Congress Asset Management

“Working on Another Level”: Congress Embraces Ridgeline to Power Growth

A Platform Built for What’s Next

“As we grew and increased our distribution and product suite, we ran into challenges in having the support that we needed,” said Dan Lagan, CEO of Congress Asset Management. With more than $23B in AUM and 17,000 accounts spanning equities and fixed income, the firm needed a foundation for the future.

Like many investment firms, Congress had relied on the same system for decades. But the leadership team saw a widening gap between what the business needed and what their technology could deliver. 

“We're investing in companies that are bringing change to the economy and to people's daily lives. And it wasn't happening in the investment business; we should be doing this for ourselves,” Lagan said.

What changed with Ridgeline:

• Replaced integrations with a single platform and unified data
• Retired a patchwork of disconnected systems
• Equipped every team with live, shared access to client, trade, and account data
• Streamlined daily workflows with intuitive, efficient tools
• Increased operational efficiency while improving flexibility

“The value we’re seeing is immeasurable.” – Joel Carpenter, Equity Trader

A Single, Powerful Platform with Real-Time Insight

Congress chose Ridgeline to transform its investment operations and lay the groundwork for scalable growth across diverse asset classes and business lines.

The implementation brought together core front-, middle-, and back-office functions:

• Portfolio Management
• Trading
• CRM
• Accounting
• Billing
• Compliance

“We were looking for a system that could do a lot of things,” said Brian Strang, Technical Operations Lead. “Ridgeline had a clean, intuitive interface and a thoughtful design. It was obvious they were working on another level.”

The firm eliminated several disparate pieces of software and their corresponding integrations by adopting Ridgeline’s single platform with unified data and AI-enabled workflows.

“Clients won’t see any of this, but it’s vitally important for them and for the business.” – Dan Lagan, CEO

Time to Get on the Bus

The success of the implementation affirmed Congress’s bet on Ridgeline. “I don’t think we’re a risk-taking company, but there were enough good things in Ridgeline’s product that gave us confidence they’ll be around for a long time,” said Strang. “It just seems like Ridgeline has all of the best minds together. I tell people at other firms: what are you waiting for? You’re going to miss the bus.”

For the team on the desk, the benefits are already showing up. “Every second counts and it's paramount to our success to get through the day as efficiently as possible,” said Equity Trader Joel Carpenter. “As we gain efficiencies with Ridgeline, the payback will be extra time to really focus on what is important. The value we’re seeing is immeasurable.”

Partnering for the Long Haul

Ridgeline CEO Dave Blair underscored the importance of the partnership. “Congress’s scale, complexity, and multi-asset needs pushed us to elevate our product—and that’s exactly the kind of challenge Ridgeline was built for. Getting them live in 9 months, on budget, and ready for long-term growth is the outcome we aim for every time. We’re proud to be their partner on this journey.”