About Brendan Ross | Ross Asset Advisors
April 10th, 2012
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Brendan graduated from Brown University with a double major in Economics and Sociology. He received Magna and Phi Beta Kappa and was awarded Honors in Sociology. Brendan began his career at Mercer Management Consulting (now Oliver Wyman), where he worked for a variety of clients including United Airlines, Bank of America, and AOL.He left Mercer to join MediaOnes newly formed Strategy Group.
Brendan was an early employee of blogging community Xanga.com. He then joined Ticketmaster where he lead a team of Product Managers in the development of web-based products including the Sports TicketExchange, now used by 54 NBA, NHL, and NFL teams. CEO of ReserveAmerica and Fanfare Media Works Brendan has run a number of companies prior to founding Ross Asset Advisors, including ReserveAmerica, where as President he grew revenue from $20 to $28 million. ReserveAmerica is the worlds largest outdoor recreation reservation company, employing 600 people across North America. Fanfare Media Works, where Brendan was President CEO, is the largest provider of in-supermarket advertising on register tape and shopping carts, generating $60 million in annual revenue from a team of 400 employees and over 500 independent contractors. At Fanfare, Brendan led a private equity backed turnaround, recapitalizing the company after only 6 months. After running this second, successful turnaround, Brendan took a break to focus on managing his assets and found his true calling.
Ross Asset Advisors was born of the many requests he received from friends and former colleagues to improve their investment results and bring long-term vision to their efforts.
Brendans leadership style has always been based on honest conversation, careful listening, and earning the respect of those around him. His belief in the importance of candor and intellectual honesty has always garnered him the support of employees, customers, and suppliers. Interview with Brendan Q: What first sparked your interest in investing? A: My high school offered a course in Economics, and part of the curriculum included a stock-picking contest. Even at that age I understood that stock-picking was gambling, and that if I wanted to beat all 30 students I had to make a moon shot. Unlike in real life, there was no prize for second place. I bet the whole portfolio on an airline in the throes of a hideous reorganization that had the lowest P/E ratio I could find. The stock leaped up, and I won.I remember very clearly being fascinated that my peers attributed to my intelligence what I knew to be mostly luck.
Q: When did you first take your own investing seriously? A: My wife and I were among the brilliant people who bought real estate in Los Angeles some time ago. When we sold our house we turned $400K into $800K. I was young and had $400K in the bank. This was an extraordinary stroke of good fortune, and I was determined to capitalize properly on this luck. After rejecting conventional portfolios as too risky, I developed my high-yield, high-quality fixed income philosophy, and I continued to enjoy success in my portfolio and my career. A: Ive always been skeptical of traditional approaches which tend to reflect yesterdays thinking instead of tomorrows.
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Source: (Brendan Ross) http://www.rossasset.com/about-brendan-ross/


