Meet The Frakes Group

Robert Frakes has 38 years of professional investment experience as a Financial Advisor.  Rob started as a Financial Advisor in 1986 with Branch Cabell & Co. and became Partner at Branch Cabell in 1995.  In 2000, Legg Mason Inc. expanded their geographic footprint in the Mid-Atlantic region and opened an office in Harrisonburg, Virginia.  Rob was selected to manage the new Harrisonburg Legg Mason office as a Branch Manager and Senior Vice President.  In 2007, Legg Mason Inc. was acquired by Citigroup Smith Barney and through various mergers and acquisitions, became Morgan Stanley.  In 2018, Rob transitioned from Morgan Stanley and joined Wells Fargo Advisors as a Senior Vice President - Investments.  At Wells Fargo Advisors, Rob, his son, Matthew Frakes, CRPS® - Associate Vice President - Investments, and Laura Lezotte, Licensed Client Service Representative, collaborated to form the team of The Frakes Group of Wells Fargo Advisors.   

Rob graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from James Madison University and is an avid supporter of JMU Athletics. Rob and his wife Carolyn have been happily married for over 50 years, have one adult child – Matthew, two grandchildren – Oliver & Harrison, and a miniature schnauzer – Bentley.  Rob is active in the Harrisonburg community and a member of numerous local civic and charitable organizations, including being a past president of the Harrisonburg Rotary Club (2003-2004), current member of the Harrisonburg-Massanutten Rotary Club, active member in the Rockingham Union #27 A.F. & A.M. Masonic Lodge, member of the Valley Shrine Club, and member of the Fort Harrison Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR).  In his limited spare time, he enjoys playing golf, fishing, and traveling.

Matthew Frakes has almost 20 years of professional investment experience as a Financial Advisor. Matt has significant experience helping affluent institutional investors, corporate retirement plans, and individual investors. Prior to joining his father’s investment practice in 2014, Matt was a former accountant for Ernst & Young, LLP in Mclean, Virginia. Matt transitioned from the accounting industry into the investment industry in 2006 and for the next eight years, served as a Portfolio Management Associate in Washington D.C. for one of the largest wealth management teams in the United States.

Matt earned his Master of Accounting degree from The College of William & Mary and earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance from The Pennsylvania State University. While at Penn State, Matt was a 4-year Letterman on the men’s varsity tennis team, where he was team captain his Junior and Senior years. In 2010, Matt earned his Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist® designation from the College of Financial Planning.

In the Harrisonburg community, Matt is a former board member and past president of the Harrisonburg-Massanutten Rotary Club, 2-time past master of the Rockingham Union #27 A.F. & A.M. Masonic Lodge, an active member of the Valley Shrine Club, a member of the Fort Harrison Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), and is a past Board member of the Massanutten Technical Center Career & Technical Education Advisory Board. Matt is happily married to his wife, Rebecca. They have two sons – Oliver & Harrison and two dogs, a miniature schnauzer – Dexter, and an Australian labradoodle – Sampras. In his spare time, Matt enjoys playing tennis, visiting National Parks, wine tastings, listening to 80’s music, watching Penn State football games, and attending both Washington Capitals hockey games and Washington Nationals baseball games.

Laura Lezotte became a valued team member of The Frakes Group of Wells Fargo Advisors as a Client Associate in 2017. She transitioned to her current role, Registered Client Associate, in 2019. Prior to coming to the Frakes Group, Laura graduated from Bridgewater College with honors in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Laura manages the daily operational and administrative duties of the team and is committed to providing excellent client support. She has a strong background in customer service and prior to her current role, was a design consultant for one of the region’s leading home furnishings companies where client support was a primary responsibility. In 2019, Laura passed the Series 7 and Series 66 exams.

Laura is happily married to her husband, Joey Lezotte, and lives on a small farm where they enjoy spending time with their two dogs – Bucky and Starling and their horses – Felix, Dozer, and Augustus. Laura is an active volunteer in local horse rescue and in her free time enjoys drawing, horseback riding, and tackling do-it-yourself home improvement projects.