Circle of Excellence 2022
2022 Summit Circle of Excellence Award Recipients
People often ask, "What makes Summit different than any other wealth management company?" Our response: "The team!" Our entire staff is made up of incredible talent, knowledge and experience, uniquely assembled to enable us to provide the highest level of service to our clients.
The Circle of Excellence awards are a way we can highlight individual performance among our incredible team of employees, each category representing a different skillset. The 2022 Circle of Excellence recipients to date are listed below. Join us in congratulating these all-star employees!
Transcending Everest Award (Leadership)

Ross Haycock - Colorado Springs, CO
Qualities of a good leader include integrity, accountability, empathy, humility, resilience, vision, influence, and positivity.
Summit’s Transcending Everest Award is given to an individual who demonstrates a unique ability to guide and inspire others.
Individuals nominated should exhibit the following qualities:
- Excellence in commitment. A deeply committed staff member demonstrates a dedication to their work, which in turn contributes to the vibrancy of Summit.
- Excellence in innovation. An innovative leader shows outstanding creativity when confronted with challenges, issues, or a desire for improvement.
- Excellence in leadership. A strong leader demonstrates a unique ability to guide and inspire others.
- Excellence in learning. This leader ensures that learning is integrated with work, and uses the knowledge gained to improve business results.
Excellence in collaboration. This individual works effectively with others to produce positive results.
Ross is an exceptional leader. He leads by example with humility, integrity, and empathy. He is dedicated to not only his work and Summit's growth, but to the growth of each team member. He sees the good in everyone and always listens with an open mind. He is always approachable and never comes across as inconvenienced. He guides by sharing his knowledge and experience objectively and never impels his opinion. He is truly inspirational. Congrats, Ross!
The Making a Difference Award (Volunteerism)

Holly Wilson - Meridian, MS
Summit’s Making a Difference Award is given to an individual who offer something that is not required or is an obligation. For others it provides an opportunity to develop new skills or build on existing experience and knowledge.
Individuals nominated should exhibit the following qualities:
- Passion and dedication for a cause
- Willingness to give their time.
- Desire to make a difference.
Holly consistently looks for ways for the Meridian office to support their community. In the last year, she has volunteered her time to several SWG related events. Some of those events include building beds for Sleep in Heavenly Peace, decorating a scare crow in support of a local dyslexia center, and organizing a blood and food drive. In addition to these SWG activities, she volunteers at the Three-Foot Festival (that encourages art and music in the community) and is always willing to give her time to make a difference in the lives of the kids in her community. Congrats, Holly!
Satisfactory Expialidocious Award (Client Service)

Kristin Engel - Scottsdale, AZ
Summit’s Super Satisfactory Expialidocious Award is given to an individual who surpasses client expectations by attending to our client’s needs while displaying professionalism.
Individuals nominated should exhibit the following qualities:
- Proactive: This individual is proactive in reaching out to our clients.
- Knowledgeable: This individual has a strong knowledge of Summit products and can fix any problems that may arise.
- Patience: Patience is crucial when working with clients. Clients reach out to us and want to be supported.
- Active listening skills: Being listened to and handled with patience helps alleviate client frustrations. This individual must be willing to take the time to listen to and fully understand each client’s problems and needs.
- Ability to communicate clearly: The ability to communicate clearly when working with clients is a key skill because miscommunications can result in disappointment and frustration. The best customer service professionals know how to keep their communications with customers simple and leave nothing to doubt
- Empathy: the ability to understand and share the feelings of another —the ability to empathize with a client and convey a message that steers things toward a better outcome can often make all the difference.
Kristin joined Summit Wealth Group in July of 2020. Previously, she worked with children at a learning center in Scottsdale as a pre-kindergarten teacher, in the front office as an office assistant, and eventually as co-director for the past 13 years. During that time, she found a passion for serving families and coworkers and making their days go as smoothly as possible.
Kristin is always warm and friendly in her interactions with those she encounters. She has quickly learned each client’s “story,” which has fostered strong relationships with new and current clients. Kristin is always excited to share their joys and be a listening ear during their sorrows. Kristin has shown that she values and prioritizes an exceptional client experience by going out of her way to help whenever possible. She is a huge asset to Summit and is very deserving of this award. Congrats, Kristin!
Helping Hand Award (Teamwork)

