By: Steve Zimmer
Staff Writer
Alumni Chicago Trip
Last week, members of SIMM traveled to Chicago to meet with St. Bonaventure alumni at their respective businesses. The first meeting of the trip was a tour of the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) with Tom Scanlan ’89, vice president of ICAP. Scanlan gave students an overview of his trading career at the CBOT, his work with ICAP and gave advice about students seeking an internship or job. After meeting with Scanlan, students met with Bonaventure alumni at Dough, Inc and tastytrade. Dough is an options trading platform designed with the individual investor in mind. Through www.dough.com an investor can learn about different strategies available when making options trades, as well as creating easy-to-read distribution charts that show payoffs within certain strategies. Tastytrade, which is under the Dough, Inc. brand, is a financial media outlet that produces over eight hours of live programming Monday through Saturday on all finance topics with a focus on options trading.
After tastytrade and Dough Inc., students met with Bonaventure alumni at TDAmeritrade. Alumni at TDAmeritrade performed a variety of tasks including client support on the thinkorswim trading platform, account support, product/platform development and anti-money laundering surveillance. They talked about the importance of networking, having a perfect resume and taking advantage of career opportunities as they arise. After TDAmeritrade, students met with Frank Greywitt, ’00, of Deutsche Bank. Greywitt is a manager of a real estate portfolio that has done well in a low-rate environment. Students heard from Greywitt and members of his team about portfolio management, sales and the valuation process of Sovran Self Storage (SSS). The final meeting of the trip was Bonaventure alumna Bridget Ginty at Morningstar. Students were able to speak with analysts in Morningstar’s development program and get a tour of the office.
The trip provided students with many networking opportunities. Many thanks to the Chicago alumni base, especially Tom Cullen ’00, for helping to set up meetings. It’s greatly appreciated!
SIMM is a club that meets every Monday and Wednesday from 4 -5:15 p.m. in the Financial Services Lab (Swan 101). Any major and all experience levels are welcome. Researching companies and presenting recommendations help students develop personal investing skills that provide an education that can’t be found in any other class. If interested, feel free to contact Steve Zimmer at zimmersm11@bonaventure.edu.
