Deposit & Return

John Hantz is working to propel the growth of his financial institution.
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When he bought a bank in Davison two years ago, John Hantz realized he had some cleaning up to do. At the time of the sale, the balance sheet listed $45 million in assets. “We took that down to $33 million and set up our growth plan, and today we have $80 million in assets,” says Hantz, founder and CEO of Hantz Group Inc., a holding company in Southfield that offers financial consulting, planning, and numerous related services.

Beyond expanding the number of branches of what is now Hantz Bank — there are facilities in Southfield, Clinton Township, Ann Arbor, and Tecumseh, with branches in Romeo and Taylor to open early next year — Hantz spent months researching how best to propel the financial institution’s growth. “All the big banks have a chief economist and, while we’re not a big bank yet, that doesn’t mean we can’t act like one,” he says. “You know the old saying: ‘Make no small plans.’ ”

Enter Dustin Sventy, Hantz Group’s newly named executive vice president and chief economist. Since 1999, the Clinton Township native helped oversee various investment funds on both coasts before Hantz persuaded him to return home.

“The bank is another tool for us as we look to provide a one-stop shop for our clients,” Sventy says. “Each client has a financial planner that quarterbacks a team of CPAs, lawyers, money managers, and other professionals. That adds another measure of convenience for our clients.”

Additionally, in the coming months, Sventy will provide macro and microanalysis on a number of fronts: the presidential election, currency trends, the changing tax environment, debt ceiling renegotiations, and global investment activity. Along with issuing frequent newsletters and analyst reports, the bank will use social media to build awareness of its services among younger clients. db  — R.J. King