Guardians of Finance with Matt McLaughlin

Our guest today is Andrew Medvedev, Dean of the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Andrew has a fascinating story. He was born in Russia, eventually made his way to Cleveland, and took a path that was anything but straightforward. We talked about how he once imagined a future in law or medicine before finding his way into finance, how he got his start in investmen...

Today we’re joined by Brad Knapp, CFA, CAIA, President and CEO of Clearstead. Brad began his career in banking, then moved into wealth management at Hawthorn right as the Global Financial Crisis was unfolding. From there, he’s played a key role in the evolution from Hartland to Clearstead, as the firm expanded from its institutional roots into a major presence in private wealth. We’re going to tal...

Today we’re joined by Brendan Anderson, Founder & Managing Partner of ScaleCo Capital. We kick things off with his jump from banking to buying his first company as we dig into what gave him the courage to make the move and how he made that first deal happen. From there, Brendan breaks down what ScaleCo looks for and how they partner with “lifestyle businesses” to professionalize and grow them...

Today, we’re sitting down with Greg Halter, CFA, Director of Research at Carnegie Investment Counsel. Greg’s path through the financial planning side of the business, his formative experience at the Federal Reserve, and his unique insights into Cleveland’s evolving investment landscape give us a lot to unpack. We talk about why the planning side of finance caught his attention, what he saw behind...

In part three of our special series on the history of Cleveland’s investment industry, we're joined by David MacGregor, CFA, co-founder and President of Longbow Research. David first came to Cleveland in the 1990s as a sell-side analyst, and in the early 2000s, he co-founded Longbow Research. Over the past two decades, he's led the firm through multiple market cycles, keeping it independent and st...

In part two of our special series on the history of Cleveland’s investment industry, we sit down with Scott Roulston, former CEO of Roulston & Co. Scott’s family has played a central role in Cleveland’s investment industry for more than 50 years, and he shares personal insights from his own journey, including becoming CEO at a young age and making the bold decision in the late 1990s to shift t...

In this episode, we begin our series diving into Cleveland's investment history—where it's been, how it's evolved, and the influential figures who've shaped it. I'm thrilled to kick off this series by sitting down with a true industry pioneer, Nancy Benacci. Nancy has built a distinguished career here in Cleveland, witnessing firsthand the transformation of the investment landscape over the decade...

In this episode, we're joined by Ryan McGovern, Managing Director at Star Mountain Capital. Originally from the West Coast, Ryan's educational and career journey took him around the world before he eventually landed in Cleveland, where he has now lived for over a decade. Ryan has extensive expertise in private markets, having transitioned early in his career from public market investing to private...

In this episode, we talk with Craig Cimoroni, Head of Business Development and Investor Relations at Elizabeth Park Capital Management. Craig was born and raised on the east side of Cleveland and returned to the area immediately following college. He's worked for several well-known companies in Northeast Ohio and is very active in his local community and with the CFA Society Cleveland, w...

In this episode, we talk with Andrew Rising & Mike Nieset of Encore Venture Labs.  Both Andrew and Mike were born and raised in NE Ohio before exploring other parts of the US and then brought their experiences back to Cleveland.  We talk about these experiences and what led them back to Cleveland as well as what they are doing at Encore Venture Labs in this wide-ranging but informati...

In this episode, we talk with Nick Raich, Founder & CEO at The Earnings Scout.  Nick was born and raised in Youngstown before his career journey took him to Chicago and then back to NE Ohio where he now lives on the west side of Cleveland.  After working for several large organizations, he founded The Earnings Scout in 2013, using his background in analyzing publicly traded companies...

In this episode, we talk with Michael Murphy, Co-Founder and CEO of Cleveland Professional Soccer. Michael is a St. Ignatius graduate and has lived in several different parts of the country before returning to Cleveland. He has a wide range of experiences, from law to the military and even film production. We discuss his connection to Cleveland, his winding journey to his current role in sports bu...

In this episode, we talk with Andrew Newsome, Director at the Ohio Minority Business Development Agency, where he specializes in Mergers, Acquisitions, and Partnerships.  Andrew grew up in Seattle and lived in several different parts of the country before putting roots down here in Cleveland.  He has a wide range of experiences, from management consulting to operations, venture capital,...

