Podcasts about drexel burnham

 ​Today, we are breaking down the  global alternative asset manager, Apollo. I reflected on my personal experiences with Apollo for this episode, and there's a saying that hard work can beat talent when talent doesn't work hard. Well, Apollo has talent, and Apollo works really damn hard. They will do everything they can to protect their capital, so if you're on the other side of the table from them, you never feel fully comfortable. I am joined by Hunter Hopcroft, a financial analyst and writer based in New York. We get into what makes Apollo, Apollo, and Hunter share the backstory of how it was born out of Drexel Burnham and Michael Milkin's DNA. We get into some of the early deals, the theme of craving complexity, how they differ from the KKRs or Blackstones, and the future of the industry. Please enjoy this Breakdown of Apollo. Subscribe to Colossus Review For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. —-- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes (00:00:00) Welcome to Business Breakdowns (00:02:49) Apollo's Current Landscape (00:07:45) Apollo's Founding and Early Days (00:10:39) Key Deals and Strategies (00:17:09) The 2000s and Financial Crisis (00:22:10) IPO and Public Transition (00:25:47) Leadership Transition to Mark Rowan (00:31:20) Rowan's Vision and Athene Merger (00:35:12) Investment Strategies of Alt Managers (00:36:28) The Athene Merger and Its Implications (00:38:30) Rowan's Breakthrough in Spread Generation (00:39:49) Innovative Asset Origination Platforms (00:44:42) Private Credit and Market Dynamics (00:46:49) The Future of Apollo and Private Credit (00:52:09) Evaluating Apollo's Business Model (01:05:33) Reputation and Evolution of Apollo (01:08:50) Lessons from Apollo

Do you recall the name Michael Milken? Well, Milken was nicknamed the “Junk Bond King” in the 1980s. He's known for that…and also for serving a short prison term. But does that capture the full story, the actual core story of Michael Milken? Truth be told, Milken successfully worked to open up fuller financial opportunity for lots of companies that ultimately impacted millions of common folk for the better. Join Kevin as we capture some twists and turns in the life and times of the unique American financier Michael Milken! // Download this episode's Application & Action questions and PDF transcript at whitestone.org.

What I love about this conversation with Howard is his passion for using impact investing to address large-scale social problems. He shared his story of personal transformation after facing a crisis, which led him to co-create Gratitude Railroad, working to create deep social and environmental impact through investments. Howard is co-founder and Chief Evangelist of Gratitude Railroad. Gratitude Railroad is an educational, community building, and impact investment organization focused on catalyzing positive social and environmental change through for-profit businesses. GRR's core focus is an active investment process led by its Founders, Advisors and Partners guided by its full time diligence team. He is also the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Basso Capital Management, L.P. a hedge fund management company focused on Special Purpose Acquisition Corporations (SPACs). Howard is the portfolio manager for the firm's dedicated SPAC fund and oversees all operating and marketing efforts. Previously, Howard was co-head of the institutional convertible trading desk at Smith Barney. Before Smith Barney, Mr. Fischer was a convertible trader at Drexel Burnham and at Cohen Feit & Company. Prior to his trading career, Mr. Fischer was a Certified Public Accountant in both public and private practice. Howard serves on the Boards of 1% For The Planet and The Carbon Underground, and advises BrightEdge, the investment fund of the American Cancer Society. He also has advisory/board roles at DoneGood, Builders Fund, Atlas Impact Partners and Blackdirt Capital – for profit entities in which he has invested. Howard holds a B.S.E. in Accounting and Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and was a 2013 and 2014 fellow in the Advanced Leadership Initiative at Harvard University.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Josh Friedman is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Canyon Partners, a $25 billion multi-strategy firm that specializes in credit-related analysis across distressed securities, securitizations, risk arbitrage, and real estate. Josh founded Canyon in 1990 with Mitch Julis, his roommate from their time at Harvard Law School and Business School. Our conversation covers Josh's background at Goldman Sachs and Drexel Burnham with Michael Milken, the founding of Canyon, its investment philosophy, key stages on its path, and structure of the organization. We then turn to Josh's thoughts on the evolution of credit markets, liquidity, competitive dynamics among creditors, opportunities, and risks. We close with Josh's advice for investment committees based on his experience as a Trustee at Harvard Management, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and CalTech, among others.   Learn More  Follow Ted on Twitter at @tseides or LinkedIn  Subscribe to the mailing list  Access Transcript with Premium Membership 

In this episode of Purpose-Driven Wealth, your host Mo Bina and guest Richard Kent talk ‘flexibility' in industrial flex spaces. When other assets started looking like ghost towns during the pandemic, industrial spaces were spared. In fact, in Avistone, vacancy rates didn't look any different from pre-pandemic numbers. Richard explains how industrial properties benefit from the industries they serve, the preparedness industrial real estate operators need to constantly be in, why 40% of their investors are CPAs, and the general explanation of how phenomenal flexible industrial spaces can be. In this episode you will learn: What Richard Kent learned as a stockbroker The industries that Avistone leases to Tenants aren't going to pay thousands for rent for a space that needs further improvement The trends for industrial real estate It's a once in a decade opportunity to invest in hospitality real estate and so much more! About Richard Kent:   Richard Kent oversees Avistone's capital markets operations and brings 40 years of experience in financial services, real estate investment, and capital markets to the company.   Having completed transactions in commercial properties valued at more than $2 billion, Richard served as a senior executive at Auction.com (now Ten-X) prior to founding Avistone.   Over the course of his career, Richard has held senior positions in the commercial real estate departments of Wall Street firms, commercial banks, and real estate operating firms, including Drexel Burnham, Salomon Smith Barney, and Commercial Capital Bank (now JP Morgan Chase) and Deutsche Bank Berkshire Mortgage.   Rich holds a BA in Political Science and Economics from San Diego State University.   Follow Richard Kent on:   Website:          https://avistone.com/   Connect with Mo Bina on:   Website:          https://www.high-risecapital.com/ Medium:          https://mobina.medium.com/   For more information on passive investing in commercial real estate, please check out our free eBook — More Doors, More Profits — by clicking here: https://www.high-risecapital.com/resources-index      

