A native of the Pacific Northwest, Austen grew up in Federal Way and received his MBA from Pacific Lutheran University, where he put his 6'7" frame to good use playing basketball all four years.

Austen immediately went on to start his financial services career with Thrivent. Knowing that teamwork is at the heart of great achievement, Austen soon founded Rainier Regional Group, a team of Thrivent financial advisors and support staff committed to providing customized, holistic dedicated planning services and excellent customer care. Using this client-centered approach to financial advising, Austen and his team work to build long-term relationships with those they serve and keep their clients at the heart of all they do.

In his free time, Austen enjoys fishing, exploring the Pacific Northwest, practicing yoga, and spending quality time with his wife Allegra, friends, and family.

Brian works closely with our financial advisors to assist clients in the financial planning process and help them reach their financial goals. Having been an EOD Technician in the Army for 6 ½ years, Brian is especially gifted in his attention to detail and commitment to seeing a difficult task through to the end.  

Brian's favorite part of working for RRG is getting to help clients and their families plan for what matters to them the most. Brian enjoys spending time with his beautiful daughter and getting to visit his father in Mississippi a few times a year to do some hunting and fishing.

Beginning as a wholesaler in 2015, Andrew has a wealth of experience and knowledge of the financial services industry. Andrew utilizes his ingenuity, humor, and ability to think outside the box to provide an excellent client experience with each and every interaction.

A native of Pennsylvania, Andrew is an avid baseball fan, and spends his free time serving as Treasurer of the Friends of President Polk's Birthplace Foundation, and volunteering as the blood drive coordinator for his church.

Phil is one of the founding partners and financial advisors of Rainier Regional Group. Currently he serves as Marketing Director for the Seattle/Tacoma region of Thrivent where he oversees the onboarding and launch of new financial advisors. Leaning into his background of coaching and mentoring leaders, he works with new financial advisors to help them build and develop their practices.

Phil and his wife, along with their three children, enjoy pursuing sports activities and exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

As a Financial Advisor, Nick knows the sense of accomplishment that comes with completing extensive licensing and accreditations, but feels it just doesn’t compare to the rewarding experience of helping people reach their financial goals. By bringing forth his knowledge, expertise and communicative skills, he helps clients build better strategies that can help them navigate the journey to financial security.

Monty is an associate of Rainier Regional Group. Monty brings a wealth of knowledge from his previous experience as an accountant. In his free time, Monty is very active in his church and enjoys volunteering his time in many ways.

Acting as the team's operations manager, Alex draws from her years of diverse experience in the financial services industry, as well as her keen interpersonal skills and big-picture perspective. She works to ensure that Rainier Regional Group’s systems, processes, and infrastructure operate at the highest level, helping to provide our clients with the best possible care. Alex coordinates with financial advisors, team members, and Thrivent resources across the board to provide outstanding operational support so that RRG is well-situated to spend time on what matters most: our clients. Alex holds FINRA Series 6 and 63 licenses and is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

Alongside work, she spends her time helping her husband start a new church, trying new restaurants, and getting her son outside to explore the beautiful PNW.

As the lead client relationship manager, Ellis is devoted to the care and management of the overall client experience. She is responsible for ensuring concierge level service teamwide and working with our leadership to develop processes and advice centered around each of our client’s needs.

Her personal, wholistic approach is centered on six tenets: empathy, faith, efficiency, detail, amicability, and consultation. Her passion for her craft first began during 2008 crises where she witnessed her own family’s financial hardship. This set her on the path to better understand finances and to help others manage and work with them in a God-honoring way.

Ellis hails from Michigan but is now settled down in South Carolina with her husband, Cody. They have a horse and a dog for now, with hopes to one day have children of their own. Ellis’ enjoys painting, all things outdoors, and home improvement. She also loves to give back to the community through her skills of cooking and baking.

Kim brings over two decades of experience in the financial industry. Her extensive background includes collaborative work with investment research analysts, fintech executives, and financial advisory professionals. Within our team, Kim’s knowledge and expertise play a pivotal role in optimizing our systems and processes for seamless operations. Kim is fully licensed in securities, state and insurance allowing her to provide support with case management, daily investment transaction monitoring, portfolio model management, compliance, and due diligence documentation.

Beyond her professional pursuits, Kim cherishes quality time with her family and friends. Some of her favorite pastimes include hiking, traveling, and attending live Christian concerts.

Melissa works to build and maintain lasting relationships with clients, ensuring they receive the exceptional quality of care that RRG is built on. Through proactive communication and diligent follow-up, she works to understand clients’ needs and connect them to the people and resources best suited to meet those needs. 

Melissa is married with 5 adult children and one grandchild. She enjoys taking long walks, listening to podcasts & music, practicing yoga, and singing in her church’s praise band.  

As our Office Manager, Tanner ensures the smooth operation of the office, as well as the efficient handling of client inquiries. He coordinates the financial advisors' schedules and provides clients timely access to appropriate RRG team members as needed. He uses his attention to detail, ability to think outside the box, and passion for people to provide the highest quality of customer service.

When he's not working, Tanner enjoys spending time with his best friend and wife Kenya.

Jaynee has worked in the financial industry for over four years. From administrative duties to event planning, she has a passion for creating memorable client experiences.

Jaynee joined RRG in 2023 and works in the position of Marketing Coordinator. In this role, she aims to deepen RRG’s reach to our clients and community through social media presence, outreach and client events.

In her free time Jaynee runs an eco-friendly small farm, makes polymer clay jewelry, and tends to her cat, hedgehog and flock of ducks.