Pitcairn Acquires $2.5B Alts-Focused Firm and Forms New RIA

Pitcairn, a family office that has served ultra-high-net-worth families for more than a century, has announced its acquisition of Brightside Partners, a Baltimore-based registered investment adviser with $2.5 billion in assets under advisement.
With the acquisition, Pitcairn said it hopes to build out its alternative investments platform, as Brightside brings to Pitcairn a network of more than 100 asset managers and research partners across venture capital, private equity, private credit, and real estate asset classes. With the addition of Brightside, Pitcairn now oversees more than $9 billion of advised assets.
At the same time, Pitcairn launched Pitcairn Wealth Advisors LLC, a new RIA entity under the Pitcairn corporate umbrella and designed to complement Pitcairn’s existing trust company. According to third-party reporting, Pitcairn plans to move the majority of its assets to the new RIA during 2025 and will use Fidelity as its primary custodian.
“We are thrilled to welcome the talented team at Brightside and the remarkable clients they advise. They have set a standard for thoughtful investing, particularly within alternative investments,” said Andrew Busser, Pitcairn president and chief executive officer. “The core principle of Pitcairn’s acquisition of Brightside and the creation of our new RIA is to provide our clients with access to increased investment options and a modern regulatory structure that reflects the growth of our firm.”
The Brightside team of five professionals includes three partners: Pace Kessenich, Ryan Pollard, and Justin Bakewell. All three partners will join Pitcairn’s Strategic Leadership Council.
“Pitcairn and Brightside share several core values that make this combination a natural fit for our teams and clients,” said Kessenich. “Given Pitcairn’s extraordinary reputation and track record of family office leadership, the Brightside team is extremely pleased to become part of Pitcairn. As firms that both prioritize holistic client experience and continuous innovation, we’re excited to bring our client-focused company cultures together to amplify what’s possible for the families we are so fortunate to advise.”
Moving forward, Pitcairn Wealth Advisors will operate as a sister firm to Pitcairn Trust Company under the umbrella of Pitcairn Financial Group LLC and seamlessly transition existing client services for both Brightside and Pitcairn clients.
“Since 1923, Pitcairn has been a trusted partner to multigenerational wealthy families and single-family offices, helping them to thrive across generations and market conditions of all kinds,” said Rick Pitcairn, chairman of Pitcairn. “As we’ve evolved from a small Pennsylvania family office into a national firm, our growth has surpassed our historical regulatory structure. The launch of Pitcairn Wealth Advisors and the addition of the Brightside team marks a pivotal moment in our journey, enabling us to preserve our legacy while offering broader investment opportunities, all within a regulatory framework designed to protect the best interests of our client families.”
Pitcairn was founded as a single-family office by the sons of industrialist John Pitcairn Jr. In 1987, it launched a trust company that began inviting other families to share in its investments. The firm now serves 140 families across the country through that trust company.