I'm excited to share my conversation with Max Frumes, co-author of The Casesar's Palace Coup (with Sujeet Indap). I'm a big fan of the book and previously shared some notes on Twitter. It's a deep dive into the buyout and bankruptcy of casino giant Caesar's Entertainment and the slugfest between investors like Apollo, Oaktree, Appaloosa, GSO, Elliott, and some of the nation's most expensive law firms. It's a great introduction into the world of distressed investing and the prevailing culture. I've written previously about how distressed credit is a “knife fight over a limited number of slices” which shapes a scarcity mindset. The book illustrates the intense negotiations and explains the “creditor on creditor violence” that can take place (a recent example is Wesco). Max and I discussed how to break down such a complex story, explored key turning points, discussed the culture among distressed investors, what makes distressed investors successful, why there was no long-term damage for Apollo, how other investors were actually inspired by their moves, and how the space has changed in general. A key takeaway for me was that the participants in this game are very smart, creative, ruthless, and extremely competitive. This is a complex and difficult game to play and one should consider very carefully whether to enter the competition. A few quotes from the conversation: “It is a very rich, fascinating industry because it is a combination of chess and poker, depending on what stage a restructuring is at.” “Each of these firms does have their own personality. We go into detail about the origins of Apollo which was the most interesting because it was defined by brilliance and impunity, willing to push the bounds to the very edge of what is what's permissible under the law, under the credit docs. And that does go back to Mike Milken's firm Drexel Burnham. That's where Leon Black was one of the senior directors at the time it went bankrupt.” “Firms who are the most successful in this industry are those who have expert knowledge and a good handle on the legal aspect, understanding valuation, and then the industry knowledge itself mixed with understanding game theory. Some people are more savvy with the press. Some people are more savvy with the orchestration of creditor or organization. Some people are more willing to be an iconoclast and go against the grain.” “Ultimately the examiners reports said they had actual and constructive fraudulent conveyance claims against and corporate governance claims … a lot of them were simply because the creditors did not have independent directors during the time these decisions … where there's conflicts of interest. It seemed like the private equity sponsor was basically controlling everything. … So the lesson wasn't, maybe we shouldn't do those things. The lesson was let's put some independent directors in there.”

Hello everyone,I'm excited to share my conversation with Max Frumes, co-author of The Casesar's Palace Coup (with Sujeet Indap). I'm a big fan of the book and previously shared some notes on Twitter. It's a deep dive into the buyout and bankruptcy of casino giant Caesar's Entertainment and the slugfest between investors like Apollo, Oaktree, Appaloosa, GSO, Elliott, and some of the nation's most expensive law firms.It's a great introduction into the world of distressed investing and the prevailing culture. I've written previously about how distressed credit is a “knife fight over a limited number of slices” which shapes a scarcity mindset. The book illustrates the intense negotiations and explains the “creditor on creditor violence” that can take place (a recent example is Wesco).Max and I discussed how to break down such a complex story, explored key turning points, discussed the culture among distressed investors, what makes distressed investors successful, why there was no long-term damage for Apollo, how other investors were actually inspired by their moves, and how the space has changed in general.A key takeaway for me was that the participants in this game are very smart, creative, ruthless, and extremely competitive. This is a complex and difficult game to play and one should consider very carefully whether to enter the competition.I hope you enjoy the conversation. You can listen to it at: Spotify, Apple, at anchor, and via RSS.Marc Rowan, CEO of Apollo about the demise of Drexel:“You want chaos, things to be shaken up, the system to be brought down and built up again. When you think the world is coming to an end, that is the time to build a career and build the next great fortune.”A few quotes from the conversation:* “It is a very rich, fascinating industry because it is a combination of chess and poker, depending on what stage a restructuring is at.”* “Each of these firms does have their own personality. We go into detail about the origins of Apollo which was the most interesting because it was defined by brilliance and impunity, willing to push the bounds to the very edge of what is what's permissible under the law, under the credit docs. And that does go back to Mike Milken's firm Drexel Burnham. That's where Leon Black was one of the senior directors at the time it went bankrupt.”* “Firms who are the most successful in this industry are those who have expert knowledge and a good handle on the legal aspect, understanding valuation, and then the industry knowledge itself mixed with understanding game theory. Some people are more savvy with the press. Some people are more savvy with the orchestration of creditor or organization. Some people are more willing to be an iconoclast and go against the grain.”* “Ultimately the examiners reports said they had actual and constructive fraudulent conveyance claims against and corporate governance claims … a lot of them were simply because the creditors did not have independent directors during the time these decisions … where there's conflicts of interest. It seemed like the private equity sponsor was basically controlling everything. … So the lesson wasn't, maybe we shouldn't do those things. The lesson was let's put some independent directors in there.”Disclaimer: I write and podcast for entertainment purposes only. This is not investment advice. I am not your fiduciary or advisor. Do your own work and seek your own financial, tax, and legal advice before making any investment decisions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alchemy.substack.com/subscribe

