The Manchester Group of Firstrust Financial Resources

William Manchester has spent the past quarter of a century designing plans to help families preserve, build, and make the best use of their wealth. He loves the work; in fact, he cannot imagine doing anything else with his life, which is ironic, because his career path would have been much different if not for a man named Andrew L. Lewis Jr. Manchester first met Lewis—the chairman and CEO of Union Pacific Corp., who also served the Reagan Administration as Secretary of Transportation—about 30 years ago. Lewis and his wife, Marilyn, owned a sprawling property in Schwenksville, where Manchester tended to the gardens and landscaping. One day, the chauffeur who was tasked with driving Lewis to a board meeting in New York City was unavailable. The responsibility then fell to Manchester. “I started driving Drew regularly after that,” Manchester recalls. “He would tell me to wear a suit, and he brought me into these meetings, referring to me as his financial advisor. I met George Bush Sr., George Bush Jr., [Henry] Kissinger, [Donald] Rumsfeld—all these notable leaders and business leaders. They all respected Drew so much because of his knowledge and because of the person he was.” They got to know each other well during their travels to and from New York. Manchester saw in Lewis a brilliant mind and a profound commitment to helping others. In Manchester, Lewis saw sincerity, a tireless work ethic, and the willingness to earn people’s trust, as well as a fledgling interest in the stock market. At some point, Manchester intended to ask Lewis to review his business plan, which involved opening a flower shop in Blue Bell. “A lot of people wanted to be around Drew because of his money and power; I just wanted his knowledge,” he says. “One day, we were stopped at a light on Township