Our History | Our People | Our Video   During the formative years of developing a registered investment advisory firm (Greenleaf Asset Management), William D. Johnston, our founder, chairman and president, observed a tremendous consolidation and change in the banking industry. Wealth management and trust administration customers were experiencing high turnover of staff, poor performance, unresponsive service, repeated and multiple changes of ownership, and proprietary products forced into their portfolios. In May of 1998, Greenleaf Trust received its Michigan Banking Charter as the first trust-only bank in Michigan. The wealth management experience of Greenleaf Asset Management, together with the philosophical underpinnings of no proprietary products and a commitment to family ownership, combined naturally to address these changes and problems within the industry. Specializing in wealth management, trust administration and employer sponsored retirement plans, our privately owned corporate trustee is void of any proprietary products. Our clients—whether individual, corporate, endowment or foundation—all have the assurance that Greenleaf Trust will continue to work on the same side of the desk as our customers, for many generations to come.