Today we learn how his daughter's ADHD diagnosis led to a better understanding of his own superpower, and how his ADHD has been serving him for many, many years. His bio is below. Enjoy! In this episode Peter and Bill Hamlin discuss:   2:14 - Intro and welcome Bill Hamlin! 4:45- So, how were you able to hyper-focus with all that financial responsibility? 6:56- Stock trading and related chaos.. those are places where the faster brain really thrives? 7:23- Was there something about the pits that gave you a sense of Zen, or sort of a quiet hum? 8:50- So then how did you train yourself to come up for air and get out of hyperfocus? 9:56- Tell me about how ADHD affects your personal life and the different tools you use to keep that part of you solid too? 12:11- Ref: Delivered from Distraction Peter's interview with Dr. Ned Hallowell 13:47- ADHD and addiction are very close to each other. Did you have a similar situation? 16:32- What do you wish you'd known back then that you know now about your ADHD and about sort of the way you've lived? 18:50- How can people find more about your reach out to you if they have any questions or if they want to share, if you're willing to give us some info on how to get to you? Mr. William Hamlin on LinkedIN 19:19 - Thank you Bill! Guys, as always, we are here for you and we love the responses and the notes that we get from you; so please continue to do that! Tell us who you want to hear on the podcast, anything at all; we'd love to know.  Leave us a review on any of the places you get your podcasts, and if you ever need our help I'm www.petershankman.com and you can reach out anytime via peter@shankman.com or @petershankman on all of the socials. You can also find us at @FasterNormal on all of the socials. It really helps when you drop us a review on iTunes and of course, subscribe to the podcast if you haven't already! As you know, the more reviews we get, the more people we can reach. Help us to show the world that ADHD is a gift, not a curse!  19:46 - Faster Than Normal Podcast info & credits — Bill Hamlen was born in Schenectady, NY and raised in Bernardsville, NJ where he attended Bernards High School.  After graduating from Dartmouth College in 1984, Bill joined Drexel Burnham's commodity division.  While at Drexel, Bill worked in various areas including the international order desk as well as many different “pits” including all of the metals, softs, and oil pits.  He eventually landed a permanent position on the oil desk that included a year in Singapore where petroleum derivatives were just developing. After leaving Drexel in 1990, Bill worked at Rafferty Associates and United Energy brokering various energy derivatives.  In 2001, Bill joined Westport Petroleum, Inc. in their Singapore and London offices where he started a clean product trading desk specializing in the international arbitrage of jet fuel, gasoil, various grades of gasoline, and alkylates.  In 2005 he moved over to Westport's heavy fuel oil desk in Singapore and specialized in the international arbitrage of heavy crudes and fuel oil.  In 2007, Bill joined Vitol Singapore's heavy fuel oil desk and worked there until his retirement in 2015.  While at Westport and later Vitol, he sourced heavy streams in the USGC, Mexico, Venezuelan, Ecuador, Colombia, Russian, Bulgaria, The Middle East, Iraq, India, Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesian, Thailand, and Malaysia among others.  He also supplied blended fuel to ships in Singapore as well as power plants throughout Asia and the Middle East including India, Pakistan, East Africa, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China, and Vietnam as well as many other smaller destinations.  He also managed the complex hedging activities necessitated by all of these physical movements.  After leaving Vitol, Bill and his wife began a second career as real estate investors via their privately held Leeward Holdings with properties on Nantucket and in Hanover, NH. Bill was married in 1996 and has two daughters and the family currently lives in Hanover, NH.  Among other achievements, he is an Eagle Scout, a PADI certified diver, and completed a NOLS course as a teenager.  He has extensive open water sailing experience having participated on multiple voyages in the Caribbean and Pacific.  He is also the Chair of Planned Giving for the Class of '84 at Dartmouth, the VP for the Association of Planned Giving Chairs at Dartmouth, and has served many other volunteer roles at the College. Even his abridged bio is incredible!!  -- TRANSCRIPT:  — I want to thank you for listening and for subscribing to Faster Than Normal! I also want to tell you that if you're listening to this one, you probably listened to other episodes as well. Because of you all, we are the number one ADHD podcast on the internet!! And if you like us, you can sponsor an episode! Head over to https://rally.io/creator/SHANK/ It is a lot cheaper than you think. You'll reach... about 25k to 30,000 people in an episode and get your name out there, get your brand out there, your company out there, or just say thanks for all the interviews! We've brought you over 230 interviews of CEOs, celebrities, musicians, all kinds of rock stars all around the world from Tony Robbins, Seth Godin, Keith Krach from DocuSign, Danny Meyer, we've had Rachel Cotton, we've had  the band Shinedown, right? Tons and tons of interviews, and we keep bringing in new ones every week so head over to https://rally.io/creator/SHANK/ make it yours, we'd love to have you, thanks so much for listening!  Now to this week's episode, we hope you enjoy it! — Hey everyone! My name is Peter Shankman. You are listening to Faster Than Normal. We have taken a hiatus. This is our first episode back in about a month and a half. It was a good holiday season. It was fun COVID times now. And, but we're back it's it's early January. Daughter's homeschooling again. And we are thrilled to be back with all new episodes. We have some incredible episodes that we've already recorded coming down the pike. You're going to be very, very happy with what you hear in the new year. So I hope you guys are safe and well and vaccinated. And I want to introduce Bill.  So Bill reached out to me after his daughter was diagnosed with ADHD in 2016 and he was based in Singapore and sure enough, I happened to be in Singapore right around that time for keynote. We weren't able to get together, but we did stay in touch and I found Bill's backstory and bio very, very fascinating. So I want to share it with you guys. Bill was born in Schenectady, New York and raised in New Jersey. He attended high school and Dartmouth. He joined a company in 84 called Drexel Burnham. I don't know if you, for those who are young and don't remember Drexel Burnham, Drexel Burnham was, um, one of the old school financial firms-the, I think the joke around that, around early nineties when things started to go south was that if Merrill Lynch and Drexel Burnham merge, would we call the company Lynch and Burnham. But I remember Drexel from the day and he worked in various and Bill worked in various areas there, including the international order desk, as well as many of the different pits, including all the metals softs and oil pits, and if you watched Wall Street And you see how crazy they get when they're trying to sell a stock or buys or whatever. Imagine that. 400 times the speed. He wound up eventually in the oil desk, he wound up in Singapore. He's got a bunch of stuff. He since reinvented his life, he started a second career along with his wife as real estate investors, um, in Nantucket and it Hanover New Hampshire, but keep in mind, he's ADHD. Because of that, obviously he couldn't just do one thing. He's an Eagle scout. He's a PATO certified diver. He's completed a NOLS course. He has extensive open water sailing experiences. He's competed multiple voyages in the Caribbean and Pacific. He's also chair of planned giving to the class of 84 Dartmouth, the VP of association, giving care to Dartmouth in addition to many other volunteer roles. Bill welcome. And you sound as crazy as I am. So it's great to have you.  Thank you, Peter. It's funny. My wife jokes that I over-schedule myself. And I always say, well, I just schedule to my maximum ability, and then you come to me with extra things to do and that's when I get over tasked.  Exactly. And I'm sure that goes very well. I'm sure that goes over very well when, when you explained to her that. One of the things that I find fascinating; you work the trading desks, right. And I mean, you started, uh, you know, after you left Drexel, you, you, you joined Westport Petroleum and then the second point trading in London offices, you started a clean product trading desk there, especially as in the international arbitrage of jet fuel gas, oil barrier, spades, gasoline, and alkalines basically, you were doing stuff where if you fell off.. we're talking millions or billions of dollars wiped off the balance sheet in half a second. So what I'd love to know, and I'm just gonna dive right into this. How were you able to, I mean, I know hyper-focus is a thing for people like us, but that would scare the living crap out of me. How were you able to hyper-focus that well? Um, it's funny. I would almost put it in the, oh, I w I would reverse that, that when I first got into commodities, everything suddenly made sense. It was like a, the Rubik's cube pieces fell into place. The what, what to some people looks like total chaos to me was order. And the sitting on a desk with a bunch of phones ringing South Paulo, Brazil would call Hong Kong would call and you have to place orders and all the various pits. It was easy to me. In fact, that was fun. It was like a big game. So I always feel like I never worked a day in my life. All I did was basically play games. The games happened to be commodities and, but it was making order out of chaos. That just seemed. Um, soothing in a way. And so what from the outside looked stressful to me seemed like fun, like a big game, really. And then going down to the floor, the, you know, I was kind of in a commodity training program. So I worked in every pit learned about every, you know, orange juice, cotton. Someone was out, you'd have to go over there, then go to the gold pit. And you know, all that chaos was, it was just a big game. Uh, to me at least, or it seemed like a big game and the game was to make as much money as possible. Um, at that point though, it was just clerking. I wasn't trading and, um, it, you know, but I basically found my home and I, and I think in fact, if you go to a lot of, you know, wall street companies or commodity companies, and you look at the trading desk, you'll see a bunch of guys with ADHD. Uh, a couple of sociopaths, maybe a psychopath and a, and a bunch of engineers kind of keeping it all together, but there's a huge concentration of people with ADHD in commodities. And, um, it's, it's not a given, but you, you could see them. It's just clear as daylight.  So it's one of those places where the faster brain really thrives? Oh, absolutely. In fact, it's funny a couple of years ago, um, I have a, uh, former colleague, he went to Duke really, really played lacrosse there. Um, and I was joking. I asked him about ADHD and he looked at me like, I'm an idiot. Like, of course I am, I mean, that, that's how accepted and common it was. Um, yeah. And so there's a lot of people that, that seem to gravitate, um, to that type of chaos and that, and find it, find harmony there.  