photo: Longs Peak Advisory Services
High Plains Bank Business Solutions
Longs Peak Advisory Services & High Plains Bank: Full Circle Banking
The entrepreneurial journey is rarely straightforward. However, for Sean and Jocelyn Gilligan, the co-founders and managing partners of Longs Peak Advisory Services, LLC, it’s a deeply personal and family-driven endeavor. Their firm, specializing in Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS®) compliance and investment performance consulting, operates from the heart of Longmont, Colorado.
Deeply Personal and Family-Driven
In 2015, after Sean had spent years as a partner in a CPA firm specializing in investment firm performance, the Gilligans decided to relocate to Longmont, near where Jocelyn had grown up. They established Longs Peak Advisory Services with the dual aim of building their business and raising their family.
A chance encounter with John Creighton, the CEO of High Plains Bank, led the Gilligans to a banking relationship that would prove transformative. They happened to move to the same block as Creighton and quickly discovered a strong alignment between their personal commitment to community investment and that of Creighton and High Plains Bank. The Gilligans are deeply engaged in the Longmont community; Jocelyn serves on the St. Vrain Valley School Board, and Sean is involved with the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, a global non-profit that supports entrepreneurs.
Superior Human Support, Best-In-Class Technology
The Gilligans' initial banking experience with a large financial institution had been less than satisfactory. They felt like just another number and found that even simple tasks, such as depositing checks, required frequent trips to the bank branch. “With our former bank, I had to take several trips to the branch per week to deposit checks because they wouldn’t allow us to digitally deposit checks for our business account,” Jocelyn recalls. “Using HPBGO Digital Banking (High Plains Bank Mobile App), I can now deposit checks online when they arrive, saving not only a trip to the bank but also time until the cash is available in my account, at no additional cost. With HPBGO, I can manage our business account from my phone no matter where I am.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sean participated in a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) webinar hosted by High Plains Bank. This led he and Jocelyn to open an account to manage their PPP loan. The experience was so positive that they decided to move their personal accounts to High Plains Bank as well.
The Gilligans have continued to rely on John Creighton’s advice, particularly when considering moving to a larger home. Creighton took the time to meet with them at their kitchen table and discuss various creative financing options. This high-touch, personalized attention is a hallmark of High Plains Bank’s “Craft Banking” approach. “We could not be happier with the bank’s level of personal attention,” Sean states. “With High Plains Bank, we know that we're always speaking with an actual High Plains Bank employee, not a bot or call center. Not to mention how easy HPBGO makes it to move money between accounts.”
Work-Life Balance A Priority
As Longs Peak Advisory Services has expanded, now with fourteen team members working remotely across the country, their relationship with High Plains Bank has grown stronger. Balancing a family-owned business with parenting and community commitments is a significant challenge, but the Gilligans have made work-life balance a priority. “Prior to founding Longs Peak, both Jocelyn and I worked long hours for big institutions that offered no work-life balance,” Sean shares. “I told myself that if I ever ran a small business, it would be different. Jocelyn and I have been very intentional about striving for work-life balance, from regular date nights to dedicated family time.” He credits High Plains Bank’s understanding of the small business owner’s journey and challenges as a key factor in why they choose to bank with High Plains Bank.
Longs Peak Advisory Services utilizes the full range of High Plains Bank’s Business Solutions, including an operating line of credit and merchant services, which have saved them a significant amount in fees. “With High Plains Bank, we are able to access capital that large banking institutions wouldn't give us, despite having healthy financial statements,” Jocelyn explains. “Although we don't always draw on them, access to capital helps us grow our business, knowing that we have a business line of credit to fall back on.”
High Plains Bank — Here for the Long Run
“Having a trusted financial partner who is always looking out for our business and family is what we rely on with High Plains Bank,” Sean adds. “For example, when our firm has excess cash not needed for immediate operations we were able to take advantage of High Plains Bank’s strong CD rates.”
High Plains Bank prides itself on its unique approach to small business banking. “We develop personal relationships with each customer; we know their names and their stories,” John Creighton says. “Our team provides what we like to call ‘full circle support,’ and we pride ourselves on being patient, actively listening, and dedicated to standing with customers like the Gilligans when times are good, and more importantly, when times are tough. High Plains Bank is here for our small business customers today and for the long run.”
For Longs Peak Advisory Services, the years of hard work and dedication are paying off. In 2024, they were ranked number 58 for Revenue Growth for Inc. Magazine’s Rocky Mountain Region and named one of the top 200 Privately Owned Businesses in Colorado by ColoradoBiz Magazine. Sean was recently invited to join the GIPS Technical Committee, and Jocelyn was recognized by ColoradoBiz’s GenXYZ 2023 and as an Outstanding Woman in Performance & Risk Measurement 2023 by the Journal of Performance Measurement.
“We are most proud of our team and how they have grown,” Sean concludes. “They are really the driver in all of the success we’ve had at Longs Peak Advisory Services.”
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