Pete Clarke, Robert Irvine and Brian Rathjen celebrate a partnership that gives back to veterans.
The TV show Billions on Showtime is about characters who exemplify narcissism, consumption, and greed that can be associated with the wealth created on Wall Street. If Showtime were to make a show about Roberts and Ryan, a service-disabled veteran-owned broker-dealer, the network would have the opportunity to shine a bright light on patriotism, generosity and compassionate leadership, instead.
Recently, I had the privilege of meeting with two of their exuberant and heart-centered executives, Brian Rathjen, president, and Pete Clarke, senior director, to discuss the unique company culture and social mission. "Service" was at the core of everything we discussed, including providing high levels of return and high-touch support to the Fortune 1000 corporations, private equity firms and asset managers they support. At the same time, their team works exhaustively to give back to veterans and their families. Rathjen’s favorite five words are, “How can I help you?” which he attributes to his parents who were “givers”. Clarke comes from a military family and met Rathjen at the Naval Academy.
The firm was founded with the noble purpose of creating a financial engine that could donate a percentage of its profits to worthy veteran causes in the areas of mental health, wellness, and career transition. The firm to date donates more money to these not-for-profit partners than they paid out in bonuses, including the first year when the company lost money. To date, they have donated over $1.5 million and last year they gave away 25% of their profit. Rathjen and Clarke know the need for supporting our heroes can not be fulfilled by the government alone and want to encourage other leaders to step up and become creative about how they can help these notable families. They offer that being of service in this way is extremely rewarding personally and morale-boosting for their team.
For example, The Roberts & Ryan and Robert Irvine Foundation partnership supplies US Veterans who lost their mobility in active duty with the IBOT wheelchair, produced by Mobius Mobility. Unlike other wheelchairs, the IBOT offers its user a multi-modal mobility experience, including all-terrain accessibility, an eye-to-eye view of others, and the ability to go up or down stairs. One of the recipients is completing Harvard Medical School and the IBOT will allow him to better practice medicine. Watch a heartwarming video showing another of the recipients learning that they are being gifted this life-changing technology from celebrity chef and philanthropist Robert Irvine:
Both Rathjen and Clarke are very proud patriots and Navy veterans. They define patriot as a person who is inclusive, proud of this country, wants to help fellow citizens, and values the freedoms we have. They enjoy employing a diverse team that includes veterans and active reservists with an average of 25 years of experience. Their business lines include institutional equity agency trading, equity capital markets, debt capital markets, public finance, mortgage & asset-backed capital markets and alternative investments. In addition to donating to causes that benefit veterans and their families, they have also begun to support youth and young adult initiatives closing the opportunity gap. They are looking for new clients who want to be part of their mission and you can learn about all their partnerships and donations here.
And if you happen to work at Showtime, consider creating a show about compassionate leaders like the ones at Roberts and Ryan who can inspire the next generation to lead with love and serve their country whether by being in the military, supporting military families or in other ways aligned with purpose and patriotism.
