Gary has a BA from Erskine College, and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of South Carolina.  He holds the Certified Financial Manager (CFM) and the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) designations.  The CIMA Program is administered through the Wharton Business School of The University of Pennsylvannia. 

He started his career in finance at General Electric Credit Corporation, then moved to the public sector in municipal management for seven years.  

He left there for Merrill Lynch in 1983 and has been there for the past 27 years.  Gary is now a Senior Partner in a Group at Merrill working with affluent families, closely-held businesses, their retirement plans and foundations.  Their Group, The Banks Tipton Group, manages client assets of over $300 Million, plus an outside money manager client with +$600 Million.  Specifically in the pharma area, The Banks Tipton Group has over a half dozen clients in distribution and manufacturing.