Meet Your Team

Chief Executive Officer | Chief Operating Officer

Robert H. Gorman, CFP®, MSFS®, AEP®

Robert Gorman is a Founding Partner at Apollon Wealth Management, a collaborative and transparent financial planning firm focused on aligning client’s goals of growing and preserving their hard-earned wealth. As one of the highest decorated advisors in the field (ranking in the top 1-2% in the nation by certification), Robert serves as Director of Financial Planning for the firm and has taken the helm of building Apollon’s unique trading platform.

Robert’s expertise has given Apollon an unmatched position in the marketplace to harness and leverage technology within a financial services organization. Through Apollon’s independent and innovative APEX planning process, Robert’s fiduciary duty and objective advice further drives the business in delivering highly customized wealth management solutions. With 15+ years in the field, Robert specializes in serving multi-generational families, entrepreneurs and executives with a concentration on estate planning for the high net worth sector. His passion is reflected within Apollon’s business model as he focuses on client communications and deliverables with absolute financial clarity. With a holistic and comprehensive investment approach, Robert is often called upon by other professionals (CPA’s, attorneys, etc.) and clients to articulate and actualize a customized path to successful wealth management.

A respected Principal/Wealth Management Advisor, Robert established his career at the Gorman Financial Group/Northwestern Mutual in 2004. Under his direction, the firm was voted “Best Financial Planner” by The Post and Courier and was a finalist for “Best Investment Firm” in 2016 and 2017. Robert earned a Master of Science in Financial Services (MSFS) from the American College, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems from Wake Forest University. Professional certifications include: CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) and Accredited Estate Planner (AEP®).

Born in Los Angeles, Robert spent a visible part of his childhood pursuing acting. After a successful run with roles in 10 films and 18 television series, he came to the east coast after high school to pursue his business degree.

Living in Charleston, South Carolina, Robert supports One80 Place, the Actors Theater of South Carolina and the Make A Wish Foundation. Robert and his wife, Tara, have three children: Ellie, Jake, and Julia.

Chief Financial Officer

Damian Lo Basso

Chief Investment Officer

Eric Sterner, CFA, MBA, CAIA, FRM, CIPM

Eric Sterner is the Chief Investment Officer for Apollon Wealth Management and Apollon Financial and also serves as the chairperson for both RIAs’ investment committees.  Eric is responsible for all investment research and due diligence across Apollon’s investment platforms as well as portfolio management for Apollon’s proprietary investment strategies.

Eric’s last role was as Vice President and member of PGIM’s Strategic Investment Research Group’s (SIRG) Portfolio Construction team.  He focused on the discretionary management of multi-asset investment solutions which represented more than $65 Billion AUM.  Prior to this role, Eric served as the Chief Investment Officer for the Prudential Customer Solutions RIA and oversaw its digital and hybrid investment advisory managed account platform.  Prudential’s digital advisory program received industry recognition as one of the best performing robo advisors out of over 60 competitors.

Prior to Prudential, Eric was a Managing Director within State Street’s Alternative Investment Solutions group where he was responsible for the performance and risk reporting services for hedge funds on its fund administration platform.  Eric also worked at MetLife where he managed the proprietary and third party investment advisory platforms for its broker dealer group and launched an advisory offering that was nominated by the Money Management Institute as “Product of the Year”.

Eric has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA), Financial Risk Manager (FRM) and Certificate in Performance Measurement (CIPM) designations as well as his MBA with Honors from the University of Massachusetts and his undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut.

Eric has built an industry-wide reputation as a thought-leader and has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, CNN, Barron’s, Investment News, Kiplinger, MarketWatch, US News, Reuters, and numerous other outlets.  Eric’s broadcast experience includes guest appearances on FOX Business News, Bloomberg, Yahoo Finance, Schwab Network, NASDAQ Trade Talks, Cheddar News and Reuters.

Chief Compliance Officer

Mike Herman

Chief Growth Officer

Ryan Shanks

Managing Director | Wealth Management Advisor

Brad Schaffnit

Brad joined the financial services profession in 2001 to provide accomplished individuals and families with investment management services, family estate planning tools, asset preservation and risk management advice from an independent perspective. He also brings experience to business clients in the areas of corporate business succession planning, employee benefit plans, executive benefits strategies and business retirement plans.

He is well versed in quantitative and fundamental equity analysis, structured portfolio management, and results-driven performance analytics. He is a registered representative with LPL Financial, as well as a fee-for-service Investment Advisor Representative with Apollon Financial.

Brad is a member of The Professional Partners of The Children’s Place Association and a member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA). He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Finance, from Florida State University.

