The Diamond Podcast for Financial Advisors

The Anatomy of Scale: Building a $4B Enterprise Within Northwestern Mutual

Dec 4, 2025

Peter Tiboris, CEO of Park Avenue Capital and seasoned advisor at Northwestern Mutual, shares insights on scaling a $4B advisory enterprise. He discusses the innovative pod-based advisor structure that maximizes capacity and enhances client experience. Peter elaborates on the importance of cultural alignment in acquisitions and the need for rigorous due diligence. With a unique approach to client relationships, he highlights the role of exceptional talent in service, including hiring from the hospitality sector to elevate client interactions.

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ADVICE

Control The Prospecting Process

Do focus on controllables: your approach and relentless prospecting, not each rejection.
Practice referral language until asking for introductions becomes second nature.

ADVICE

Merge For Alignment And Capacity

Do prioritize alignment and shared reinvestment when considering mergers to enable scalable growth.
Combine complementary strengths to increase borrowing capacity and diversify acquisition exposure.

INSIGHT

House Capital Shifts M&A Landscape

Internal financing from a large house changes competitive dynamics and increases deal opportunities.
But inorganic competition can also erode a firm's unique acquisition advantage.

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With Pete Tiboris, CEO and Partner, Park Avenue Capital

Overview

Park Avenue Capital CEO Pete Tiboris shares how he and his partners built a $4B enterprise inside Northwestern Mutual through intentional design, a pod-based advisor structure, a culture built on fit and alignment, and an unwavering focus on the client experience.

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NOTE: The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Diamond Consultants. Neither Diamond Consultants nor the guests on this podcast are compensated in any way for their participation.

About this episode…

What does it take to build and sustain a $4B enterprise within a broker dealer ecosystem?

For most advisors, that kind of scale might seem out of reach. But Peter Tiboris and his partners at Park Avenue Capital have done just that—reimagining what a fully integrated, high-performing advisory business can look like within the Northwestern Mutual network.

At Park Avenue Capital, Pete and his team have created a structure that balances both organic and inorganic growth, guided by a clear philosophy: focus on people, process, and client experience. From building an advisor pod system that doubles advisor capacity to hiring a former general manager from St. Regis Hotels to elevate every client interaction, Pete has turned operational excellence into a competitive advantage.

Pete joins Louis Diamond in this episode to discuss all that, plus:

Building a business at Northwestern Mutual—and why it’s still the right home for Park Avenue Capital.
The upfront work around creating a business designed to scale—and how that’s allowed them to grow organically in ways that few advisory firms can.
Their corporate philosophy—and how the lens of culture, fit, and client alignment influences their work.
Their approach to acquisitions—and why some of their best decisions involved walking away from opportunities.
Their “hyper-focus on the client experience”—and how it fuels their incredible growth.

Plus, Pete shares why he still considers Park Avenue Capital “a startup at heart.”

It’s a rare look inside a $4B firm—and a fascinating conversation about scale, leadership, and how the right design can fuel extraordinary growth even within an independent broker dealer model.

Want to learn more about where, why, and how advisors like you are moving? Click to contact us or call 908-879-1002.

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Peter Tiboris
CEO and Partner

Peter Tiboris started with Northwestern Mutual in 2002 straight out of college.  Since then, he’s a 13-time Forum Qualifier and is a 5-star Pathfinder.   He ranks in the top 150 in career insurance production in the history of Northwestern Mutual, is a Barron’s Top 1200 Advisor, Forbes Top Security Professional and a Forbes Best in State Advisor.

In 2022, Peter announced partnering with Ben Feldman to form Park Avenue Capital.  Their team of 50 represents one of the fastest-growing enterprises at Northwestern Mutual nationally.  Through organic growth and developing strategic succession solutions for NM advisors on the doorstep of retirement, Ben and Peter’s goal is to become the first NM enterprise to reach $100 million in revenue.

Peter prides himself on his ability to prospect in social environments.  Nick Murry has called Peter “the best networker I have ever known – or even known of – in a half century in this business”.

He lives in New Jersey with his wife Christy and four children, Dessa, Ernie, Susana and Selene.  He’s an avid golfer, traveler and lover of food experiences and red wine.