Saved for Another Day

Our Founder, Brian Cote, was working on Wall Street back in the 90’s for what is today J.P. Morgan Chase (Chase Manhattan Bank at the time). He worked in the Private Bank, which catered to High Net Worth Individuals & Families. Brian had the pleasure of working with a long-time Wall Street Veteran that inspired him to not only develop an expertise in all aspects of investments but also focus on delivering a unique client experience that would be the cornerstone of his career. 

One evening while having a client dinner one night at Gramercy Tavern in New York City, Brian received a phone call on his bulky cell phone.  It was his cousin David, who was growing a coffee business in NYC. He explained that his business was much more than coffee but in essence a ‘total experience’ for the customer. David had leased out space in a brownstone less than a block from where Brian was standing at that moment.  It would be built out to be a cozy living room, where you could enjoy not only superior coffee but also delicious food and other amenities. Brian’s first thought was, ‘there is this coffee company from Seattle who has these green and white signs on every corner in Manhattan. How could he compete against them?’  His response was, ‘they will actually help my business. They had built a model where people will regularly pay $4.00 or more for a Grande Latte and do it again day after day’. He emphasized that he was taking a commodity business (selling coffee) but packaging and offering it in a unique and memorable way. 

As Brian hung up his phone, and the crisp fall air pushed him along, he took a few moments to reflect on the evening.  It was a nice evening with clients at Gramercy Tavern, and he was excited to have received the good news from his cousin plans to open Irving Place Coffee just a few steps away from where he was standing.  His thoughts then turned to his longer-term goal of eventually starting his very own, unique, boutique investment firm. On that evening, as he strolled past Gramercy Park, he though using ‘Gramercy’ in the name might be a good idea, but put that thought away for another day… 

Gramercy Park Wealth Advisors, LLC was founded in 2014 by Brian J. Cote.