Stephen R. Gross is a nationally recognized financial strategist, entrepreneur, and civic leader with more than four decades of experience spanning public accounting, forensic finance, business advisory, and capital formation. He is the Founder Emeritus of HLB Gross Collins, P.C., one of Atlanta’s leading regional CPA and advisory firms, where he served as Regional Managing Partner and National Director of Business Consulting. Steve holds five professional designations: Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA), Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), and Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF); a combination that reflects both the breadth and depth of his financial expertise.
Throughout his career, Steve has founded and led multiple ventures dedicated to helping organizations grow, govern, and thrive. As CEO of Trusted CFO Solutions and founder of Gross Capital Partners and The Gross Consulting Group, he has guided hundreds of companies across the United States and Western Europe through complex growth, financing, and transition events, raising capital in the hundreds of millions and serving on the boards of both public and private organizations for over 27 years. His board service has included the Legg Mason Fixed Income Mutual Fund Family, where he served as Designated Financial Expert and Audit Committee Chairman for more than a decade, as well as directorships with WebMD, Hank Aaron Enterprises, Charter Bank & Trust, and Carint North America, PLC, among others.
Steve’s commitment to community and mission-driven service is longstanding. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Boy Scouts of America’s Atlanta Council and dedicated significant time and resources to nonprofit governance and civic outreach. As host of The Gross Reality Radio Show and author of the widely read “Prosper or Perish” business advisory series, he has made financial literacy and entrepreneurial education broadly accessible, a reflection of his belief that informed, empowered individuals and organizations build stronger communities.
Stephen joins the Veteran Retreats Foundation Advisory Board driven by a deep respect for those who have served our nation and a conviction that veterans deserve world-class support as they transition to civilian life. He brings to the Foundation an extraordinary toolkit: the financial governance acumen to ensure donor funds are stewarded with integrity, the capital formation expertise to connect the Foundation with high-impact philanthropic partners, and the strategic vision to help scale programs that make a lasting difference. Steve’s presence on the Advisory Board represents a powerful alignment of professional excellence and genuine mission, in service of the veterans who have given so much.