Kathy Regec - Colorado Springs, CO
Summit's Helping Hand Award is given to an individual committed to a common purpose, shares specific performance goals, and holds each other mutually accountable.
Individuals nominated should exhibit the following qualities:
- Create an environment that promotes communication, trust, cooperation, and respect for differences.
- Deliver a significant benefit or value to Summit.
- Work toward a common goal while being supportive and motivational of each other.
- Work effectively as part of a team to successfully accomplish a task or meet a goal.
- Develop partnerships that seek the input and involvement of those affected by decisions.
- Accept responsibility and accountability in helping to advance the Summit's mission or departmental goals.
- Placed team goals above personal goals while achieving a distinctive result or product.
Kathy is an active listener who always responds sincerely to every person she encounters. She is genuine in everything she does. If you contact her about a matter that isn't in her wheelhouse, she will help you find the correct person or go out of her way to ensure your question is answered. Kathy is patient and understanding. Congrats, Kathy!
Standing Ovation Award (Top Performer)

Liliya Gubceac, CRPC®- Scottsdale, AZ
Summit's Standing Ovation Award is given to an individual that strives to constantly develop new and existing skills to increase their overall performance within the company.
- Willingness to go above and beyond what is written in their job description.
- Keep the work flowing smoothly.
- Follow directions enthusiastically.
- Not afraid of challenges
- Creative thinking
- Leadership qualities
- Striving to constantly develop new and existing skills.
Lily consistently maintains a high level of dedication, hard work, and accountability to ensure she provides excellent client service. In addition, she is passionate about nurturing and strengthening the client experience and relationship. Lily pursues excellence in her personal and professional life, taking on the many challenges of raising three small children, working full-time, and finding the extra time to devote, define and develop her career with Summit. I've always admired Lily's work ethic, dedication, and how she continually demonstrates our Summit purpose and values. Congrats, Lily!
Beyond the Call of Duty Award (Dedication)

Marilyn Eisenhauer, CRPC®- Colorado Springs, CO
Summit’s Beyond the Call of Duty is given to an individual who has a passion for their work and demonstrates a strong feeling of support and loyalty for Summit by exhibiting the following qualities:
- Positive attitude
- Punctuality / high attendance for all work-related events and meetings
- Flexibility, especially when it comes to change
- Demonstrates initiative
- High work ethic
- Reputation of getting things done
- Positive attitude and demeanor in personal interactions with other employees and clients.
Marilyn has done an excellent job embracing the new opportunities of the Service Advisor Role- all while still performing RFA and Admin duties! She consistently goes above and beyond for our clients and often puts in extra time to ensure nothing falls between the cracks. Marilyn recently completed a checklist for the new Rollover recommendations process for the entire Summit team. Congrats, Marilyn!
Rockstar Rookie Award (New Employee)

Stephanie Brinkman - Scottsdale, AZ
Summit’s Rockstar Rookie Recognition is given to an individual that has made a huge impact in their first year of employment with Summit and exhibits the following qualities:
- Delivers a significant benefit or value to Summit
- Places team goals above personal goals while achieving a distinctive result or product
- Reliable, Flexible, Self-Motivated
- Works with a variety of personalities, conditions, and willing to adapt to address unfamiliar or changing obstacles.
- Work ethic is fueled by a personal desire to succeed, rather than drawn from an external source.
- Emotionally invested in their work, which yields better outcomes.
- When presented with a tricky problem, they are persistent and dig their teeth in rather than admitting defeat.
- Make themselves understood and do not hesitate to ask others for clarification when necessary
Green Thumb Award (Growth)

Connor Zimmer - Lakewood, CO
Learning and improving is a life-long process. Employees learn from their failures and improve their skills.
Summit’s Green Thumb Award is given to an individual who displays exemplary improvement at their respective work. They display the eagerness to fuel the zeal amongst the other employees to rise above, paving the way towards continual improvement and by exhibiting the following qualities:
- Putting in the extra effort to take their game to the next level
- Ability to tackle big projects
- Excel in their chosen area of focus
- Drives excellence by fostering appreciation and strengthening relationships
- Commitment to initiatives that support professional development
Connor is a huge asset to the Lakewood team, the Planning Department, and Summit. He continues to tackle big projects while helping the Lakewood office in any aspect he can. He participates in client meetings, which helps him get to know the clients better. In Connor’s short time with Summit, he has grown so much. Congrats, Connor!