Director of Operations

Amber Bombeck

Director of Trading

Andrea Purcell

Vice President of Human Resources

Barbara Hull

Registered Principal & Director

John Van Sant

Wealth Management Advisor

Daniel Foxen, ChFC®, CPA, JD, CLU®

Wealth Management Advisor

Dory A. Rodriguez, CFP®

Wealth Management Advisor

Fran Gutrich

Fran Gutrich began his career in financial services 35 years ago.  He shares a wealth of experience and knowledge of brokerage, insurance, and banking with his clientele.

As a seasoned veteran, he specializes in various areas of wealth accumulation and preservation strategies including retirement planning, estate planning, education funding, and risk management.

Fran’s primary goal for his clients is to understand their needs and implement a plan based on their long-term objectives.  As an investment fiduciary, he always puts his client’s best interest first and holds himself to the highest level of integrity and accountability.

Fran and his wife Cindy were empty nesters until their son moved back home with his 2 dogs.  Both of his daughters are married one is providing canines to the family (6 and counting) but his other daughter has grown the family tree by 3!!!  She has given us 3 grandchildren under the age of 4.

Wealth Management Advisor

Jim McGowan, CFP®

Click to view Jim’s advisor profile

With over two decades of experience in financial services, Jim McGowan is committed to helping clients achieve their financial goals through personalized, holistic planning and strategic tax and investment management.

Since 2000, Jim has served as a trusted advisor and partner, guiding families, individuals, and businesses through major life transitions, supporting them at every step. As a Fiduciary his approach combines:

• Personalized financial planning
• Expert investment guidance through institutional partnerships
• Tax projections and minimization strategies
• Retirement planning and lifelong cash flow support.
• Maximizing employee benefits
• Estate tax and beneficiary planning

Jim’s extensive experience and client-focused approach make him an invaluable asset for anyone looking to secure their financial future and navigate financial decisions with confidence and peace of mind.

Professional Expertise

• Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) with a fiduciary commitment
• Career began with valuable experience gained at The Vanguard Group
• Managed assets for over 100 families, trusts, businesses, and retirement plans
• Former President of the Financial Planning Association of Philadelphia
• Featured on NBC Morning News and quoted in CNBC, Money, and Investment News

Personal Life

Jim grew up in Lansdale, PA and now lives in Upper Gwynedd with his wife Meghan, sons J.R. and Graham, and their Australian Cattle Dog, Princess Leia. He enjoys woodworking projects, hiking, playing old man ice hockey, coaching his son’s Nor Gwyn Hawks baseball team, golfing with his 3 brothers and supporting Philadelphia sports teams.

Connect

In the time it takes to enjoy a cup of coffee, Jim can explain how financial planning has helped his clients reach their goals and achieve peace of mind. Send him an email or schedule a quick call on his calendar.

Wealth Management Advisor

Martin A. Beck, CFP®

Financial Advisor since December 1985 and CFP since Jan 1990.  Marty obtained his Bachelor of Science in Business from Eastern Illinois University with a major in Finance in 1985. Bringing with him 38 years in the industry and with extensive experience in Family Financial Planning, Marty understands the importance of working with a client’s legal, tax and other advisors with the goal of producing the best possible results.  Working for nearly 20 years with J.P. Morgan Chase and over 17 years with LPL Financial, he enjoys the work with his clients and looks forward to exceeding their expectations for many years to come.

Giving back to the communities that they serve is also an important goal for Marty and his family.  With help from the DuPage Foundation, they set up a Donor Advised Fund and together, they enjoy supporting many local and national charities. Marty and his wife enjoy traveling together and when not traveling he enjoys playing golf, fishing, gardening, reading, and spending time with family and friends. Marty and his wife Margie have four grown children and two grandchildren and numerous grand dogs.

Click to view advisor profile

Wealth Management Advisor

Maureen B. James, MBA

Maureen has more than 14 years of industry experience in both the institutional and client facing sides of the business. Maureen works with clients of the firm, and is an expert in the area of financial planning. She also directs our service and support staff. Prior to joining Apollon Financial, she worked with high net worth clients in preparing and analyzing financial plans as well as servicing client portfolios. She most recently was an Associate Wealth Management Advisor with Northwestern Mutual and also spent four years working for an investment banking firm in Chicago where she managed client portfolios for high net worth clients as well as multi-million dollar institutions.

Wealth Management Advisor

Rob DeHollander, CFP®, AIF®, CRPC®

Administrative Associate

Amy Young

Relationship Manager

Kayleigh Zarndt, ChFC®

Branch Operations Manager at Foxen Financial

Lisa Fitzpatrick

Relationship Manager

Melissa Renteria

Client Service Associate

Melody Asmussen

Client Service Associate

Michele Newton

Investment Services Specialist

Paul DeFrances

Operations Manager

Stephanie Donald

Relationship Manager

Vicky Bryant