To our Whittier Trust Family,
I want to express my deepest gratitude to each of you--clients, employees, and partners--who have been an integral part of the Whittier Trust family since I started here over 30 years ago. This journey has been extraordinary, and your unwavering support and commitment have made it all possible. This is a significant milestone, and as I reflect on the past 30 years, I am reminded that success is not a solitary endeavor. Success is a collective achievement, a testament to the incredible people around me.
My journey in wealth management began with a personal connection, perhaps foreshadowing the mantra that so many of my colleagues at Whittier and I would be guided by as we worked to serve our clients. I vividly recall a neighbor noticing my fervent, insatiable curiosity about investing, and him making the time to share the Wall Street Journal with me. From that curiosity, I began my career in institutional money management. My role often included presenting performance results to large public funds. If the investment performance was good, the meeting was short. There was very little personal connection with the actual investors. When visiting smaller public funds – the entire fire department would show up. I will never forget a fireman approaching me after a meeting and saying, "Mr. Dahl, I really don't understand much of what you just said here today, but I want you to know that you have everything I own – my pension – and it is there for my wife and daughter. Just don't blow it!" Now, that is a personal touch. Truly successful people in this business have to be able to deliver exceptional performance and also have the ability to connect. That same emphasis on personal touch and genuine connection ignited a passion within me and has made Whittier Trust feel like home all these years.
For almost the entirety of its existence as a multifamily office, I have been proud to help grow the wealth and legacy of our clients and privileged to welcome so many into the Whittier Trust family. Over the past three decades, we have navigated various challenges, from the dot-com bubble to the rise of Silicon Valley, the 2008 financial crisis, and the hurdles posed by a global pandemic. We have witnessed the birth of the internet, smartphones, gene therapy, gene editing, and artificial intelligence. Yet, through it all, Whittier Trust has not just adapted; we have thrived. We have embraced change, continuously thinking like entrepreneurs, evolving our methods, and incorporating new technologies while holding to the timeless principles of the “Whittier Way” and putting our clients above all else.
In a world increasingly moving towards less personalization, Whittier Trust remains committed to being that second call for our clients in times of great need (after their spouses, of course). We empower our team to provide holistic, tailored approaches across all five pillars that build families and grow value. We seek to be a beacon of safety for our clients.
Through our unique approach, we are honored to bring families together, create visions for legacies today and tomorrow, offer meaningful career paths for our team members, and bring preeminence to the multifamily office arena. As I reflect on the last 30 years, I find immense pride in knowing that Whittier Trust has been a guiding force in our clients' journeys and our team members' professional pursuits.
Looking ahead to the next 30 years, our vision remains unwavering. With the recent opening of West LA and Menlo Park offices, alongside the relocation of our largest office to Pasadena, we continue building momentum and unlocking opportunity. While we are growing, our focus remains on fostering success from within for the benefit of our clients. We are committed to nurturing and developing our talent, ensuring that our team continues to drive our success.
In closing, I want to express my deepest gratitude. Your belief in Whittier's mission and continued trust and dedication to that mission truly shine through. It’s this shared spirit drives us towards our goal of being the preeminent multifamily office, and I am confident that each of our team members embodies and embraces that ambition.
Looking ahead, I am confident that we can reach even greater heights. With your talent, drive, and collaborative spirit, there's no limit to what we can achieve together.
With heartfelt appreciation,
David A. Dahl, CFA
President & CEO