I'm curious as to, how do I phrase this? When, when I get into a zone, when I'm doing something that I truly love, let's say I'm on a plane to Asia and I'm writing, I'm writing a book or something like that. I get into a zone and I just sort of have. I guess the best way to put it is this quiet hum in my head, that is my call it my hyper-focus hum. Right? And it just, no matter what chaos is happening, no matter whether there's turbulence or whether the flight attendants come over with food or whatever, the case may be, two people are fighting behind me; it doesn't matter that hum is keeping me Zen and focused. Did you find that the same thing? Was there something about the pits that gave you that same sort of hum for lack of a better word? Well, I would, I get what you're saying, but it's funny in more realistic terms when I was in Singapore, I'd be on the desk in a conversation, looking at a spreadsheet, you know, maybe calculating what something's worth, but on the phone at the same time, talking to someone I'd look up. And it was, you know, 10:20, and there was no one else in the desk because we had a meeting scheduled at 10. I would not even notice everyone could leave the room, I'd be there. And then I w- but it didn't just happen once, you know, it would happen over and over and over again. And I, I had to really work hard. To, to get out of that. Hyper-focus but I know exactly what you mean.  Well, what it's, here's an interesting question. What did you do? What did you, how did you train yourself? Did you involve other people? Did you say, Hey, when you're going into a meeting, you know, reach out to me, what did you do to get people into that? To, to, to, to get yourself, you know, helping with that?  Well, I can tell you, it is funny. Like when I was on the phone, if I was sitting at my desk, I'd get bored. Um, so I would stand up and pace around the office in giant circles. Um, just to keep my brain focused. That's just how my head works. If I'm sitting at a desk and not doing something else at the same time, I kind of get bored. So I, um, so I came up with little tools okay. Based around the office and I would have a more meaningful conversation. In order to make the meeting, I would just schedule reminders that, I schedule reminders for everything. I'm a big list kind of guy. Um, I have lists for everything and those lists I create helped me, um, you know, keep order.  Yep. Tell me about your personal life. So, so your, uh, ADHD is obviously very, very beneficial for you in this regard. Tell me about how it affects your personal life and what, what sort of changes or, uh, different things you've had to do to get there.  Well, the it's hard to go there without telling kind of the backstory of my kind of discovery. And it has a lot to do with our daughter, who, um, at a certain age, in fact, this is what gets me angry about ADHD. And this is one of the reasons why I reached out; because her journey and my journey, um, it's a very typical situation I think. She was in seventh grade. Um, and we got called to school. This is UWC in Singapore. Um, and to give an idea, the level of understanding of ADHD in Singapore is there are about 25 to 40 years behind where we are here.  I actually interviewed this doctor, on the podcast, a psychologist, the podcast from Singapore and she said, exactly the same thing.  Oh, yeah. It's like stepping back in time, in fact, so, okay. So w we go into, um, we find out that she's struggling in math, she's just above the red line. They wanted to put her in learning support. And I fought back the vehemently because I believe that once she got into learning support, she would never get out. It's like a black hole and. So we had her tested independently and guess what? She's very, her processing speed was off the charts. Um, in fact, at one point we had her tested again for something else. And the, the woman that did the test said, I've been doing this for 20 years. I probably test 15 to 20 kids a year and she's the first one that has ever completed one of the sections. And so, and we started, so my wife and I, we looked back and it at her school in second grade, they said, we think maybe she has an eyesight issue. She needs glasses. So we had her eyesight tested, we're scratching our heads. And, um, anyway, fast forward, she, um, she started on Conserta Yup. That's my drug of choice also.  Right. Okay. Then we read, um, uh, uh, uh, Dr. Ned Hallowell's book, um, Delivered from Distraction. Yes. And we started listening to podcasts and everything kind of fell in place. In fact, I forgot one key part of this. Is that, um, we had her tested and at the same time, my wife was reading the diagnosis of someone else that had ADHD and she's reading it and she's like, oh my God, that's our daughter. And that's when everything kind of fell in place. So it was kind of a combination of both the testing and, um, Yeah. And the reading diagnosis of someone else with ADHD. So at that point, I began to look back at my life and realize, huh, I like chaos at my own little Rubik's cube. All the pieces fell into place and I began to realize all the things I've been doing to cope. You know, I get up, I run in the morning in central park, when I lived in New York, I'd have coffee, I'd do all these different things. I needed to work out just to be able to see straight and, um, You know, so I began to see all the commonalities of the, um, Of the things I did to deal with it, and I guess it, um, and then I looked back at my career that, you know, for me, I liked playing games. I like eating good food. I like drinking good booze and commodity trading kind of combines all those things that I enjoy. And so, like I said, I never felt like I worked a day in my life. It was all kind of a big fun game to me. Um, so it was kind of perfect for someone who has ADHD.  Let me ask the question. Um, it's it's you're you touched an interesting point. It's one of those industries where, you know, you work hard, but you also play hard. Right? I mean, I know just, just my, uh, my, um, uh, financial adviser, right. Once a year, he takes me out to dinner. He shows me how my portfolio is doing and, and, you know, five drinks in right? He doesn't..you know it's not that we're going out to drink- you treat the client well, right, in any, in any sort of financial industry. So did that affect you at all? Did you, I mean, I know that I have a very precarious relationship with alcohol and a lot of that is connected to ADHD. ADHD and addiction are very close to each other. Did you have a similar situation?  Yes, that would be, you know, I probably, um, well.. It depends in New York one, doesn't really go out to lunch really. Um, in Singapore, in, in London, it's kind of a different story. So, and it is very much, um, well, I should say, if you look at say the, the world of oil trading, it's a giant fraternity and it's a giant fraternity, um, of people that know each other and entertainment plays a big role in, in that industry. So you work very hard all day and you go out and celebrate at night. Um, and yeah, it, um, it plays a big role. Yeah.  It never, it never affected you the point where you're like, okay, I probably shouldn't do this or I should cut back on anything that that?  Um, well, for me, I can tell you, it was very clear when I was in my early fifties, I began to feel, um, diminished resilience. And that was really more a function of the stress, um, that, you know, without going too deep into it, sometimes when you have huge positions, um, you walk in and you ready to have a heart attack. And for the first up until my early fifties, I suppose if I had a superpower, it was the ability to endure enormous amounts of stress without thinking about it and I began to feel that that resilience diminishing, and that was my body speaking to me and saying, Hey, it's time to slow down. So for me, the signal was more about stress and less about other things. Um, I also, as I said, always would get up and need to workout first thing in the morning or at lunch. And I think that. Um, I think that the French have an expression to drink enough water with your wine and need enough salad with your foie gras, you know, working out, um, was always a way to balance out that aspect of you know, of my life.  That's very smart. So tell us last steps. What do you wish you'd known back then that you know now about your ADHD and about sort of the way you've lived? That's a good question. Um, what do I wish I'd known before? Well, I think the, maybe I would turn that around a little bit and, and, and say that, um, I've heard that expression; it's like a Maserati engine with a bicycle brakes. And I think the understanding that ADHD can be a superpower was a transformational concept for me and for my daughter, but maybe more for young people. And I recently have had a friend whose son was diagnosed with ADHD and from the questionings, the line of questions he was asking, and from the tone in his voice, I got this sense that he'd been given some negative messaging from the school. And I thought, how tragic that was that, you know, it can be. And I, and I understand there's the, you know, there's a full spectrum for me. And I think in our family, a high processing speed is, is a part of it with less of the maybe other hyperactive issues. Right. And so we're able to harness that superpower and I get that it it's diff you know, everyone's a little bit different and that there are more difficult challenges that some people face but I think the understanding that, um, ADHD really can be a superpower is such a powerful message. And in understanding that figuring out how to channel that energy into the right direction, I think I was simply lucky to find something where I was able to channel it appropriately. Um, I don't think my knowing that I had ADHD would have helped me find.. I kind of stumbled into something that I loved And, but I think that, um, I think the, you know, to understand that people with ADHD have a superpower and it's important to try to find things in life well, ways to, to live with it, but also ways to channel it. Um, I think is the, is a message that, you know, I'd like to share because for me it was, it was a superpower. Yeah, I love that. What a great way to when it end., um, Bill, I really appreciate that. How can people find more about your reach out to you if they have any questions or if they want to share, if you're willing to give us some info on how to get to you? I'm on LinkedIn. That's probably the easiest. Sounds good. And we'll put that, we'll put that link in the, in the show notes. Uh, it's under William Paul Hamlin. [actually under Mr. William Hamlin] Thank you so much for taking the time. I really, really appreciate it. You're our first interview of the year and it was definitely a good one. We'd love to have you back in several months as well to tell us what else you're working on. Alright Peter, thanks, Happy New Year!  Thanks again guys. As always, you were listening to Faster Than Normal. We love that you're here. Welcome back! This is going to be a really great year. We have a lot of new things coming up. I'll tell you right now we have some open space; you want to be on the podcast; you think you have an interesting story? Let us know what it is! I'm sure if you, if it's interesting to us, it's interesting to other people out there and you can help tell that story and share the ADHD is a gift, not a curse. We've been saying that since day one, we'll see you next week. Stay safe, stay healthy. Wear a mask. — Credits: You've been listening to the Faster Than Normal podcast. We're available on iTunes, Stitcher and Google play and of course at www.FasterThanNormal.com I'm your host, Peter Shankman and you can find me at petershankman.com and @petershankman on all of the socials. If you like what you've heard, why not head over to your favorite podcast platform of choice and leave us a review, come more people who leave positive reviews, the more the podcast has shown, and the more people we can help understand that ADHD is a gift, not a curse. Opening and closing themes were composed and produced by Steven Byrom who also produces this podcast, and the opening introduction was recorded by Bernie Wagenblast. Thank you so much for listening. We'll see you next week. 

