Summit Creek Advisors, LLC (referred to as “SCA”, or “we” throughout this document) is an investment adviser
registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. SCA is a limited liability company formed
under the laws of the state of Minnesota. SCA offers investment advisory services by providing management of
equity accounts for clients through its Small Cap Growth and SMid Cap Growth portfolio programs (collectively,
“Portfolio Management Services”) and by providing trading recommendations to certain institutional clients. SCA
has been registered as an investment adviser since August 11, 2009.
Our Principal Owners and Management
SCA is owned by Joseph John Docter and Adam Nathan Benson. John Crowther, Co-Portfolio Manager of the
SMid Cap Growth strategy of the firm, is also a shareholder of the firm, owning a small amount of non-voting shares
representing 7.4% of the total shares outstanding. The major decisions of a strategic and administrative nature for
the firm are made jointly by Mr. Docter and Mr. Benson, Principal Owners and Portfolio Managers. The Chief
Compliance Officer, Andrew Rank, is also involved in strategic and administrative decisions that have an impact on
the firm’s compliance program.
Client Assets Managed by Summit Creek Advisors
As of December 31, 2023, SCA maintained 23 client relationships totaling 34 individual accounts. These individual
accounts are comprised of corporations, pooled investment vehicles, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable
organizations, banking institutions, state or municipal government entities, a collective investment trust (“CIT”),
high net worth individuals, and other individuals. The amount of client assets managed by SCA totaled
$763,042,111 as of December 31, 2023. All of these assets are managed on a discretionary basis.
In addition to the client assets managed by SCA, SCA provides recommendations and updates to certain
institutional/corporate client assets. Since for these certain assets, the institutional/corporate clients who receive
recommendations and updates from SCA are responsible for evaluating the investment recommendations provided
by SCA, for accepting or rejecting the investment recommendations, and for implementing trades for these
institutional/corporate clients’ own account or using the trade recommendations provided by SCA as a tool to
provide investment management services for their own clients, the assets receiving this service from SCA are not
considered regulatory assets under management. Additionally, these assets are not considered to be managed on a
non-discretionary basis. However, such assets are considered to be part of the total assets receiving advisory
services from SCA. The total amount of assets receiving advisory services from SCA as of December 31, 2023 is
approximately $967,045,449, with $763,042,111 of those assets considered to be regulatory assets under
management and $204,003,338 not considered regulatory assets under management but are assets that receive
ongoing investment recommendations from SCA.
Advisory Services Offered
Summit Creek Portfolio Management Services
SCA manages equity accounts for client accounts consisting of corporations, pooled investment vehicles,
pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, banking institutions, state or municipal
government entities, a CIT and high net worth individuals utilizing its Portfolio Management Services.
Each portfolio is managed within the investment parameters established by the client. Each client is
responsible for evaluating the risk relating to the investment parameters. All clients are required to furnish
a written statement of investment guidelines to SCA prior to inception of account management. SCA has
established Standard Investment Guidelines that are typically used for each of the Portfolio Management
Services.
After a determination by the client that SCA’s approach is appropriate for them, the client’s account will be
managed based on the portfolio’s goal (i.e, the goal of the Small Cap Growth or SMid Cap Growth
portfolio) rather than on each client’s individual needs. However, each client will have the opportunity to
place reasonable restrictions on the types of investments to be held in the client’s account. If a client has
contracted for our management services, SCA handles all trading and investing for the client.
Summit Creek Model Portfolio Strategist Services
SCA offers Model Portfolio Strategist Services (“Strategist Services”) to certain institutional/corporate
clients. When providing Strategist Services, SCA provides securities recommendations and updates to
institutional/corporate clients with respect to model portfolios maintained by SCA for the Small Cap
Growth and SMid Cap Growth strategies. Such recommendations and updates are made available to those
clients on a daily basis. Securities recommendations and updates provided to clients utilizing the Strategist
Services reflect the model portfolio positions as of the previous business day’s market close.
Institutional/corporate clients which receive recommendations and updates from SCA are responsible for
evaluating the investment recommendations provided by SCA and for accepting or rejecting the investment
recommendations. Institutional/corporate clients are responsible for implementing trades for their own
accounts. If they are using the trade recommendations provided by SCA as a tool to provide investment
management services for their own clients, then those clients are responsible for implementing trades for
their investment management clients. For clients who have contracted for Strategist Services, SCA is not
responsible for implementing any trade recommendations. For more information on the Strategist Services,
please see Item 12.
SCA does not manage the investment assets for the institutional/corporate clients who contract for
Strategist Services. Except for being apprised of the total assets under management utilizing the Strategist
Services for billing purposes, SCA does not collect any information regarding, or have any responsibility
with respect to, the institutional/corporate clients’ investment management of their own clients. Each
institutional/corporate client is responsible for evaluating the risk relating to its investment parameters and,
as noted above, for making its own management decisions and doing the trade implementation for any
clients or accounts for which it is responsible for providing investment management services.
For the Strategist Services, SCA uses the standard investment guidelines described below for each client
account unless there is a written agreement between SCA and the client specifying that the individual
client’s account guidelines make an exception to these standard investment guidelines.
Retirement Plan Services
SCA offers its Portfolio Management Services to clients that are retirement plan sponsors. SCA
acknowledges that in performing the Portfolio Management Services described above that SCA is acting as
a “fiduciary” as such term is defined under Section 3(21)(A)(ii) of Employee Retirement Income Security
Act of 1974 (“ERISA”). SCA will act in a manner consistent with the requirements of a fiduciary under
ERISA when providing
such services to any client that is a retirement plan sponsor.
