Matt Vahue serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Integrator of Financial Growth Partners, where he leads the firm’s strategic direction alongside his business partner, William Crossan. Together, they are committed to transforming a historically rooted profession into a dynamic and modern platform for growth and impact. Under Matt’s leadership, the firm has emerged as a national leader in financial services, driven by its core purpose of Advancing Human Capital.
Matt brings a unique blend of competitive intensity, strategic execution, and deeply relational leadership to FGP. The firm’s 10-year vision under his leadership is bold: 500 advisors and associates serving 500,000 households across the United States. Matt plays a central role in shaping and driving that vision daily.
FGP runs on the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) — a framework that provides structure, discipline, and accountability throughout the organization. As Integrator, Matt connects vision to traction and ensures every team, initiative, and culture-defining moment aligns with FGP’s mission and values.
FGP’s four core values guide the firm’s growth:
- In Motion – Purposeful action, continuous improvement, and adaptive thinking
- Highlighter – Amplifying strengths, celebrating wins, and building authentic connections
- Actually Different – Bold authenticity, creativity, and reliable innovation
- Independent & Collective – Empowering individual excellence while fostering team success
Matt's leadership is shaped by a deep understanding of human motivation and behavioral insight. Through the Motivation Code™ framework, his top motivators include: Be Key, Collaborate, Meet Needs, Make the Team, and Gain Ownership. His dominant motivational dimensions are Orchestrator, Relator, and Driver, reflecting his natural ability to build systems, unite people, and drive toward results. His top CliftonStrengths are Competition, Focus, Achiever, Strategic, and Relator, a combination that fuels FGP’s culture of high performance and meaningful relationships.
Matt has been nationally recognized for his leadership and impact. He is a four-time Presidential Citation Award recipient with Guardian Life Insurance Company — an honor reserved for the top Managing Directors in the country — and was named to the Rochester Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 in 2013, celebrating leadership in both business and community.
Before becoming CEO of FGP, Matt served as Executive VP at the Alliance Advisory Group, Inc., where he played a key role in expanding the firm’s footprint across Upstate New York. Prior to that, he was Managing Director of Principal Financial Group’s Upstate New York Business Center, earning three invitations to the prestigious Management Achievement Round Table for his results and leadership.
Outside of work, Matt lives out his values with intention and pride. He and his wife, Angela Vahue — a top financial advisor and leader in her own right — live in Northern VA with their daughter, Misha. As a family, they are deeply committed to each other’s dreams and passions. Matt coaches Misha’s soccer team alongside Angela and is the family's enthusiastic chauffeur to theater events all across Washington, DC. Together, they model what it means to lead with purpose — both professionally and personally.
Matt is also a season ticket holder for George Mason University Men’s Basketball and a proud member of the Green Coat Society, supporting Mason’s student-athletes and athletic department. A lifelong competitor and sports enthusiast, he enjoys polo and horseback riding as a member of the Twilight Polo Club in Middleburg, VA, and The Plains, VA. He’s a fan of Formula One racing, an infrequent but enthusiastic golfer, and an avid traveler — particularly to his family’s favorite domestic destination, Mirror Lake Inn in Lake Placid, NY.
Born and raised in Canandaigua, NY, Matt draws strength from his roots. A source of enduring pride is his role on the 1999 New York State Championship football team, an experience that solidified his personal values and leadership style. His personal core values remain central to who he is and how he leads:
- Ride or Die – Loyalty and total commitment
- Relentless Competitor – Never satisfied, always pushing
- Commitment to Excellence – Holding the standard high
- Focused Freedom – Owning your time and your direction
- Unwavering Reliability – Being the person others count on, always
Above all, Matt leads with humility, intensity, and heart. He believes in personal connection at every level, and he’s known for doing what others won’t — including personally reaching out to prospective interns and new advisors. As he often reminds people: If you hear from me directly, it’s not AI — it’s me. I believe in showing up and building trust the human way.
Registered Principal and Financial Advisor of Park Avenue Securities and Financial Representative of Guardian. Rochester Business Journal award is not issued or endorsed by Guardian or its subsidiaries.