Waterville Native Opens Office In Former Church Parsonage

BY KAREN GERHARDINGER | MIRROR REPORTER — As a Waterville native, Greg Durivage has witnessed plenty of changes taking place in the downtown area over the past 30 years. Now, he’s part of that change.

Durivage, a certified financial planner, just moved his business, Pilot Wealth Advisors, into 36 N. Second St., a home that was once a doctor’s office and the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church parsonage.

Standing in the spacious, modern-looking atrium, Durivage looked out the two-story windows toward Waterville Import Auto Service. His father, Jim, co-owned the business with the late Chris Straube until 2001, and Durivage remembers hanging out with current owner Kyle Straube when they were kids.

“It’s feels like I’ve come full circle, coming back here and opening a business next to him,” he said, noting that he and Kyle remain good friends.

On Thursday, July 13 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., Durivage will welcome the community for an open house.

“It’s amazing what Greg has done with that space,” said Rev. Steve Bauerle, Zion’s pastor.

As a lifelong member of Zion, Durivage notes that Bauerle not only baptized him, but married him and his wife, Courtney, and baptized their son, Jettson. He’s served on church council and committees as well.

“Waterville is my home and I always wanted to open my business here,” Durivage said.

When Bauerle heard that Durivage was looking for a space to move his business from Briarfield Boulevard, he suggested the option to buy or lease the space, which had become too costly to renovate for the church’s needs. Starting in 2020, Durivage worked through the process of getting church and city approvals. Soon after the February 2022 sale, contractor Rupp Rosebrock got to work on the 1936 building, tearing down all the interior walls.

“You never know what you’re getting into until you start tearing out walls,” Durivage said as he led a tour of the seating areas, kitchenette, conference rooms and offices. 

Upstairs, he plans to bring in one of his motocross bikes to place in a seating area. As a 7-year-old, Durivage was introduced to motocross by his dad, and throughout his years at Lial Catholic School and St. John’s Jesuit High School, he improved enough to make it on the professional circuit. Even while earning his degree in finance from Miami University, Durivage was on the road pursuing a sport he loves.

When he graduated from Miami in 2012, Durivage took 18 months off to enjoy what he thought would be his last foray into professional motocross. Just as he had started his business with broker/dealer Thrivent and was studying for his licensing exams, Durivage was seriously hurt – breaking his hip and wrist and having bleeding on the brain. He took three years off but got back into it again in 2018 – racing while he was working 50 hours a week out of his Briarfield office. Another serious injury led him to give up professional motocross.

Now, at 33, he’s married to Courtney, and they have a son, Jettson, and another baby on the way. As a financial planner, he knows how changes in life can affect goals and roadmaps for his clients’ futures, he said. 

“My role is discovering client’s holistic financial picture, pairing it with their goals and values, educating them, and mapping out a plan to ensure their goals become a reality. We help manage clients’ money and advise them across all areas of their financial lives, including: retirement planning, investment management, insurance planning, tax planning, debt management, estate planning,” he said. 

“I love building new relationships and helping people reach a place of financial freedom, whatever that means to them. Effectively using money as a tool to help people achieve their goals and striking the right balance between using money to enjoy the present, but also saving for future needs, inspires confidence and clarity around money. It takes away a lot of the stress associated with financial decisions and allows clients to focus on what’s most important to them. For me, it’s rewarding to see that.”

While Durivage and office professional Angie Peinert Weber will be the sole occupants of the building on a regular basis, Pilot Wealth Advisors includes five other associates who work remotely, and Durivage plans to bring in more.

“It’s always been my plan to open an office in Waterville and be the go-to financial planner,” he said.