In this episode, we talk with Joe Koster, Founder & Co-Owner of Sorfis Investments.  If you're a fan of Berkshire Hathaway or Buffet/Munger investment disciple, you may know Joe from his poplar Substack newsletter Value Investing World.  What you may not know is that Joe resides right here in NE Ohio.  After being born and raised here, Joe moved to the Carolinas where he lived t...

In this episode, we talk with George Mateyo, Chief Investment Officer at the KeyBank.  George has worked for several prominent organizations in the NE Ohio investment community and he shares his career journey with us.  George also talks about his background and expertise in implementing alternative assets into portfolios as well as Key's current market outlook.  Thanks for listenin...

In this episode, we talk with Tony Gattuso, Senior Director, Investments at the Cleveland Foundation.  The Cleveland Foundation is one of Cleveland's most prominent foundations and has a long and storied history.  Tony takes us through his career path, what he sees as the benefits of having an in-house investment function, and the origins of his nickname (one of the best we've heard on t...

In this episode, we talk with Russell Moenich, Executive Chairman & Investment Analyst at North Beach Holdings, LLC.  Russell is a lifelong Clevelander, a Buffet/Munger disciple, and an extreme sports enthusiast.  We dive into all of those interests and more in this conversation that starts with a lawn care business and ends with mentions of the 1995 Cleveland Grand Prix.  Thank...

In this episode, we talk with Matt Rodak, CEO and Founder of Upright.  Upright, formerly Fund that Flip, is a technology platform used to invest in and obtain loans for renovating residential real estate.  Matt was born and raised in Northeast Ohio and it's where he discovered his passion for real estate investing.  Despite living somewhere else now, we talk about his still strong c...

In this episode, we talk with Lauren Rich Fine, CFA and Senior Managing Director at Greis Financial.  Lauren has a long a disguised career in financial services that took her to Wall Street for a time before she returned to her roots here in Cleveland.  Lauren is also a woman of many passions outside of the workplace.  We talk about challenges early in her career and why she moved b...

We continue our Meet the Board Series with Cara Wood, CFA, CAIA and Suzana Vujasin, CFA, CAIA.  Cara currently serves as Committee Chair for the Women's Committee while Suzana serves a Treasurer for the Board.  We talk with both of them about their backgrounds and roles on the Board.  Have you ever wondered which CFA Cleveland Board member was once on Oprah and which one is the like...

In this episode, we talk with Michael McKeown, CFA, CPA and Chief Investment Officer at Marcum Wealth.  If you've been involved in the CFA Society Cleveland over the past few years, you probably know Mike as he was formerly Society President and has always been very active in the community.  What you may not know is Mike's story.  How he got started in the businesses and how he beca...

In this episode, we talk with Ezra Stark, CEO of Stark Enterprises.  Stark and Ezra have been and continue to be involved in many well-known real estate properties in NE Ohio and have also been expanding outside of Ohio.  After growing up on the east side, Ezra went to college and lived in Boston and New York before coming back to Cleveland.  We talk with Ezra about his background,...

In this episode, we talk with Dave Fulton, CFA, Co-Chair and CEO of Clearstead.  Dave has a long and distinguished career in Northeast Ohio.  We talk about his career progression and work at both big and small firms around Cleveland, we go into detail about Clearstead's past, present and future, and also dive into Dave's personal life passions where he stays active on multiple fronts.&nb...

In this episode, we talk with Brad Wheeler, President of Shaker Investments.  Brad has had a long and distinguished career on both the sell-side and buy-side with some notable firms in Northeast Ohio.  We talk with Brad about his experiences in both segments of the investment management business, how he transitioned from analytical roles early in his career to more client-facing position...

This is the second episode in a series where we talk with the leadership of CFA Cleveland.  We talk today with Sam Wass, Career Services Chair, and Colby Krahe, Membership Chair.  In their professional life outside of CFA Cleveland Sam is an Investment Analyst at RIK Enterprises and Colby is and Institutional Investment Advisor with PNC Institutional Asset Management.  We talk with...