Early Life and Education
Trevor Burgess's journey began with his graduation from Dartmouth College in 1994. Before his career in finance, he worked as a management consultant at Monitor Company.
Rise to Success in Finance
Burgess spent a decade at Morgan Stanley, serving as an investment banker in New York, Los Angeles, and London. During his time there, he executed more than $50 billion in transactions for major clients, including Chipotle Mexican Grill, which he helped take public in 2006. He later became a partner at Artesia Capital Management.
Founding and Leading C1 Financial
In 2009, Burgess acquired control of Community Bank of Manatee, which was later rebranded as C1 Bank. Under his leadership, C1 Bank grew to become a $1.7 billion bank with 31 offices throughout Florida. He became the first openly gay CEO of a publicly traded bank when C1 Financial made a public offering in August 2014. C1 Bank was later sold to Bank OZK in July 2016. He was recognized as the 2014 American Banker Community Banker of the Year and was named Ernst & Young Florida Entrepreneur of the Year in 2013.
Entrepreneurial Ventures and Philanthropy
Following the sale of C1 Bank, Burgess founded TRB Development, focused on residential home sites. In 2018, he purchased a controlling stake in Neptune Flood Insurance, which has since become a leading provider of private flood insurance in the U.S.. Neptune Insurance went public on the New York Stock Exchange in October 2025. Burgess, along with his husband Gary Hess, is involved in philanthropy, donating to various charities. In 2020, they donated masks to the city of St. Petersburg during the COVID-19 pandemic. In February 2024, Burgess and his husband donated $1 million to the St. Petersburg Free Clinic.