Sentinel Trust

Sentinel Trust is a multi-family office that delivers a suite of services including wealth and succession planning, investment management, and fiduciary services. The company was established in 1997 in Houston, Texas, by the Flowers and Fruehauf families. This venture was born out of the recognition that traditional wealth management offerings were insufficient for their complex needs and that a multi-family office could attract superior talent and provide access to institutional investment opportunities.

The firm was founded by D. Fort Flowers, Jr., CFA®, who transitioned the Flowers and Fruehauf single-family offices into Sentinel Trust. His background includes serving as a trustee and portfolio manager for the Flowers Family Trusts and as a design engineer at Schlumberger. The founding families brought complementary strengths to the new entity: the Flowers family contributed expertise in real estate, oil and gas, and equities, while the Fruehauf family, whose legacy began with the invention of the semi-trailer in 1914 and the subsequent founding of the Fruehauf Trailer Company, provided experience in hedge funds and private equity.

Sentinel Trust exclusively serves a select group of affluent families and their associated entities, such as foundations and closely held companies. The business model is centered on providing customized, integrated services without selling proprietary products, ensuring that advice is unbiased. The firm's investment approach includes a fund-of-funds structure for its private equity portfolio, which focuses on corporate finance, venture capital, and real estate, leveraging legacy relationships to access funds that may be closed to new investors. This structure is offered without additional management or incentive fees.

Keywords: multi-family office, wealth management, investment management, fiduciary services, succession planning, affluent families, high-net-worth, estate planning, private equity, venture capital, real estate investing, philanthropic services, trust administration, family governance, asset management, financial planning, Houston Texas