LOCATION: 100 E. Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 2400, Milwaukee, WI 53202
WEB SITE: www.clearygull.com
YEAR FOUNDED: 1987
PRODUCT OR SERVICE OFFERED: Investment advisory and investment banking.
PROJECTED 2008 REVENUE: $19 million
LEADERSHIP TEAM: Michael J. Cleary, chairman and chief executive officer; Robert W. Warner, executive vice president; John R. Peterson, managing director; Ronald D. Miller, managing director; and Maureen Busby Oster, president of MBO Cleary Advisors.
TARGET CLIENTELE: Investment advisory: high net worth individuals and families, retirement plan sponsors, foundations and endowments. Investment banking: middle market companies
BUSINESS ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIPS: Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce; International Association of Investment Bankers; Profit Sharing 401k Council of America; SEC Registered Investment Advisor; and FINRA Broker Dealer.
WHAT HAS FUELED YOUR COMPANY’S GROWTH? A focus on our service platform, for our investment advisory business, and high client retention goals. We launched a new service platform for our clients to provide the highest touch service we can to existing clients, which has lead to a great source of new business in referrals. We have also expanded our investment banking mergers and acquisitions activity.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE TO YOUR COMPANY’S GROWTH? On the internal side, our biggest obstacle is attracting and finding superior talent, and externally, is our competition.
DO YOU PLAN ANY CHANGES IN YOUR COMPANY IN THE UPCOMING MONTHS? We feel it is important, even in a recession, to continue to allocate resources in order to upgrade our infrastructure. We will be upgrading our software programs to further enhance our service model. We are also in the process of reviewing our five-year strategic business plan to determine what pieces are still applicable in the ever changing environment. We need to stay cutting edge in order to continue our history of growth.
WHO ARE THE BUSINESS PEOPLE, LOCALLY OR NATIONALLY, WHOM YOU ADMIRE? AND WHAT TRAITS DO THOSE PEOPLE EXHIBIT THAT MAKE YOU ADMIRE THEM? People who have a fully functioning moral compass and a high level of integrity. It is imperative in our industry to have those traits, and we make no exceptions in our standards of associating only with such individuals.
WHAT IS THE OUTLOOK FOR THE BUSINESS CONDITIONS OF YOUR INDUSTRY OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS? We have officially entered into a recession and continue to watch as the markets fluctuate. We have listened to numerous economists and recognize that we could continue in this recession for a number of months. We have prepared ourselves and our clients for this potential, and focus on minimizing risks during this time period.
