About Us

Our Leadership

The People of APS Financial

Talent and leadership are two essential parts of the APS Financial offering. In this competitive market, over saturated with information and opinions, we believe the quality of the individual is what sets an organization apart.

Our firm's leaders have the experience in a wide variety of disciplines and industries. They come from boutiques to multinational organizations with the interest and goal of bringing world-class insights and best practices to our clients.

William Searles
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

William (Bill) Searles has been Chairman of APS Financial since 1995 and a director of APS Financial's parent company (NASDAQ: AMPH) since 1989. He has 40 years experience in the investment field including an active 25-year career with senior and ownership positions at Wall Street firms including Goldman Sachs, Smith Barney and Bear Stearns. He founded and led the corporate finance research efforts at several Wall Street firms including 10 years at Bear Stearns. Mr. Searles has been a director of various other companies, and has served as a director of HealthTronics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HTRN) since 1989. His activities as a director have included evaluating, structuring and negotiating sale, acquisition and financing transactions. Mr. Searles is a graduate of Villanova University

George Conwill
President & Chief Operating Officer

Mr. Conwill, who has been with APS Financial for fifteen years, serves as the Company's President, Chief Operating Officer and General Principal. Prior to his appointment as President, Mr. Conwill served as Chief Operating Officer and as a trader for APS Financial. Previous experience includes working on and off Wall Street for large regional firms, where he had extensive experience in Treasury, CMO and Mortgage-Backed trading and analytics. Mr. Conwill received his undergraduate degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and his MBA from the University of Texas, Austin.

John Lindquist
Chief Compliance Officer

As the Chief Compliance Officer, Mr. Lindquist is a General Principal, Municipal Principal, Registered Options Principal, and Financial Principal responsible for the supervision of the firm's registered personnel, as well as the supervision of the firm's net capital, back-office, and sales practice procedures. Mr. Lindquist spent five years on Wall Street before joining APSF in 1991. With part of his compliance training, Mr. Lindquist became fully licensed and attended the New York Institute of Finance. He received his Bachelors of Business Degree with a concentration in Finance from Iona College in New Rochelle, New York. He is a member of the Securities Industry Association Legal and Compliance Division.

Jeff Sandberg
Executive VP, Sales Manager

Jeffrey Sandberg has over twenty-two years of experience in the securities industry, with the last 14 years as a trader for various fixed-income products including high yield corporate debt, mortgage-backed securities & collateralized mortgage obligations, and small business administration securities. Mr. Sandberg spent his first eight years as an institutional broker with Prudential Bach and Paine Webber, covering Fortune 500 Companies, banks, and regional broker-dealers. He has several NASD licenses including series 7, 24, 55 and 63. Currently Mr. Sandberg is an Executive Vice President, responsible for oversight of all sales and sale related activities of the firm.

Joel Luton
Senior VP, Head of Research

Mr. Luton oversees the research effort at APS Financial and has over 25 years of investment experience. Prior to his affiliation with APS Financial, Mr. Luton had extensive experience in high yield and investment-grade fixed income securities (including both public and private credits), equities, portfolio management, and trading with positions at major financial institutions, including American General Corp. (AIG), Rauscher Pierce Refsnes, Inc. (RBC Dain Rauscher, Inc.), Texas Commerce Bank (JP Morgan Chase). He also was previously affiliated with a Los Angles-based hedge fund that emphasized investments in distressed securities. Mr. Luton served as a key member of a bondholder committee that successfully averted a possible bankruptcy and ultimately provided significant returns to bondholders. Mr. Luton was featured in a headline article in The Dallas Morning News regarding successful investment analysts outside New York City. Since joining APS Financial in 1996, he has been a frequent guest lecturer on high yield and distressed securities for finance classes at the University of Texas. Mr. Luton received his BBA and MBA from the University of Texas, Austin.

Learn more about the professionals in our Financial, Asset Management and APS Capital groups. If you'd like to speak with a professional about your needs, contact us.