Management Team

Mike Bendix is co-founder and CEO of DFPG Investments, LLC, a dually-registered Broker-Dealer and RIA based in Sandy, Utah. Additionally, Mr. Bendix is the President of Bridge Equities, Inc., a branch office of DFPG located in Encinitas, California.

Mr. Bendix was the 2016 President of the Alternative & Direct Investment Securities Association (ADISA), a national trade association with approximately 4,500 members who represent over 220,000 professionals who offer and manage alternative investments. He currently serves as chairman of ADISA’s Broker-Dealer Advisory Council. Prior to his presidency, Mr. Bendix was the Chairman of the ADISA Due Diligence Forum and has served on its Membership, Education, Conference Planning and Legislative & Regulatory Committees.

In 2014, Mr. Bendix was awarded A Champion of Excellence (ACE) award, which recognizes ADISA members who have reached the pinnacle of their career through their accomplishments in their professional life, the community, and the advancement of the industry. Mr. Bendix is a frequent presenter to securities professionals and is an accredited California Department of Real Estate continuing education instructor.

Ryan O. Smith is co-founder, President, and Chief Compliance Officer at DFPG Investments, LLC (DFPG). Prior to founding DFPG, Mr. Smith co-founded Diversify, Inc., which is an award-winning wealth management firm and a branch office of DFPG located in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Mr. Smith was honored with Investment News’ 2014 Forty Under 40, which recognizes the nation’s top investment and financial professionals under the age of 40. In addition, Mr. Smith was featured in Utah Business Magazine as a recipient of the Utah Top Forty Under 40 Award, which recognizes the top executives in the state of Utah who have had a significant impact in Utah’s economy.

In 2014, Mr. Smith was one of only three recipients in the country to receive a scholarship into the FINRA Institute at Wharton’s prestigious Certified Regulatory and Compliance Professional (CRCP) program. This program provides in-depth training in compliance, legal and regulatory theory, and application.

Daniel J. Luke is co-founder of DFPG Investments, LLC (DFPG). Prior to founding DFPG, Mr. Luke co-founded Diversify, Inc., a wealth management firm located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Diversify is a five-time recipient of the MWCN Utah 100 award, which recognizes the 100 fastest growing companies in the state of Utah.

Mr. Luke has been involved in the finance industry since 1993. Prior to specializing in investment management and financial planning, he was involved in the mortgage and banking industries. For nearly fifteen years, Mr. Luke has been an endorsed local provider for New York Times best-selling author and nationally syndicated radio and talk show host, Dave Ramsey. Mr. Luke is recognized for his in-depth knowledge of financial planning and has worked with and educated tens of thousands of investors and financial professionals throughout his career. He is a host of Diversify Radio, a finance and investment program featured on 105.9 KRNS in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Mr. Luke received a BS in Finance from the University of Utah and is a Certified Financial Planner™ professional.

Dave Laga is the Chief Financial Officer and Director of Due Diligence at DFPG Investments, LLC (DFPG). Since 2004, Mr. Laga has specialized in the analysis and due diligence of securitized real estate investments and other alternative investment offerings.

Prior to joining DFPG in 2012, Mr. Laga served as Chief Operating Officer for FR Risk Management, LLC, a division of FactRight, LLC, where he was responsible for managing and directing the firm’s outsourced due diligence and risk management services for its independent broker dealer clients. Mr. Laga also served as Vice President of a national real estate sponsor where he was involved in analyzing acquisition opportunities and the asset management of the firm’s portfolio of commercial real estate assets. Prior to that, Mr. Laga was the Director of Due Diligence for Orchard Securities where he was directly involved in the coordinating, structuring and due diligence processes for its managed investment offerings.

Mr. Laga is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and currently serves as the Chairman of the Alternative & Direct Investment Securities Association’s (ADISA) 2016 Due Diligence Forum.

Mr. Laga received a BS in Finance from the University of Utah.

Dr. Jeff Brimhall is Investment Director at DFPG Investments (DFPG). In this role, Dr. Brimhall provides due diligence on investment managers of both public and private assets, and creates and manages model portfolios for DFPG.

Dr. Brimhall is founder of Blue Barn Wealth LLC, which is a wealth management firm located in Provo, Utah. In addition, he is an instructor in the Personal Financial Planning program at Utah Valley University, one of the top ten financial planning undergraduate programs in the country. He is also the President of the Utah Chapter of the Financial Planning Association.

Prior to working with DFPG, Dr. Brimhall was a senior advisor at Soltis Investment Advisors, where he worked with both individuals and families to provide wealth management services. He also served as the president and CEO of Ampelis, a corporate and family consulting company that focused on successful transitions of culture and assets from one generation to the next.

Dr. Brimhall has also worked as an award-winning faculty member in Finance and Economics at Case Western Reserve University, a technology and telecom equity analyst in National City Bank’s Private Client Group, an analyst at Lee Financial, and an engineer for ExxonMobil Pipeline Company.

He earned a doctoral degree in Economics from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He is also a Certified Financial Planner™ professional and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.