Omar is the founder and owner of OM Personal Training LLC in Fairhope, AL. As Chief of Wellness for Aptus Capital Advisors, he seeks to lead team members in improving both their workplace performance and overall quality of life through health education, onsite training and use of health management resources. It is his mission to help others experience how exercise is not only a method to improving our physical health, but also a tool we can use to discover our capabilities, do more of what we love and live with greater fulfillment.
Born and raised on the Alabama Gulf Coast, Omar earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology from the University of South Alabama where he worked for the Department of Campus Recreation and served as an expedition leader for the university’s Outdoor Adventures program. He is a certified personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise, and since 2013 has worked with clients in a variety of settings ranging from cardiac rehabilitation at Infirmary Health to high-intensity interval training at Orangetheory Fitness studios. His passion for health and an active lifestyle has driven him to tackle some of our most persistent public health dilemmas through workplace wellness.
Joseph previously worked in the software/technology space where he managed large strategic and enterprise accounts and has a passion for building, managing, and growing relationships with partners and clients.
Joseph is originally from Wilmington, NC, and being a beach bum at heart (Wilmington is on the coast of NC) he stayed in his hometown to attend college. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 2005, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance. Joseph was also a member of the men’s basketball team for 4 years at UNCW. After living in North Carolina all of his life, Joseph now resides in Fairhope, Alabama with his wife, Hannah, and their 2 children Kensington and Ryker.
William joined Aptus after years serving as a Director of Sales, with a focus on developing and executing strategic plans to optimize earnings. With his client service-focused approach, William is excited to facilitate Aptus’ growth through the development and cultivation of corporate business partnerships by bringing his knowledge and background to work closely with advisors to fully maximize their operating profits.
William received his undergraduate degree from Wright State University, where he was a 4-year member of the men’s basketball program. William lives in Fairhope, AL with his wife, Jennifer, and two daughters, Gabrielle and Collins.
James is responsible for leading the business consulting segment of the firm. James has been in the finance industry for 10 years, most recently at TD Ameritrade Institutional where he covered the southeast RIA segment as a Strategic Relationship Manager. This experience of working with hundreds of independent advisors gives him a unique strategic approach that he brings to Aptus clients. He works closely with advisor relationships on a wide variety of projects in areas such as technology workflows, operational challenges, and building out the infrastructure for advisors in transition.
James is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and graduated from the University of North Texas with a Bachelors in Finance. He lives in the Dallas/Fort Worth area with his wife Courtney and son Avett.
Derek is obsessed with helping advisors bring unique value to their clients and business. With 25 years of living and breathing financial markets, he brings an entrepreneurial mindset to every discussion and looks for ways to help advisors streamline their investment design and delivery.
He graduated with honors in 1992, with a BS in Finance from The University of Arizona. He lives in Charlotte, NC and stays active in youth sports with his wife Pam, son Dylan, and daughter Anna.
Brett Wickmann joined the team with a focus on compliance and operations. Prior to working at Aptus Capital Advisors, Brett worked in the investment industry at US Bancorp Global Fund Services providing administration and compliance services for 40 Act Investment advisors since 2007.
Brett is originally from Watertown, WI and attended college at Carroll University at Waukesha,WI He graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Finance degree. Brett currently resides in Jackson, WI with his wife, Laura and their two children Ashleigh and Blake.
Will joined the Aptus team in 2018 with a focus on process management to help ensure continued high-quality service to a growing network of Advisors. Prior to joining Aptus, Will spent time as a systems engineer on Redstone Arsenal before transitioning to the private sector focusing on operational process improvement.
Will graduated with a BS in Industrial and Systems Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Alabama Huntsville. He currently lives in Birmingham with his wife Mary and their 4 kids (Jackson, Sam, Reed, & Ben).
John joined the Aptus team in 2014, excited about the opportunity to build out an innovative ETF business capable of helping advisors deliver efficient market exposure to their clients. With a front row seat to one of the fastest growing RIA and ETF Issuers in the Southeast, John has been fortunate to gain unique perspective and experience in business and ETF operations.
