The TVAMP Story

Where does a story really begin? And what are all the events and circumstances that had to occur (or not occur) for any of us to be where we are today? It’s a fascinating reflection. We’re thankful for the incredible people who were placed in our paths to get us where we are now.

TVAMP Partners
Jeff Foster, Scott Fisher, Jeff Sweat, Luke Bowes, Perry Chesney

To begin our story, we could go as far back as the early 70s when the three founding partners, Jeff Foster, Scott Fisher, and Jeff Sweat, were born.

Or we could start our story in the mid 90s (before they even considered financial services as a career) and were selling cars, playing professional baseball, and serving active duty in the Air Force.

Or our story could begin in 2000, when serendipitously, the three joined the same national brokerage firm. Unknowingly, they worked just a few miles apart. They each had a dedicated assistant by their side— Lisa Wyrick, Allyson Phillips, and Brenda Shepherd—who are still with us today!

Knocking on doors and making cold calls over the next four years led Foster, Fisher, and Sweat to a national conference, where they met and formed a friendship.

They discovered that they all wanted the same thing: To impact lives in a positive way and put their clients at the center of every business decision they made.

The three were in similar stages of life and they bonded over their shared core values, careers, and hobbies…

Fast forward to 2006, Foster, Fisher, and Sweat decided to leave the national firm and open their own independent offices. It was a big risk, but they had faith.

They focused on three principals as they rebuilt:

1) Consider clients’ entire financial picture (not just investments)

2) Offer unbiased and uncompromised advice

3) Offer simple and transparent pricing

Their long-term dream was to move their businesses into alignment and become more efficient to better serve their clients.

In 2010, Luke Bowes was hired as an intern at Jeff Foster’s outfit. Just a young college student at the time, Bowes proved himself to be a perceptive leader. He became a full-time employee with Foster after completing his undergraduate and was instrumental in laying the foundation for TVAMP.

In the Fall of 2011, Foster, Fisher, and Sweat founded “TVAMP” (pronounced Tee-Vamp) which stood for Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners. They operated under the same flag but still maintained their separate offices.

In the Summer of 2015, we opened a main office (headquarters) for TVAMP.

This allowed the entire team to work side by side. With a central location, their long-term dream began to take shape.

Bowes parted from TVAMP in 2016 and moved to North Carolina to earn his MBA from Duke, after which he worked in investment banking in New York City.

The three partners continued to invest in TVAMP: adding specialized roles such as client care, marketing, compliance, and operations. They wanted to evolve far beyond the one advisor, one admin model and become a true team where we could help each other and help more clients.

With this new infrastructure in place, Foster, Fisher, and Sweat also saw an opportunity for TVAMP to serve as a succession plan for experienced advisors.

By 2016, a few local Wealth Advisors (with 25+ years under their belts), joined TVAMP. They were now independent and free to put the client at the center of every decision.

In the Spring of 2018, we began working with Perry Chesney, a business consultant, to help TVAMP build on our success. With his support, we improved our advice, communication, culture, and organizational structure.

Three years later, in 2021, Luke felt called to move back to Knoxville and rejoin his beloved team. We welcomed him back as Managing Partner!

In the summer of 2024, TVAMP welcomed Chesney to the advisor team and to his new role as Managing Partner.

It’s been over two decades since the initial seeds of TVAMP were planted and still our core purpose remains to impact client lives in a positive way and to Live Invested!

Our story won’t end here… In many ways, we are just getting started. And as we grow, TVAMP will continue to empower our employees, serve our clients, and have a positive impact on our communities.

Team

Our financial professionals work with you, not just for you.