Feliciano School of Business faculty members in the department of Economics, Todd Federman and David Axelrod, discuss the Built Back Better Plan. They provide details on the individual items in the plan and provide their perspectives on the impact it will have on the U.S. economy, inflation, climate change, health care, families, and the labor market.   Speaker BiosDr. Axelrod received his Ph.D. in Economics from Rutgers University in 1990, with the dissertation Three Essays on Latency in Economics and Decision Making. He has taught at Montclair State University as an adjunct professor since 2013. Previously, he worked in finance for twenty years as an economist, consultant and actuarial analyst, including positions with Falcon Management, Volvo Finance, and Crum & Forster. He has also produced research in health economics, and the nature of choice and well-being. Dr. Axelrod provides holonomic consultation and workshops. He plays electric bass, and has released over a dozen albums of original music.After getting an MBA from Harvard, Todd Federman started his twenty-five year Wall Street career at Goldman Sachs as a bond trader. He then joined Drexel Burnham as both a bond and equity trader. After Drexel, Todd spent fifteen years at hedge fund Paloma Partners, managing a regional office and trading equities based on a proprietary technical trading model. After leaving Wall Street, he started a second career in education. Todd was an adjunct in the Mathematics department at MSU from 2009-2014 before joining the Economics department full time in the fall of 2014. Todd was also an independent Education Consultant. He ran professional development workshops, focused on showing teachers how to use Smart Boards effectively.

