Distinct Investment Strategies
05 Oct 2024
Exploring alternative wealth-building methods offers enhanced returns with Access Capital Management
By KATHRYN SMITH
Meet Nic Lancelotta. He is an attorney turned investment Manager with years of experience with institutional investors. One day, he decided to go out independently and pursue his vision of conquering markets and taking control of his family’s future. He took all he had learned from playing in the most significant fields and created a company to share his expertise with individuals seeking new ideas and creative strategies.
In 1999, Lancelotta left the law to join First Union’s Equity Capital Markets group. At that time, the recent repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act allowed commercial banks like First Union to participate in securities and insurance products that were once restricted to investment banks like Goldman Sachs. He spent 17 years advising institutional investors with minimum stakes of half a billion dollars. During that time, he also met and was mentored by investment experts who were peers, competitors and, sometimes, clients.
Along the way, he learned that institutional investors such as universities’ endowments, governmental entities, pension funds and large corporations were shifting to strategies that no longer relied solely on stocks and bonds. They recognized the need to hedge against market volatility and were increasingly exploring alternative investment strategies. These strategies, particularly those involving non-publicly traded, private alternatives, proved to be a winning formula, offering stability and returns that traditional investments struggled to match.
One client he met along the way would become his partner, with whom he formed Access Capital Management. When they met, Matt Reams was a founding partner at Buckhead Capital Management, where individual client assets exceeded $2.5 Billion and institutional client assets reached $1+ Billion. Reams and Lancelotta found common ground in the fallout of the 2008 financial crisis. Reams, concerned with mitigating over-investment in public markets, became interested in Lancelotta’s passion for alternative investments outside the public sphere.
Together, they created L and R Investors, LLC, to explore alternative investments. After 16 deals valued at $20+ million, Lancelotta was determined to focus on alternative investments and set out independently. However, he also saw the value in having a traditional wealth partner to form an investment house. Reams had left Buckhead and was managing his family’s investment portfolio.
Lancelotta approached him about forming a partnership that would allow them to focus on their skills and provide investors with a unique opportunity to follow their successes. He explained, “When I embarked on this venture, I believed that there were high-net-worth individuals who could benefit from the same investment strategies that institutional investors have adopted.” Lancelotta and Reams incubated their idea for a unique market position: “Matt and I built the wealth management side of the company ‘significantly better than the average bear.’ Then, on my side of the business, we gave our clients opportunities to invest in private, well-vetted and well-structured investments to diversify portfolios and enhance returns.”
Their partnership is a unique blend of talent and proclivity. They have strategically divided their efforts into two distinct investment strategies: traditional wealth management and alternative investments. This innovative combination is the cornerstone of a superior investment model, piquing the interest of those seeking a fresh approach to wealth management.
“Matt brings a level of rigor and discipline to Access Capital's unparalleled institutional wealth management component. His extensive experience at the institutional level makes him a unique and highly capable manager of individual portfolios. He also brings analysis skills that are not usually available to this segment of investors, instilling confidence in our clients. He sees private alternative investments as an intelligent way to diversify portfolios and hedge against market fluctuations with a solid potential to enhance returns. Real estate investments and other private investment opportunities are often insulated from the ups and downs of publicly traded investments when regional, national and global events disturb markets.
When a successful individual sells a company upon retirement, or perhaps someone inherits a significant amount of money, they are likely to seek the advice of branded, well-established commercial bankers on how to invest and protect their capital. So, how can an independent investment house compete? Lancelotta says it is all about our unique experience and our “skin in the game.” He, his partner and their families personally comprise over 60% of Access Capital’s $450+ million under management. They see the company's structure as something clients can see and trust.
Access Capital Management keeps many transactions in-house and actively manages client portfolios. Their proprietary strategies reflect their understanding of and vision for managing and building wealth. They are value-focused to preserve capital and protect portfolios against market downturns. Typically, their clients prefer a smooth market ride and avoid roller-coaster investment strategies.
Nic Lancelotta started as a visitor and then dreamed of making a stake here. He proposed to his wife, Kelsey at Sunset Rock in Highlands while vacationing, and they both fell in love with the area. Like so many others, their journey began with purchasing real estate nearly 20 years ago and evolved into the desire to spend more time on the plateau. It is a familiar story.
Their vision is to build a new home on their property and become full-time residents once their three children have flown the nest. Like so many who found themselves reorienting their professions around the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lancelotta came to realize that the world had changed. And though Atlanta has been the home for his career and where he raised his family, he looks forward to life in the mountains while continuing to grow Access Capital Management and chase new opportunities. Bricks and mortar are necessary, but he has found that client meetings tend to be out of the office, and new technology allows us to work from just about anywhere. So, he is ready to embrace a new normal.
“Some of our clients have homes in Western NC. This area is very popular with folks in and around Atlanta.” Said Lancelotta. For now, he enjoys meeting clients in the mountains when their paths cross and looks forward to doing it more. Communication technologies that have advanced and become routine in recent years have freed up people like Nic. He can envision a career that is not geographically limited. He can span two communities, living and working the dream.
