Health, Property & Casualty insurance, making him well-equipped to provide comprehensive financial solutions to his clients.
Sue started her career in retirement planning as a pension actuary with a benefits consulting firm in 1992. There, she focused on defined benefit plans and earned her actuarial credentials. After consulting with Fortune 500 clients for more than 20 years, she began working with a company that focused on pension plans for small businesses. It was there that she discovered her passion for helping small-business owners. She loved how invested they were in their businesses, and she wanted to do everything she could to help them succeed both personally and professionally. In 2019, she passed her Series 65 and Ohio Life Insurance exams, allowing her to offer more holistic guidance for business owners. Now, she combines her extensive retirement planning experience and investment knowledge to help business owners create comprehensive retirement plans.
Monte is the Senior Vice President of Recruiting and Business Development at Core Partners. With over two decades of experience in business development and marketing, he has successfully recruited over 400 agents across diverse industries. Monte's expertise spans Property Management, Construction Management, Capital Investments, Business Brokerage, Contract Negotiation, and Corporate Recruitment. His impactful contributions at Keller Williams as a Corporate Recruiter over a decade have driven growth and excellence.
As an educator and coach, Monte fosters individual growth and strategic acumen with an open-minded approach. He is dedicated to nurturing talent within Core Partners and its alliance partners, facilitating talent acquisition and development.
Beyond his professional life, Monte finds joy in playing golf and spending quality time with his wife Cindy and their two sons, Alec and Kylar.
Positive and purposeful, as Mortgage Advisor, Josh works closely with homebuyers throughout the home loan process. Making the process clear and transparent is his top priority, so borrowers can relax knowing they are well educated and always kept in the loop. Every step of the way, Josh is fervent in providing exceptional service and, for him, seeing smiling faces and happy families on closing day is what his job is all about.
Josh was born in Oklahoma and grew up in the Southern US. He earned his bachelor’s degree from East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma and has called Tulsa home for the past 15 years. After working in commercial banking early in his career and then owning his own business, Josh made a move to the mortgage industry in 2015 in order to have a positive impact on the industry and his community. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family.
Jamie loves helping families see their dream of owning a home become a reality. As a Mortgage Advisor, she enjoys working with homebuyers to ensure a smooth loan process, from the first steps to closing day. Admired for her positive and caring presence, Jamie is always willing to go the extra mile to support others and work together as a team. She believes it’s important that no one feels like just a number, so she is enthusiastic in fostering friendly relationships with clients and partners.
Jamie was born and raised in Sapulpa, Oklahoma and continues to call it home. She attended East Central University, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Music Education. In her free time, she can be found with her family bowling, swimming, playing pickleball, watching movies, and playing board games together. She also loves to bake and make gifts for others any chance she gets.
Darius Roberson is a seasoned and accomplished professional with a diverse background in healthcare sales and military service. Darius has worked with several Fortune 500 healthcare companies like Lilly USA, Exact Sciences, and Siemens, to name a few. He played a key role in cultivating relationships across various medical specialties to enhance the lives of migraine patients. He successfully developed and managed relationships to drive business in Primary Care, Internal Medicine, and Gastrointestinal offices to the advocate and promote early colorectal cancer screening, detection, and education.
Before transitioning to the sales industry, Darius served in the U.S. Air Force, where he held various leadership roles throughout his 20-year career. As an Aircraft Engineer-Support Program Manager, he managed over $30 million in government assets, implemented efficiency projects, and received Meritorious Service Medals for exceptional management skills. Darius’ leadership roles in aircraft maintenance engineering and project management showcased his ability to strategize and implement changes that positively impacted mission success and personnel development.
Darius holds an MBA in Human Resources from Columbia Southern University, a Bachelor of Science in Technical Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and is a licensed real estate and insurance professional (life, property, and casualty). With his unique combination of private sector and military leadership experience, Darius brings a wealth of skills and capabilities to any professional setting.
