I'm from Athens, Georgia. We owned a retail store that had been in our family for 75 years. I started working there when I was 12 or 13 and began selling shortly afterward. I remember one day when a man in overalls walked in. He was unshaven and nobody wanted to wait on him because they figured he wouldn't buy anything. When a senior salesperson finally walked over to him, the man pulled out a roll of hundreds and bought three suits. It was my first lesson in not prejudging customers.

Retail is a tough business. My dad told my two brothers and me that the business would always be there for us to fall back on, but he encouraged us to try something else.

I believe the best job in the world is financial advisor, but you have to work hard. I've been at Morgan Keegan my entire career. After graduating from the University of Georgia in 1987 with a finance degree, I started as a financial advisor in the Atlanta office cold-calling and walking around town and knocking on doors. It taught me determination and perseverance. I recall one man who gave me a check for $100,000. A week later my manager walked into my office and told me he'd had a call from an irate client who said I hadn't done anything with his money. I had put it in a money market fund because I wasn't sure what to do with it. After that conversation I invested in some worthwhile stocks for the client that did very well. I learned it is not enough just to get the assets under management-you have to serve the client first.

In 1994, I was named branch manager of the Athens office. Then in 1999, I was promoted to East regional president and joined our executive committee. Last January, I accepted my present position. We have about 70 locations in the southeast, and I see my position as a field job as much as a "corner office" job. I have learned that I have to be out there talking to advisors, listening to their concerns and providing guidance. I'm passionate about coaching, having been an advisor myself. I like seeing others do well. Your success is still based on the number of people you see. I was able to grow my production at a run rate of about $100,000 a year for the first 12 years.

I've been blessed at Morgan Keegan. I've gotten calls about other positions, but I've never even visited another firm.

I enjoy hunting for turkey, quail, and duck when I have time. I also love golf and fishing. When I retire, I'll do these a lot more than I can now.