Art Bilger is the co-founder of Apollo, one of the leading private equity firms in the world, with close to $90 billion under management. Art is also a renowned VC and is the founder and CEO of WorkingNation, where he is focused on mitigating the growing employability gap in America. Art joins Adam to share his journey - from working with Michael Milken at Drexel Burnham to building Apollo to investing in unicorn Akamai Technologies - and his best lessons learned along the way.

Frank Packard takes us through his journey in Japan as well as different cultures and business experience in the financial industry. Mr. Packard was originally born in Japan and grew up in the US hoping to pursue law or journalism at Princeton University. After graduating, he lived in Cairo, Egypt for a while before returning to Wall Street to enter the financial industry, starting as an analyst at Paine Webber in 1984. He rapidly worked his way up and arrived in Tokyo in 1986 as the Vice President of the Tokyo branch. Since then, Mr. Packard has held leadership positions covering not only Japan but Asia Pacific regions at multinational financial corporations including Drexel Burnham, Bankers Trust and Bank of America. He is the Founder and President of Triple A Partners, an independent company focused on third-party fund-raising, equity research and corporate finance.   Much of his leadership style is modelled after what he had learned from his early days in finance from his mentors. On his first multinational leadership experience, Mr. Packard recalls trying to break down the hierarchy by making an open office seating arrangement, which was uncommon during the 80s and early 90s. Mr. Packard also recognized the diversity of Japanese people, with different interest, hobbies and background, which he found shocking in the beginning. He also points out that though he found it challenging to hold non work-related conversations initially, he gradually learned to “let people go at their own pace” to learn something outside of work about his staff. On engaging with the younger generation, Mr. Packard admits it is difficult as the youth have many more choices than those in the 1980s. On gaining trust, Mr. Packard claims that listening to people and having patience is key to winning them over in Japan. After gaining further experience leading a team in Hong Kong for Bankers Trust, Mr. Packard began a joint securities company focused on fund placement. He built on this experience as the HSBC head of North Asia of the Alternative Investment Group.   On team engagement, Mr. Packard consistently communicates to his staff about the mantra of the company which is broken down to three goal: to do legal business, do rewarding business and add value. He also notes the importance of ensuring the experience is enjoyable. Mr. Packard states that because of his team's bilingual capabilities, they have been successful in dealing with clients who need support in both languages that cannot be delivered by larger Japanese firms. Mr. Packard is also keen to providing people with more opportunities to expand and develop their career. For example, he has had an administrative staff take on more active roles in finance. Additionally, Mr. Packard emphasizes the importance of giving women equal opportunities as men in developing their career paths. Mr. Packard shows he trusts his team by allowing unlimited holidays, which allows people to work in a more flexible manner.   To newcoming leaders, Mr. Packard advises to be clear and transparent when communicating with Japanese staff, as they will take everything literally. On a similar note, he does not encourage people to work long hours in the office as executive assistants think they also have to work longer hours. Secondly, Mr. Packard has observed that Japanese are very state conscious and want to have consensus over large decisions. In order to be mindful of this, Mr. Packard advises to learn about the educational background of people to better understand them. Lastly, he advises to not forget to laugh and have moments of joy by being vulnerable and authentic.

John Huemoeller, CEO of AXIM® Biotechnologies, an international healthcare solutions company based in San Diego targeting oncological and COVID-19 research, discusses three first-of-their-kind COVID-19 neutralizing antibody tests. They have developed the world's first rapid diagnostic test for detecting COVID-19 neutralizing antibodies and are waiting on EUA approval based on its proven test's accuracy in blood and serum. John Huemoeller currently serves as CEO of AXIM Biotechnologies, Inc. Mr. Huemoeller has over 35 years’ experience in investment banking, finance, sales and marketing. He began his career as an investment advisor in 1982 with M.L. Stern & Company a municipal bond firm in California and became a registered principal in 1985. He has previously been registered with various state insurance boards, as well as with the Chicago Board of Trade as a commodities broker. Mr. Huemoeller has worked for Smith Barney, Drexel Burnham, Prudential Securities, and Paine Webber and has extensive experience in stocks, bonds, commodities, mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts and private placement transactions. Prior to becoming CEO of AXIM Biotechnologies, Inc. in 2018, Mr. Huemoeller served on the Board of Directors of AXIM Biotech, as Chairman of the Audit Committee, beginning in July 2017.

Everyone is talent. Your team, your bosses, and you. Today Kevin sits down with Rishon Blumberg, co-author of GAME CHANGER: How to Be 10x in the Talent Economy and co-founder of 10x Management. Rishon discusses 10x talent and 10x companies. The talent not only knows their stuff, but they can also share information at the human level. 10x companies create an environment hospitable to exceptional talent. Finding the right people is not an issue. Attracting, retaining, and managing your talent help your organization become more innovative and more responsive to experience growth. You need to know your talent and show commitment by playing to their strengths. This episode is brought to you by… Unleashing Your Remarkable Potential, Kevin's free weekly e-newsletter. It's full of articles and resources to help you become a more confident and successful leader. Additional Leadership Resources Book Recommendations: Game Changer: How to Be 10x in the Talent Economy by Michael Solomon and Rishon Blumberg The Predators' Ball: The Inside Story of Drexel Burnham and the Rise of the Junk Bond Raiders by Connie Bruck Connect with Rishon Blumberg: Book Website | Website | LinkedIn Related Podcast Episodes: The Power of Corporate Culture with Chris Dyer. The Expertise Economy with Kelly Palmer. The Hospitable Leader with Terry Smith. Turning Culture into Competitive Advantage with Jeff Grimshaw. Subscribe to the Podcast Don't miss an episode! Subscribe to this podcast through the options below. iTunes Stitcher TuneIn Soundcloud RSS Or your favorite podcast app.

Art Bilger, Founder & CEO, is a venture capitalist who started WorkingNation in 2016 to bring attention to structural unemployment issues, the future of work, the skills gap, and achievable solutions. Art has been an investor in, and director of, various private companies, including Akamai Technologies, where he served as Vice Chairman. He was also president and COO of New World Communications Group; a Founding Partner of Apollo Advisors; and Executive Vice President, Co-head of Corporate Finance at Drexel Burnham Lambert. He serves on the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School Board of Overseers. In addition, Art is Vice Chairman of the Skirball Cultural Center; a board member of Bet Tzedek; an advisory board member for the Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging; and on the Executive Committee for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation. He was an executive producer for the film 20 Feet from Stardom, which won the 2013 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. Art earned an economics degree from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the University of Chicago. First Job: “Runner at a small, but important, Wall Street firm when I was 16. I was the youngest runner by 50 years, but it led me to want to work on Wall Street which led to Wharton and UC, then joining Drexel Burnham as a young investment banker. This background is key to my focus at WorkingNation.” Side Note: “I attended my first concert when I was 11 years old and heard a then-little-known band called The Beach Boys.” Follow Art at LinkedIn. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/toby-usnik/support

