Skip to content

Like the ocean, the realm of public fund management can appear daunting and mysterious—even unpredictable.

Without the proper experience or resources, it can be easy to feel lost at sea.
But with the right guidance, setting sail can prove bountiful and rewarding.
That’s where we come in.

Dive Deeper

Who We Are

Navigating you through the ebbs and flows of market conditions and regulation, we help chart a steadfast course toward financial success.

We empower communities to expand their horizons.

Our dedicated advisors guide you through the complex waters of managing and investing public funds—helping government entities go further and do more for the community. Diving into investment pools, we provide real, fixed-income management solutions that have tangible results.

We’re anchored in responsibility and integrity.

The depth of our abilities is matched only by the depth of trust our clients have in us. We understand that serving public agencies also means serving the public at large, so our ultimate goal is to enhance communities and better the lives of those who live there.

Our values propel us forward.

Like the octopus, our crew is resourceful, inquisitive and intelligent.
We approach each day with commitment and curiosity. And like the deep blue sea, our guiding principles are everlasting.

Scroll

Our Services

Separately Managed Accounts

A separately managed account (SMA) is a simple, comprehensive solution for municipalities that are interested in outsourcing all or part of the investment process. As part of our SMA services, we set goals and objectives for your investments, develop a strategy, execute trades and actively monitor your portfolio.

Investment Consulting

Our investment consulting services are designed to complement your current treasury management team. We provide professional oversight for your cash and portfolios, while you retain full control of the investment process. This includes analyzing market conditions, helping you understand how well your investment is performing, implementing internal controls on the investment process, and more.

Treasury Management

Through our treasury management services, we provide professional oversight to public entity cash and proactively manage your portfolio to maximize earnings—all while ensuring tax dollars are protected.

Brent Wertz is the Managing Partner at Deep Blue Investment Advisors. Brent provides strategic leadership for the company and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the firm’s investment process. He heads implementation of the firm’s investment strategies and portfolio risk management. He serves on the firm’s investment and credit committees.

Brent started Deep Blue based on his experience serving as a consultant to special taxing districts throughout the State of Florida assisting these districts in bond offerings, assessment allocation, and collections as well as assisting District Managers with treasury management.

Brent is a graduate of Virginia Military Institute with a Bachelor of Arts in economics. Brent received his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Tampa.

M. Brent Wertz
Managing Partner
24 Years Investment Experience

David Jang is a Managing Partner at Deep Blue Investment Advisors responsible for directing the firm’s marketing, business development and client advisory services. His strategic vision and long-time relationships have resulted in the firm’s meteoric rise in assets under management/advisement from less than $1 billion in 2015 to $10 billion in 2022. He serves on the firm’s executive, investment, and credit committees. David’s investment advisory experience, coupled with his client-focused approach, enables him to work with each entity’s investment team and tailor advice to meet their unique investment goals, objectives and adherence to all applicable state investment statutes. His ability to understand and assess the multi-layered components affecting local governments enables him to provide valuable insight to the firm’s treasury management, investment management and consulting clients. David routinely speaks at Florida’s government associations, chapters, annual conferences and various CPE seminars, customizing his discussions to locale, current economic conditions and the challenges that face Florida’s entities.

Prior to joining Deep Blue Investment Advisors, David spent 12 years working with Florida local government clients and 32 years overall in investment advisory services.

David earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He earned the Association of Financial Professionals (AFP) designation of Certified Treasury Professional (CTP). David is a Registered Investment Advisor with the Florida Office of Financial Regulation.

David Jang, CTP
Managing Partner
32 Years Investment Experience

Ken Couch is the Director of Texas Business Development and Client Advisory Services for Deep Blue Investment Advisors. In 2019, Ken joined the firm and was tasked with launching and growing the firm’s Texas practice. His knowledge of local governments allowed Ken to grow assets from $0 to over $2.2 billion in less than 3 years.

His focus is on client service and business development. Ken services Florida and Texas local governments with fixed income investing of operating funds, reserve funds and bond proceeds and strategizes with clients to identify short- and long-term investment options.

Prior to joining Deep Blue Investment Advisors, Ken spent more than 26 years working with various governmental entities encompassing counties, cities, school districts, universities and colleges, and special districts.

