In Memphis, where relationships matter as much as balance sheets, Susan Logan Huffman has spent four decades building an investment firm on a foundation of trust and personal relationships. As a founder and principal of Reliant Investment Management, she has guided the firm from a startup to a well-respected financial institution serving individuals, families, nonprofits and municipalities across the region.
Huffman’s journey into entrepreneurship began not with a dramatic leap but with a quiet moment of professional clarity. Working in the trust department at a local bank, she grew frustrated with the slow pace, bureaucratic paperwork and distance from the client. “I wanted to manage money directly for the client,” she said. “The client relationship was very important to me.” That conviction would become the defining principle behind Reliant Investment Management.
When Huffman founded Reliant in 1986, she was only 24 years old. She did not own a home or pet, was unmarried and had no financial obligations other than herself. Looking back, she laughs at the simplicity of the decision. “I figured I could give it a try. If it did not work out, I would have plenty of time to change plans.”
With zero assets under management, Susan’s challenge was to persuade clients to trust a young advisor with their life savings and to embrace fee-based portfolios over the industry's traditional brokerage commission model. This risk-taking spirit and work ethic were rooted in her upbringing in Gilliam, Louisiana - a town of 100 people where she learned "character" by working various outdoor jobs on her family’s farm in the summer heat.
Huffman’s confidence to take such a risk was shaped further by her time at Rhodes College.The liberal arts education she received there emphasized critical thinking and clear communication, skills that have proven invaluable in the world of finance. “The small class size and the access to professors was the difference in my education, and it gave me confidence that I could be successful in my career,” she said.
“It was slow going at first, but I am proud to say that many of our first accounts are still clients of Reliant.” Susan knew that the firm had turned a corner when Jim Keegan, a founding partner of Morgan Keegan, joined as a partner in 1991. “Jim was instrumental in helping Reliant reach its new level of growth and brought my husband, John, into the firm.”
Launching a financial firm in the 1980s also meant navigating a business landscape that was overwhelmingly male. Huffman remembers many meetings where she was present but not fully acknowledged. “During investment presentations, it was common for clients and prospects to defer to the male in the room for answers to questions or for advice regarding investment strategy,” she said. Over time, as her performance spoke for itself and as Memphis evolved, she saw doors open for more women in leadership roles across the community.
Huffman chose to build her company in Memphis because she believed in the strength of its community and the power of long-term relationships. Through her involvement at Rhodes, her church and organizations such as the Junior League, she had already built a network of connections. “The investment management business is a relationship business. It is a business of trust. You need to know how to listen to people, be a part of a community and be willing to give back,” she said.
When asked what she considers her most meaningful achievement, Huffman points first to the consistency and longevity of the firm’s service to its clients. She takes pride in the continuity of performance and in the firm’s ability to evolve alongside the changing financial landscape. She is equally proud of building a family while building a business, working in partnership with her husband for decades while raising two children.
Beyond the office, Huffman finds balance in a place far removed from the daily fluctuations of the markets. She and her husband, John, own a small cottage in the Abaco Islands of the Bahamas, where they spend time fishing, gardening and walking along the beach. But work is never far. “While I am not a big fan of people working remotely, there are times when it has its advantages. I have a Bloomberg terminal and Starlink to keep me connected at all times.”
After forty years in the industry, Huffman remains focused on the future. Her next goal is to guide Reliant through a thoughtful leadership transition while maintaining the personal relationships and high standards that have defined the firm since its earliest days. From its start with no assets under management to its growth into a firm overseeing roughly $1.5 billion today, Reliant Investment Management reflects the values of its founder and of the city she calls home.