Jim Mcguire

Jim McGuire is a Vice President and Principal at Sierra Investment Partners, Inc., a Walnut Creek, California–based investment management firm that he helped co-found in 1996. Sierra is a 100% employee-owned, SEC-registered advisor that positions itself as "The Taft-Hartley Investment Specialists," dedicated exclusively to serving jointly-trusteed union pension and welfare plans. As of March 31, 2026, the firm reported approximately $5.2 billion in assets under management. McGuire's investment-industry experience is listed as running from 1992 to the present.

Within the firm, McGuire is responsible for business development and client servicing, working directly with Sierra's President/CEO (Bruce Dereschuk, who founded the firm in 1996). His remit covers the Western United States, where he manages relationships with union benefit-plan trustees and consultants. He sits alongside a leadership team that includes CFO/Chief Compliance Officer Denise C. Suihkonen, CPA, and Chief Investment Officer Jim Anisi.

Before co-founding Sierra, McGuire served as a Client Servicing Executive at Trust Fund Advisors, and earlier at ULLICO (Union Labor Life Insurance Company), both firms rooted in the labor/union benefits investment world. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California State University, Sacramento.

• Sierra Investment Partners invests on behalf of institutional clients — union (Taft-Hartley) pension and welfare funds — rather than deploying angel or venture capital into startups.
• The firm's stated specialization is serving "jointly-trusteed union plans," combining niche knowledge of the labor benefits market with disciplined institutional portfolio management.
• McGuire's personal role is client-facing (business development and servicing) across the Western U.S., not sourcing or leading startup investments.
• No evidence exists of a seed-stage thesis, startup check size, sector/vertical startup focus, or target company profile for McGuire personally.