Today I’m talking to Leslie Mcelwreath, of SIR in Greenwich, CT. Leslie is #1 Realtor in Greenwich and #1 Sotheby’s International Realty agent in the state of Connecticut. Her career sales volume exceeds $650 million and her annual production makes her one of the top Sotheby’s International Realty agents in the country.Leslie has represented three historic Greenwich estates; Rockfield's, a former Rockefeller estate which sold in 19 days for $22.5 million; Sabine Farm which sold for $25 million in 2017; and Old Mill Farm, formerly owned by Mel Gibson, which sold for $13.25 million in 2019. These transactions are several of the highest-priced single-family home sales in Greenwich history.Leslie’s previous career as a Wall Street executive encompassed 15 years with firms such as Bankers Trust Company, Bear Stearns & Co, NationsBanc, Drexel Burnham and Lambert,Leslie and I talk about what it takes to be a record-breaking agent in your market.What did Leslie love so much about this business (3.31)The differences between the training for securities and the training to get into real estate (07.40)She shares with us about the secret of her success (11.03)How does she negotiate as a listing agent (20:56)Her conversations on negotiating (25:31)Her AHA moment to get into the breakthrough (30:56)Learning vs getting a deal (34:57)The story of her first deal (35:43)The final three (37:04)Resources / People Mentioned:Stanley Druckenmiller Floyd Wickman Chris VossBooks Mentioned:Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss Quotes/Takeaways:"A very large portion of my successes by the fact that I surround myself, by my peers here and by the brand and all that we have to offer our clients."Jere interviews the world’s most renowned and best real estate agents around the country and the world.These outstanding Agents tell their stories, how they got into the business, and what has made them successful in one of the oldest and most competitive industries.All of this on the “Jere Metcalf Podcast, Top Real Estate Agents tell how they do it.”www.JereMetcalfPodcast.comPowered by Jere Metcalf Partners 404.627.7789jere@jeremetcalfpartners.comJeremetcalfpartners.com

Rich Kent oversees Avistone’s capital markets operations and brings more than 30 years of experience in financial services, real estate investment, and capital markets to the company. Having completed transactions in commercial properties valued at more than $2 billion, Richard served as a senior executive at Auction.com prior to founding Avistone. Over the course of his career, Richard has held senior positions in the commercial real estate departments of Wall Street firms, commercial banks, and real estate operating firms including Drexel Burnham, Salomon Smith Barney, Commercial Capital Bank (now JP Morgan Chase) and Deutsche Bank Berkshire Mortgage.Connect with Richwww.avistone.comFor today’s show notes, including audio and links to all the resources mentioned, visit www.limitless-estates.com/podcasts. For today’s video feed, visit our YouTube channel.To get access to our free Passive Investors Guide and monthly newsletters sign up at www.limitless-estates.comSchedule a free call with Kyle or Lalita hereTo find out more about partnering or investing in a multifamily deal email info@limitless-estates.com Local to Southern California? Attend our monthly meetup focused on Out of State Apartment investing. View our schedule at https://www.limitless-estates.com/events/meetupsJoin our Facebook Group - Passive Income through Multifamily Real EstateHave a question you would like answered on the show? Email us at info@limitless-estates.com.

Diane DiResta is founder and president of DiResta Communications, Inc. Known as the Speaking Strategist, Diane brings over 20 years as a communications expert and speech pathologist. Her company works with Fortune 500 companies, media trains sports and entertainment celebrities from the NBA, WNBA, USGA and coaches C-level executives and entrepreneurs how to exude executive presence and shine on the platform. She’s been featured on CNN and quoted in the NY Times. WSJ, Investors Business Daily, the London Guardian, Fast Company and more.  As a professional speaker, Diane has spoken in Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, Russia, the Middle East and South America. Prior to establishing her company, she was an AVP at Drexel Burnham, a training specialist for Salomon Brothers and a Speech Pathologist for the NYC schools. She holds a Masters Degree in Speech Pathology from Columbia University, is a graduate of CoachU, and the author of the popular book, “Knockout Presentations.” Now in it’s 3rd edition. Diane DiResta Social Media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/speakingpro Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DiRestaCommunications/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediresta/ Website: www.DiResta.com  Jones.Show’s Social Media: Join us in the Jones.Show Lounge on Facebook Twitter (Randy): https://twitter.com/randallkjones  Instagram (Randy): https://www.instagram.com/randallkennethjones/ Facebook (Randy): https://www.facebook.com/mindzoo/ LinkedIn (Randy): https://www.linkedin.com/in/randallkennethjones/ Web:  RandallKennethJones.com Twitter (Susan): https://twitter.com/SiriouslySusan Instagram (Susan): https://www.instagram.com/siriouslysusan/ Facebook (Susan): https://www.facebook.com/siriouslysusan/ LinkedIn (Susan): https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-bennett-8607312/ Web: SusanCBennett.com www.Jones.Show

