Sawmill

What Sawmill does

Sawmill Trust Company is a private multi-family office founded in 2004 by the Brooks family to manage proceeds from the sale of the Brooks-Scanlon forest products business. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota with a second office in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the firm serves more than 30 ultra-high net worth multi-generational families, providing an integrated suite of services spanning investment management, financial planning, tax planning and preparation, estate planning and trust administration, household financial management, philanthropy advisory, and financial education for family governance. The tax practice files more than 500 trust, individual, gift, partnership, and family foundation returns annually as part of the standard engagement. The firm operates as a chartered private trust company in South Dakota, retaining full corporate fiduciary and trustee authority.

The business model follows a traditional multi-family office shared-cost structure in which all client families pay identical terms regardless of when they joined, and the founding Brooks family pays the same as the newest client. Revenue is generated through annual recurring subscription-style fees bundled across service categories, with no transaction-based or asset-based commissions disclosed. Distribution is exclusively direct and relationship-driven, relying on professional advisor referrals, attorney and accountant networks, and existing client introductions; the firm has no public social media presence beyond its corporate website (sawmilltrust.com) and a ShareFile client portal. The geographic focus is the upper Midwest, with no disclosed international footprint.

Sawmill employs approximately 46 team members across leadership, client and investment, tax and finance, and operations and client support functions. Senior leadership includes professionals holding CFA, CPA, CTFA, CAIA, and JD credentials, with prior tenures at major institutions including Deloitte, US Trust, Wells Fargo, Northern Trust, Credit Suisse, Fredrikson & Byron, and Faegre & Benson. The firm is privately held through Brooks Associates, the family holding entity, with Brooks family members continuing to serve in board and leadership positions. The firm's stated positioning emphasizes independence from large financial institutions, multi-generational stewardship, and fiduciary discipline. There is no proprietary technology platform; operations rely on traditional professional services workflows and third-party secure document exchange.

Name

Sawmill

Legal name

Sawmill Trust Company

Website

https://sawmilltrust.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sawmill Trust Company is a private multi-family office serving more than 30 ultra-high net worth families with integrated investment management, financial planning, tax preparation, estate planning, fiduciary, household management, and philanthropy advisory services from Minneapolis and Sioux Falls.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Multi-Family Office Services: Sawmill follows a traditional family office model where all members share service costs. The founding family pays according to the same terms as the newest client. Services include investment management, tax planning and preparation (500+ trust, individual, gift, partnership and family foundation returns filed annually), estate planning, fiduciary services, household management, and philanthropy advisory. Revenue is generated through fees for comprehensive financial services rather than product sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Sawmill is a private multi-family office that delivers integrated wealth management services to ultra-high net worth multi-generational families. Its core offering combines financial planning, investment management, tax planning and preparation (including 500+ trust, individual, gift, partnership and family foundation returns annually), estate planning and trust administration through a South Dakota-chartered private trust company, household financial management, philanthropic services, and family governance education, all bundled under a shared-cost model in which the founding family pays on the same terms as the newest client.

Product overview

Sawmill is a private multi-family office offering a unified suite of wealth management services. The core offering combines Financial Planning, Investment Management, Tax Planning and Preparation, Estate Planning and Trust Administration, Household Financial Management, Philanthropic Services, and Educational Leadership into an integrated service model designed for multi-generational families. Services operate as a coordinated whole, with the company acting as an extension of each family's investment needs, addressing investment, tax, estate planning, family foundation, and household management needs from a single trusted advisor relationship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Planning Comprehensive financial planning that helps clients identify financial goals, understand their unique financial situation, and create custom-tailored financial plans with coordinated investment, tax, and estate strategies.
• Investment Management Client-driven investment management that executes personalized investment plans aligned with client financial goals, including active monitoring, clear reporting, and portfolio adjustments.
• Tax Planning and Preparation Tax planning and compliance services including tax-efficient wealth transfers, income and estate tax minimization, and preparation and filing of trust, individual, gift, partnership and family foundation returns.
• Estate Planning and Trust Administration Full range of trustee services through the South Dakota-chartered Sawmill Trust Company, including trust administration, estate administration, and fiduciary services focused on long-term relationships across generations.
• Household Financial Management Administrative services for day-to-day household finance including bill payment, insurance coordination, and household information management.
• Philanthropic Services Philanthropic planning and implementation services including tax consulting, estate planning, and foundation administration to help clients achieve philanthropic goals.
• Educational Leadership Financial education services helping clients understand financial matters, make key financial decisions, and engage in family governance, including individual consulting and family educational programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ trust, individual, gift, partnership and family foundation returns filed annually included in standard fee

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bessemer Trust: Privately owned, multi-family office serving UHNW families with integrated investment management, trust, tax, and estate services — the closest large-scale analog to Sawmill's services-led, family-focused model.
• Glenmede: Independent, employee-owned investment and wealth management firm serving UHNW families and foundations with discretionary portfolio management and trust services — directly comparable in independence and family-office positioning.
• Brown Brothers Harriman Wealth Management: Private partnership offering multi-family office services (investment management, trust, private banking) to UHNW families — comparable as an independent, partnership-driven family office serving multi-generational wealth.
• Rockefeller Capital Management: Independent, family-controlled wealth management and multi-family office serving UHNW families with investment, planning, and trust services — closely aligned with Sawmill's independence and family-led heritage.
• Pathstone: Independent, employee-owned wealth management firm offering family office services to UHNW families — comparable scale and independence, with similar integrated investment/trust/tax offerings.
• Cerity Partners: Wealth management and multi-family office serving UHNW families with integrated investment advisory, tax, and estate services — directly comparable in client focus and breadth of services.

Broad incumbents

• Wilmington Trust (MFO arm): Large, established wealth and trust services provider offering family office services including investment management, trust administration, and estate planning — broader institution but overlapping in fiduciary and wealth services.
• Northern Trust Wealth Management: Global wealth manager with significant family office and trust capabilities; competes for the same UHNW families but at vastly greater scale as part of a diversified institutional platform.
• BNY Mellon Wealth Management: One of the largest UHNW wealth and family office providers globally, offering investment management, trust, and private banking services — institutional incumbent that competes at the upper end of Sawmill's segment.

Emerging players

• Cresset: Independent multi-family office serving UHNW families with integrated investment, tax, and lifestyle services — comparable service breadth with a younger, scaling footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sawmill