John was born and raised in Vandalia, Ohio, went to college at the beach in Wilmington, North Carolina and then spent 8 years playing professional basketball in Germany. He now resides on the Gulf Coast of Alabama with his wife Lindsay and their 4 kids (Jackson, Kennedy, Laney Kate and Maggie).
Joseph joined Aptus in June 2021 after seven years as co-founder and managing partner of Gallatin Natural Resources, a west Texas mineral & royalty acquisition company. During that stint, Joseph managed a team of landmen tasked with originating deals across multiple domestic oil & gas basins, as well as conducted all underwriting due diligence on each acquisition. Prior to Gallatin, Joseph worked as a high yield fixed income analyst covering energy for Sterne, Agee & Leach.
He is a CFA Charterholder and graduated with a Masters in Accounting from the University of Alabama where he was a member of the men’s golf team.
Joseph lives in Dallas, TX with his wife, Libby and son, Bobby. He enjoys golf, tennis, and hiking, is an active member of Grace Church Lake Highlands, and along with his wife, buys and restores old homes.
Prior to joining Aptus, Brad was a Research Analyst at Driehaus Capital management working on their Value Equities team. Brad brings experience in institutional value equity research, trading and operations.
Brad graduated from Xavier University in 2015 with a BSBA in Finance. Brad is a CFA Charterholder and a member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society of Alabama. In his free time he enjoys spending time with family, golfing and being outdoors.
Mark has worked with some of the largest ETF issuers, insurance, and mutual fund companies in the world, spending the last 12 years as an Institutional Equity and Derivatives Trader. His consulting, operations, trading, and portfolio management expertise add deep experience to our advisory and funds business.
Mark graduated with a BBA in Finance from The University of Oklahoma, and a Master of Science in Real Estate from The University of Texas at Arlington. He resides in Dallas with his wife, Jessica, and their three daughters (Finley, McKenna & Cora). He loves reading, CrossFit, and all things music and movies.
David is responsible for equity research, selection, and portfolio construction, as well as the evaluation of macro-level trends and advising about the current market environment. Prior to joining Aptus, David worked with both Opus Capital Management and Driehaus Capital Management where he was responsible for conducting research and analysis for various small and microcap equity strategies.
David is a CFA charter holder and a member of the CFA Society of Cincinnati. He earned his BS in Accounting and BBA in Finance from the University of Kentucky. He also earned his MBA specialized in Finance from Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH.
Prior to joining Aptus in 2019, John Luke worked as in Institutional Fixed Income Sales/ Strategies at Duncan-Williams, Inc where he specialized in managing client’s fixed income portfolios. During his career, he has helped implement client-specific strategies within his client’s bond portfolios. He has a strong background in municipal, corporates, Agencies and mortgage backed securities.
In his spare time, John Luke enjoys spending time with his family and being active outside such as playing golf, tennis, and fishing. John Luke graduated from the University of Memphis with a degree in Accounting. John Luke also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation from the CFA Institute.
Beckham Wyrick joined Aptus Capital Advisors in 2016 and serves as a Portfolio Manager and Analyst. He is passionate about finding solutions at the business and portfolio level to enhance the value proposition of Aptus’ advisory partners and improve the financial outcomes of their clients. Beckham is a CFA Charterholder and is a member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society of Alabama.
Beckham is originally from Cincinnati, OH and attended college at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, where he was also a member of the men’s basketball team. He graduated in 2006 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance. Beckham currently resides in Fairhope, Alabama with his wife, Johanna and their three children (Ada, Henri, and Emmi).
JD Gardner, CFA, CMT founded Aptus in 2013 to attack the behavior gap. With simplicity as a discipline, Aptus is designed to help merge theory with reality. An investor’s return is more important than an investment’s return, and Aptus delivers solutions designed to minimize behavioral inefficiencies and enhance outcomes.
JD holds undergrad and graduate degrees from Wright State University. He lives in L.A. (of course that means Lower Alabama) in Fairhope with his wife Mallory and their 4 kids (JJ, Luke, Mims, & Silas).