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Students Explore Financial Services Careers |
by James C. Moore '09
 In the waking hours of
the morning of October 24, 2007, 14 Hampden-Sydney gentlemen and Ms. Laura Neidert, Assistant Director of Career Development, set out to explore the business dealings of downtown Richmond’s various banking branches. This was an all-day event introducing Hampden-Sydney College students to the world of financial services. Each host offered an information session
and networking opportunity at their place of business.
Our first visit was with Davenport & Company where we met with two of the company’s stockbrokers, Mr. Stephen
Spraker ’98 and Mr. Moncure Geho ’87. Spraker informed us that the banking and financial services industry
is constantly changing,
as is today’s economy. Spraker distributed market reports and told us his personal account of why he decided to be a
stockbroker. His job requires that you recruit many wealthy clients. He explained that stockbrokers work a very flexible schedule and that you must be very business oriented. Spraker stated that “you can’t be all things to all people.”
Geho told us how buying stocks in a company makes you an owner of that
company, which is known as Equity Ownership. According to Spraker, “As a
stockbroker, everyday of the month your salary is zero, unless you work hard and
earn money. In this business, it’s vital to write down everything and pay close attention to detail.” Being a successful stockbroker requires that you maintain your stability, possess a competitive spirit, and
take full advantage of any and every opportunity to make money.
Next, we arrived at BB&T where we were enthusiastically greeted by Billy Tornabene ’99, Vice President, Mergers
& Acquisitions, who explained to us the ins and outs of investment banking. Tornabene stressed the importance of
learning and mastering the banking lingo. He stated
"that accounting is the language that bankers speak and that you must be able to communicate the proper economic terminology
when working in the financial services industry.” Tornabene also expressed the need to have
accounting as your strength as opposed to your weakness, and urged us to check out
Economist.com and TheDeal.com for helpful information.
At Bank of America, we were introduced to Mr. Broderick Williams ’00 and Mr. Larry Mansfield ’86,
Vice President, Commercial Real Estate Banking, who were kind enough to provide us with lunch. During lunch Mr. Williams
told us that initially he was an English major at H-SC, but he eventually decided to get involved in the banking industry
because of the various opportunities to make money. After lunch, Mr. Mansfield gave us his personal account of
why he decided to get involved in banking. He informed us of how fortunate he was to have some banking
connections that enabled him to receive an opportunity in financial services.
His experience proves that it is not always what you know, but who you know that matters at times. Mansfield ’86
said that “with opportunities there are challenges, but the harder you work, the more money you can make.”
Next we headed to HarrisWilliams & Co. Instead of meeting in a typical
board room setting, we were
taken to a more relaxed atmosphere. In HarrisWilliams
& Co.’s break/lounge area, we were cordially introduced to several members of
the HarrisWilliams & Co. investment banking team: Stevie McFadden; John Dickinson ’83, Managing Director, Mergers &
Acquisitions; and Hiter Harris ’83, Managing Director/Founder, Mergers & Acquisitions. After a tour,
the HarrisWilliams & Co. team provided refreshments and gave us nice gift bags filled with a water
bottle, a miniature football, a deck of playing cards, a pen, a shoe horn/bottle opener, and a cup holder. It
was easy to see how little acts of kindness can make a real difference in business. At HarrisWilliams & Co.
we all realized the importance of being with a company that makes you feel welcome as well as one that makes you
feel like part of a family.
Mr. Harris explained how vital it is in the banking business to be with a company that not only pays you
very well, but to be with one that truly makes you feel appreciated.
At HarrisWillimas we learned that success breeds success and that banking analysts in the financial services
industry work long hours, but earn big rewards.
Overall, the Richmond financial services field trip was a great success. I would like to thank Career
Development for providing us with this special opportunity to gain valuable knowledge about the financial
services industry. On behalf of my fellow students: Jordan Harless, Ramsey Diament, Sam Soots, Brendan Hanley,
Will Smith, Brian Kern, Mike Crincoli, Jeremy Ton, Rudy Turner, Scott Benner, Adam King, Kyle Martin, and Drew Tatom,
I would like to thank Davenport & Company, BB&T Capital Markets, Bank of America, and HarrisWilliams & Co.
for the wonderful experience.
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