Benjamin R. Quilty, MBA, CFP®
Chief Executive Officer
Ben offers comprehensive financial and retirement planning to assist individuals, and families, in making informed investment decisions.
Ben began his career in the financial services industry in 2005 and joined Pinnacle Investments, as a financial advisor, in 2010. After receiving his Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics from the State University of New York (SUNY), College at Oneonta in 2005, Ben earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, with a concentration in Financial Management, from Pace University in 2010.
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Licensed:
- General Securities Representative (Series 7)
- State Securities Agent & Registered Investment Advisor Representative (Series 66)
- General Securities Principal (Series 24)
- Municipal Securities Principal (Series 53)
- Registered Options Principal (Series 4)
New York State Insurance Licensed for Life, Accident & Health
NYU School of Professional Studies – Certified Financial Planner™ Program
Check the background of this investment professional on FINRA’s BrokerCheck.
Eric D. Krouse
Chief Operating Officer
Prior to his career in the financial services industry, Eric served in a number of upper management positions in the Boston and New York City areas where he specialized in statistical and financial analysis. After working for a global investment firm, Eric joined Pinnacle Investments in 2005 where he was able to apply many of those same skills in developing investment strategies. In addition to working with individual clients, Eric served as Chief Executive Officer of Pinnacle Investments and President of Pinnacle’s Confidential Planning I, LLC division. Currently, Eric serves as Chief Operating Officer of Pinnacle Investments, LLC and Pinnacle Holding Company, in addition to serving as a Board Member.
Check the background of this investment professional on FINRA’s BrokerCheck.
Monica Coles
Chief Compliance Officer
Monica joined Pinnacle Investments in February of 2022 as Director of Compliance. Prior to that, she held roles in Operations, Compliance and most recently was Head of Supervision at an independent broker-dealer. In October of 2022, Monica was promoted to Chief Compliance Officer of Pinnacle Investments, leading the newly constructed compliance team and supervisory team. Monica resides in Chittenango with her husband, two stepdaughters, and two dogs. When she is not working she spends her free time reading, singing, traveling, and kickboxing.
Mark T. Nardella, MBA, CFP®
President
Mark holds an undergraduate degree from Middlebury College, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Syracuse University, and is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). He joined Pinnacle in 2019 and has been providing Financial, Retirement, Insurance, and Estate Planning for more than 23 years. In 2021, Mark was named President of Pinnacle Investments with the responsibility for growing the Wealth Management business, including training, recruiting, advisor oversight, and advisor growth initiatives. Mark has also served as a Board Member of Syracuse Stage, the East Area YMCA and the Utica Symphony.
Mark and his family reside in Pompey, NY.
Check the background of this investment professional on FINRA’s BrokerCheck.
Janet Bianchini
Chief Administrative Officer
Janet joined Pinnacle Investments at the start of 2020 to improve and create a more efficient, streamlined synergy between senior management and our sales/operations support team in our home office. As our firm continues to grow, Janet will play a key role in not only helping us improve the level of service we provide to all of our clients but current advisors as well.
Prior to joining Pinnacle, Janet was employed with Merck & Co. in the role of product sales and account management. We are excited to tap the knowledge she has gained from her 21 years of experience in the corporate world to help make our firm an even better place to be.
Dalton Axenfeld, CPA
Controller
Dalton Axenfeld is the Chief Financial Officer for Pinnacle Holding Company, LLC. and oversees all financial reporting and accounting for the various companies.
Dalton joined Pinnacle as the Controller in the fall of 2016 after spending 5 years in public accounting as a Senior Auditor where he gained valuable experience working for a nationally recognized firm. While Dalton has a significant practice in financial reporting, his other experiences with business valuations, budgeting, projecting, and internal control analysis and implementation are helping the Pinnacle Family of companies reach the next level.
Dalton is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the state of New York, a member of the New York State Society of CPAs (NYSSCPA), and the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). He also attended Ithaca College where he obtained his MBA and Le Moyne College where he received his B.S. in Accounting.
Kristopher Kelleher, CAMS
Anti Money Laundering Compliance Officer
Compliance Manager
Please check back, bio coming soon!
Katherine Dooley
Operations Analyst
Kate joined the Pinnacle team in 2021 as a member of the compliance team. She brings 15 years of experience in the banking and finance industry. She’s a long-time resident of Syracuse and lives in East Syracuse with her two cats, Rigatoni and Ziti. In her free time, she enjoys creating art, gardening, and knitting.
Jonathan Fox
Supervisory Principal
Jon holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Georgia State University. He joined Pinnacle as a Supervisory Principal in 2022 after being in a Compliance role with Oppenheimer Rochester/Invesco since 2011. Jon and his family reside in Rochester, NY.
Evan Prince
Supervisory Principal
Evan joined Pinnacle investments in 2023 as a Supervisory Principal. He holds an undergraduate degree in Management from Metropolitan State University and is currently a graduate student at the University of St. Thomas. Evan is a lifetime resident of Minnesota, and currently lives there with his wife and daughter.
Danielle Darby
Technology Manager
Operations Assistant Manager
Danielle “Dee” Darby is Pinnacle’s very own version of “American Honey.” She grew up “sweet and slow” on a farm in Weedsport, NY that was passed down through the generations. Her childhood was filled with days of play in the pastures and some of her childhood friends included cows. She was one of the boys, racing four-wheelers to the creek and “mudding.” She was raised to work hard and her family instilled in her an understanding that nothing in life is free. She put in time on the farm-bailing hay or picking rock (you can ask her what that means when you see her).
Those were the stepping stones of leadership skills and the base of work ethic that she has been bringing to Pinnacle every day for the last sixteen years. It was that work ethic that led her from the receptionist to Operations Associate, Operations Assistant Manager, Technical Support, and Technology Manager. When she is not working, Dee loves spending time cruising the waters of Cayuga Lake with her family. It is her mission to teach her son Landon good old farm values and show him the experiences of the world while leading by example as a businesswoman. She works hard each day to achieve her goals and keeps going until the job is done. Pinnacle has enjoyed the harvest of her efforts.
Olivia Ramirez
Operations Associate
Client Service Associate
Bio coming soon! Please check back.
India McLaurin
Operations Associate
Please check back, bio coming soon!
Amy Shaw
Commissions Analyst
Amy started at Pinnacle in 2012 as the receptionist and quickly began taking on other responsibilities. Over her years of experience, she worked her way up to Commissions Analyst in the payroll dept while still maintaining various other duties for operations and the back office. Amy lives in Liverpool, NY with her 3 dogs, Tayeh, Dexter, and Sawyer, and cats. Her hobbies are doing competitive agility in AKC (American Kennel Club) with 2 of her dogs (Sawyer the puppy is in training), photography, and playing volleyball. She also enjoys spending the summers at her family cottage on Conesus Lake.
Elizabeth Bartlett
Chief Business Development Officer
Upon graduating from Ithaca College, Liz relocated to Boston where she worked for a software company in the administration/human resource departments. In 2005, Liz moved back to her hometown of Syracuse, New York where she earned the opportunity to work alongside her stepfather, Pinnacle founder Gregg Kidd. Prior to taking on the role of Chief Business Development Officer, she served numerous roles within the organization including, client services, marketing, and most recently the Director of Human Resources and Executive Assistant to the CEO.
Based on her proven track record in promoting and uncovering business opportunities, Liz’s focus continues to be on growing and expanding the Pinnacle brand within the community and across the U.S. She prides herself on working closely with her stepfather and two brothers to continue the excellence in service and passion that Pinnacle has for its clients, partners, and employees.