If SCA is providing Portfolio Management Services to a client that is a retirement plan sponsor, SCA
acknowledges that in addition to acting as a “fiduciary” as such term is defined under Section 3(21)(A)(ii)
of ERISA, SCA is also acting as a fiduciary with “investment manager” fiduciary responsibilities as
defined under Section 3(38) of ERISA to the extent SCA has agreed to provide discretionary management
of designated assets of that client that are held in an ERISA qualified plan. Per the agreement with the
client, SCA has no responsibility and will not (a) exercise any authority or control respecting disposition of
assets of the client’s retirement plan except as authorized to provide discretionary management of assets of
the client’s retirement plan, or (b) have any discretionary authority or discretionary responsibility in the
administration of the client’s retirement plan or the interpretation of the client’s retirement plan documents.
SCA does not serve as administrator or trustee for any retirement plan. SCA does not act as custodian for
any client account or have access to client funds or securities.
SCA will disclose, to the extent required by ERISA Regulation Section 2550.408b-2(c), to the client any
change to the information that we are required to disclose under ERISA Regulation Section
2550.408b2(c)(1)(iv) as soon as practicable, but no later than sixty (60) days from the date on which we are
informed of the change (unless such disclosure is precluded due to extraordinary circumstances beyond our
control, in which case the information will be disclose as soon as practicable).
In accordance with ERISA Regulation Section 2550.408b-2(c)(vi)(A), we will disclose within thirty (30)
days following receipt of a written request from the responsible plan fiduciary or plan administrator (unless
such disclose is precluded due to extraordinary circumstances beyond our control, in which case the
information will be disclosed as soon as practicable) all information related to the Qualified Retirement
Plan Agreement and any compensation or fees received in connection with the agreement that is required
for the plan to comply with the reporting and disclosure requirements of Title 1 of ERISA and the
regulations, forms and schedules issued thereunder.
If SCA makes an unintentional error or omission in disclosing the information required under ERISA
Regulation Section 2550.408b-2(c)(1)(iv) or (vi), SCA will disclose to the client the correct information as
soon as practicable, but no later than thirty (30) days from the date on which SCA learns of such error or
omission.
Employee Accounts
SCA manages three accounts which were established by the Principal Owners and founders of the firm to
create performance track records for the managed strategies (“Founder Accounts”). Other employees have
also established accounts that are managed by SCA (together, with the Founder Accounts, “Employee
Accounts”). Trading within these accounts mimics the investment decisions made for the Small Cap
Growth and SMid Cap Growth Strategy clients, as well as the recommendations provided to clients
utilizing Strategist Services. Each Employee Account adheres to the Standard Investment Guidelines, as
described below.
Investment Guidelines
As stated above, for both the Summit Creek Portfolio Management Services and the
Summit Creek Strategist Services, SCA uses the Standard Investment Guidelines described below for each
client account unless there is a written agreement between SCA and the client specifying that the individual
client’s account guidelines make an exception to these Standard Investment Guidelines.
Standard Investment Guidelines (for Small Cap Growth Portfolio Management & Small Cap Growth
Portfolio Strategist Services)
1. 5% maximum cash.
2. 45-55 holdings.
3. 5% maximum exposure per holding at market price.
4. Less than 10% at market price in securities domiciled outside of the U.S.
5. Holdings domiciled outside of U.S. must actively trade on NYSE or NASDAQ.
6. Less than two times Russell 2000 Growth sector weight, with 40% maximum exposure to any sector.
7. Less than 20% of portfolio in stocks larger than the largest company in the Russell 2000 Growth.
SMid Cap Growth Investment Guidelines
SCA uses the SMid Cap Growth Investment Guidelines described below for each client account that has
elected to participate in the SMid Cap Growth portfolio program unless there is a written agreement
between SCA and the client specifying that the individual client’s account guidelines make an exception to
these SMid Cap Growth Investment Guidelines.
1. 5% maximum cash.
2. 45-65 holdings.
3. 5% maximum exposure per holding at market price.
4. Less than 15% at market price in securities domiciled outside of the U.S.
5. Holdings domiciled outside of U.S. must actively trade on NYSE or NASDAQ.
6. Less than two times Russell 2500 Growth sector weight, with 40% maximum exposure to any sector.
7. Less than 20% of portfolio in stocks larger than the largest company in the Russell 2500 Growth.
Non-Participation in Wrap Fee Programs
SCA does not sponsor any wrap fee programs. In traditional (non-wrap fee) management programs, advisory
services are provided for a fee but transaction services are billed separately on a per-transaction basis. In wrap-fee
programs, advisory services and transaction services are provided for one fee.
Specialization
SCA specializes in managing equity accounts for clients with assets of $1 million or more through the use of a
model portfolio for the Small Cap Growth and SMid Cap Growth strategies.
Limits Advice to Certain Types of Investments.
SCA limits its investment advice to the following types of investments:
• Exchange-listed securities
• Securities traded over-the-counter
• Foreign issues traded on domestic exchanges
Advisory Services Tailored to Individual Needs of Clients
For the Summit Creek Portfolio Management Services, SCA will use discretion to supervise and direct the
investments of the client’s assets in accordance with the written investment objectives, policies, and reasonable
restrictions that the client has furnished to SCA and according to any revisions thereto provided by the client. If
stated within the Investment Management Agreement, SCA provides each client with an annual Compliance
Certification verifying that SCA has structured the client’s portfolio in a manner that is in compliance with the
client’s specified investment guidelines on file with SCA.
For the Summit Creek Strategist Services, SCA will provide investment recommendations and updates in
accordance with the written investment objectives developed by SCA, as well as any reasonable restrictions that the
institutional/corporate client has furnished to SCA and according to any revisions thereto provided by the client. If
stated within the Investment Management Agreement, SCA provides each institutional/corporate client with an
annual Compliance Certification verifying that SCA has provided recommendations and updates for the client that
are in compliance with the client’s specified investment guidelines with SCA.