Ken earned his bachelor’s degree in applied arts and sciences from Texas State University and holds FINRA Series 6 and Series 63 licenses. Ken also provides investment training sessions and seminars for his clients, as well as the various associations and organizations throughout Florida and Texas. He is a member of the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), Government Finance Officers Association of Texas (GFOAT), Government Treasurers’ Organization of Texas (GTOT) and Texas Association of Business Officials (TASBO).

Ken Couch
Director of Texas Business Development and Client Advisory Services
25 Years Investment Experience

George Yao is the Director of Business Development for the Florida market. In this role, George identifies and develops new business opportunities while forging enduring relationships with our clients. George has spent more than 40 years working with various government entities — including counties, cities, school districts, universities, hospitals, and special districts.

Prior to joining Deep Blue, George was a Senior Vice President at UBS, where he partnered with a full spectrum of over 100 institutional accounts with a concentration in credit unions, smaller banks, and government entities. George was previously a Senior Vice President at Morgan Stanley.

George earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance from the University of Miami. He currently holds FINRA Series 6, 7, 63 and 65 licenses.

George Yao
Director of Florida Business Development
40 Years Investment Experience

Dominick Cristofaro is a Director of Client Advisory Services. He is responsible for developing and servicing client relationships, including cities, counties, special districts, and other public entities.

Prior to joining Deep Blue Investment Advisors, Dominick spent 8 years with the District School Board of Pasco County where he served as Treasurer and Director of Finances Services. Prior to Pasco County, he has a wide array of investment experience including financial advising, managing institutional portfolios, and
trading.

Dominick received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Connecticut and his Masters in Business Administration from the University of Hartford.

He currently holds a FINRA Series 65 license.

Dominick Cristofaro
Director, Client Advisory Services
29 Years Financial Experience

John Scott is a Client Advisory Associate at Deep Blue Investment Advisors. John plays a key role in supporting the Client Advisory team, specializing in cultivating new and existing client investment relationships with an emphasis on separately managed accounts and Florida Fixed Income Trust (FL-FIT) investment pools.

Before joining Deep Blue, John dedicated fourteen years to teaching mathematics. He transitioned into the wealth management sector as an Operations Analyst at Members Trust Company, where he honed his account management and client service acumen. His background in education paired with these skills makes him a valuable and dynamic asset to our team.

John holds a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary mathematics education from St. Petersburg College.

John Scott
Client Advisory Associate
2 Years Financial Experience
Ed Polansky is the Director of Client Services at Deep Blue Investment Advisors. Ed has been tasked with building a team of client service professionals for the firm’s growing client base, executing client strategies based on the mutual identification of short- and long-term investment time horizons and goals. Ed will also provide logistical and marketing support to the Client Advisory team.

Before joining Deep Blue Investment Advisors, Ed spent more than 9 years as a key account manager at PFM, working with a wide range of governmental entities (cities, counties, school districts, universities/colleges, authorities, and special districts). Although Ed worked with clients across the country, his primary focus was on the South and Southwest regions. Prior to this experience, Ed spent 17 years in the financial industry. His most recent position was as a relationship manager, where his expertise helped entities maximize their retirement programs.

Ed is a graduate of Rider University with a Bachelor of Science in business administration and a specialization in finance. Ed received his Master’s in Business Administration from Pennsylvania State University. He currently holds FINRA Series 6 and Series 63 licenses.

Ed Polansky
Director of Client Services
28 Years Financial Experience

Dan Marro is a Portfolio Manager. In this role he conducts market research, devises and implements strategies, and executes trades for separately managed accounts and US Fixed Income Trust local government investment pools, constructing portfolios that fit client needs. Dan was previously a fixed-income trader for Raymond James, where he oversaw trading flow for foreign debt — managing both a proprietary book as well as order flow for high-net-worth individuals and institutional accounts. This role also saw him discuss market strategy with fellow advisors, helping them formulate portfolios for their clients. Dan graduated from Stetson University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance with a minor in statistics. He has been a CFA® charter holder since 2015.

Dan Marro, CFA
Portfolio Manager
12 Years Investment Experience

Our Advisors

M. Brent Wertz
David Jang, CTP
Ken Couch
George Yao
Dominick Cristofaro
John Scott
Ed Polansky
Dan Marro, CFA

Get In Touch

Our Office

5502 N. Nebraska Ave
Tampa, FL 33604

P.O. Box 9691
Tampa, FL 33674

Contact Form

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Back To Top