So, you want to grow your real estate business, but you’re on a limited budget, and you don’t know where to start. Are there creative ways to extend your reach that don’t cost an arm and a leg? Are there hidden profit centers in your business? What steps can you take to build your brand and increase your revenue now—and make your business more attractive to buyers when you’re ready to sell? Roland Frasier is the Principal of DigitalMarketer, a firm that provides tools and training programs for individuals, teams and marketing agencies. The company also sponsors the annual Traffic & Conversion Summit, the largest digital marketing conference in North America. Roland also serves as the CEO of War Room Mastermind, a community designed to help founders grow their wealth. A serial entrepreneur known for facilitating exponential growth, Roland has bought, scaled and sold 24 businesses over the years. Today on the podcast, Roland joins Oliver to offer advice on growing your real estate business. We discuss how to turn cost centers into profit centers and explore how buying a top podcast or Instagram account in your niche can yield a 10X return on investment. Roland also walks us through the process of doing deals with little or none of your own money and describes how to make your business more attractive to a buyer via recurring revenue. Listen in to understand how Roland grew a Facebook following of 1M in just eight months and learn why he is investing in brand-building, relationships—and 3K bottles of wine! Key Takeaways [0:27] How Roland got into the business of buying and selling companies Exposed to entrepreneurs through dad’s law practice Connected with investment banking world in NYC [2:35] How Roland maintains a relaxed demeanor Respond in intentional way (vs. react) Listen with beginner’s mind [4:22] How Roland prepares for a negotiation Write down must-haves and what can let go List potential objections given their likely must-haves [7:22] Roland’s first real estate deal Follow idea of building in path of progress Developed four lots of unentitled land [11:29] Roland’s insight on choosing action with multiple benefits Relationship with developer = numerous deals [12:52] The hidden profit centers in a real estate business Title, escrow and mortgage (ancillary businesses) Photography service + staging company Marketing or document prep Appointment setters + cold callers [18:32] Roland’s approach to growing a business Leverage AGILE Growth Framework Buy media sources within niche [21:57] How to do deals with little or none of your own money Overcome point of disbelief by buying real estate w/ deed transfer Structure buying companies same way (i.e.: first $1500 of profit) [30:35] How to leverage media platforms to scale your growth Buy several + promote to each other Increase velocity of touches [33:04] Roland’s advice on making your company more sellable Reduce risk by way of MRR/ARR (e.g.: subscription revenue) Turn cost centers into profit centers Develop bolt-on businesses [38:39] How Roland grew his Facebook page to 1M followers in eight months Shot short videos at meetings to generate content (1K total) Post on business page, pay to boost post and promote page Target English speakers to build brand globally [47:45] How to vet a digital marketing service Research their social media accounts (content, followers + engagement) Look at certifications and reach out to case studies on website [51:20] Roland’s take on how the blockchain may impact real estate May lose sophisticated customers at top of market Successful agents will be tech aware quarterback of transactions [56:34] Why Roland is unwilling to ‘bet the farm’ Watched father lose everything Defer or partner to avoid risk [58:55] Roland’s secret to staying calm and avoiding stress Realize very high highs and low lows don’t last Take charge of emotions, show up for people care about [1:04:02] What Roland is investing in at present Real estate and companies Personal brand-building and relationships Wine and art Connect with Roland DigitalMarketer Traffic & Conversion Summit War Room Mastermind Business Lunch with Roland Frasier Roland on Facebook Connect with Oliver Big Block Realty Oliver on Facebook Oliver on LinkedIn Resources The Predators’ Ball: The Inside Story of Drexel Burnham and the Rise of the JunkBond Raiders by Connie Bruck Vintage Wine Cellars on Instagram John Assaraf Digital Marketing Association Closing Table Mastermind Colgin Cellars Futo Wines Harlan Estate BOND Wines VIADER Vineyards Checkerboard Vineyards Dana Estates Ilsley Vineyards

Diane DiResta, Certified Speaking Professional, is founder and president of DiResta Communications, Inc. Known as the Speaking Strategist, Diane brings over 20 years as a communications expert and speech pathologist using her unique 4M approach. Her company works with Fortune 500 companies, media trains sports and entertainment celebrities from the NBA, WNBA, USGA and coaches C-level executives how to exude an executive presence and shine on the platform. He's been featured on CNN and quoted in the NY Times. WSJ, Investor's Business Daily, the London Guardian, Fast Company and more. She's a past president of NSA NY chapter and recipient of the Golden Mic award.   As a professional speaker, Diane has spoken in Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, Russia, the Middle East, and South America. Prior to establishing her company, she was an AVP at Drexel Burnham, a training specialist for Salomon Brothers and a Speech Pathologist for the NYC schools. She holds a master's degree in Speech Pathology from Columbia University, is a graduate of CoachU, and the author of the popular book, Knockout Presentations. Now in its 3rd edition.   Diane, the presentation guru, talks with David about some of the best practices of delivering knockout presentations! Including effective use of PowerPoints, note cards, developing an overall solid structure for your presentation, and steering away from disaster in a Q&A session!

Ray Hoffman introduces Doug Clark. It’s only about a 30-mile drive from where Doug  grew up to the Cherry Hill, New Jersey headquarters of Corcentric, the company that he has been building over the last two decades. Corcentric’s proprietary technology helps companies optimize their back office transactions, as in the way they purchase, make payments, and get paid. It’s also only about a 30-mile drive from where Doug grew up, in a slightly different direction, to center-city Philadelphia, where, as a young man, he went on the board of directors of the company that eventually became Drexel-Burnham. But when you grow up on a farm in Elmer, New Jersey, the way Doug did, in the 1950s, making your way into the worlds of accounting and finance, then truck leasing and later, technology, it isn’t as easy as just pointing your car — or your ambitions — straight up New Jersey Route 55. He’s been at it now since 1965. ‘It’ being this business of capitalism.     Key Takeaways: [1:24] Doug Clark created Ameriquest in 1997 during the dotcom era, having a vision of making companies more efficient. When the dot-coms crashed, Corcentric became available and Doug acquired it in a stock trade. [2:42] 2,000 customers do business with Corcentric. They have customers as well, so their influence is ‘huge!’ Doug’s risk when he took over was the question of whether the market was ready for their product. Corcentric was a disruptor. [4:24] Before electronic transactions, all money and finances were handled on paper. [6:02] Doug credits leadership school within the Boy Scouts and an accounting class at the University of Miami for preparing him to serve on corporate boards. [8:17] Doug talks about running a small truck leasing company. He worked with a group of operators. In 1997, they all put together $1 million, bought Electronic Trading Solutions, created a financial services company, and called it Ameriquest. Ameriquest was the start of Corcentric. [10:31] Doug and his team tried to imagine the customers’ needs and pain points, and they built solutions on those. [10:48] Doug helped Daimler Trucking North America get new customers, and re-engage past customers, using Corcentric technologies. Daimler keeps their trucks ahead of the competition. Corcentric helped them bring their back office into this century. They went live in February 2013, and it has only gotten better for them. Listen in for details. [15:53] Doug Clark — 30 years into his career, he invented a way for companies to get out from under all their back office paperwork so that they can spend more time listening to their customers. This is capitalism.     Mentioned in This Episode: AmeriQuest Corcentric Drexel Burnham Deloitte, Haskins & Sells Daimler Trucks North America Stephens.com This Is Capitalism

SSI started in the '70's as one of the original firms to offer market neutral strategies, and George has been the Chief Investment Officer of SSI for the past two decades, following stints with Credit Suisse, Drexel Burnham and managing money for Sir John Templeton.  Focusing on Convertible Securities thru long only and Convertible Arbitrage strategies, George discusses Convertibles - how they work, where they fit in a portfolio, what benefits and disadvantages they offer, etc.  With 45% of the Convertible market is in Health Care and Technology, he discusses how this is a market niche opportunity.  He provides specific examples of where Convertibles have worked well, how they performed in the credit crisis in 2008 and how they recovered, as well as market periods that are typcially not advantageous for Convertibles.  This is an excellent introduction to Convertibles by one of the leaders in the industry in this space and every investor should find it enlightening and interesting.