Mischler Financial Group

Mischler Financial Group

Founded	1994
Headquarters	Newport Beach, California, USA
Number of employees	50+
Website	www.mischlerfinancial.com

Mischler Financial Group is the American financial services industry's oldest minority investment bank and institutional brokerage owned and operated by Service-Disabled-Veterans and is the first Finra member firm to become a federally-certified-Service Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (SDVBE). Mischler Financial Group is based out of Newport Beach, CA with co-headquarters in Stamford, CT and regional offices in Chicago, IL, Boston, MA, Red Bank, NJ, and Detroit, MI.

History

In 1989, California established the Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) Program, which formally classified service-disabled veterans (SDVs) as a minority group for the purpose of state and municipal government contract awards and entitled Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses (SDVOBs) the same recognition as that provided to other State-recognized minority business owners, including Women-owned businesses, African-American Owned businesses and Hispanic-American owned businesses.^[1] The Act promoted self-reliance for California's disabled veterans by offering veterans the opportunity to gain experience in and provide resources by which disabled veterans could pursue the establishment of their own businesses with the same opportunities available to minority-owned businesses. Soon thereafter, Walter Mischler, then a senior manager for a regional securities brokerage in Southern California whose earlier career path began as a graduate of the United States Military Academy, and who then served two tours in the Vietnam War before sustaining injuries that led to his receiving a service-disabled certification, was determined to create his own investment firm and leverage the resources and opportunities provided to Service-Disabled Veterans under recent State and soon thereafter, Federal legislation. In 1994, under Walt Mischler’s leadership, The Mischler Financial Group became the very first minority broker-dealer to be owned and operated by service-disabled veterans and the only federally-certified SDV-owned business enterprise operating within the financial services industry.^[2] Since its formation, the firm has grown from its role as a small boutique firm with five employees operating out of a Newport Beach office to employing more than 50 financial industry professionals with offices in five major US cities. The firm is committed to mentoring service-disabled veterans as they seek roles within the private sector as well as the financial services industry, advocates on behalf of multiple organizations that promote opportunities and support for the service-disabled veteran community, and is dedicated to hiring qualified veterans for roles within the firm when opportunities arise. 20% of the firm’s employees are service-disabled veterans, including the Founder/Chairman and the firm’s CEO.^[3]

Management

Walter Mischler

Walter Mischler is the Founder and Chairman of Mischler Financial Group. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and served as an infantry officer for the United States Army during the Vietnam War.^[4] After sustaining combat injuries that led to his service-disabled veteran certification and leaving the military, Mischler worked in sales for companies like Procter & Gamble, Squibb Pharmaceutical, and Black & Decker. Mischler was working for Liberty Capital Markets Inc. as an account executive when he learned of California’s Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) Program, and left his job to start his own business and Mischler Financial Group was created in 1994.^[5]

Dean Chamberlain

Dean Chamberlain is the Chief Executive Officer and Principal of Mischler Financial Group and has served in this role since January 2013. Chamberlain is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering Management and thereafter, he served 6 years as an officer in the U.S. Army before he sustained injuries in the line of duty that led to his being certified as service-disabled. He then received a Masters in Business Administration from J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. Prior to being appointed CEO of Mischler Financial Group in 2013, Chamberlain’s Wall Street career included senior roles for leading investment banks. Immediately prior to joining Mischler Financial Group, Chamberlain worked for Nomura Securities International, Inc. from 2005 to 2011 where he held many positions including the Head of Fixed Income for Americas and Managing Director and Deputy Head of Fixed Income. Prior to his employment at Nomura Securities, Chamberlain worked for the Bank of America Securities LLC managing the Midwest distribution of mortgage-related and structured products.^[6]

Doyle Holmes

Doyle Holmes is the President and Chief Operating Officer at the Mischler Financial Group. Holmes attended Golden Gate University in San Francisco, CA where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration. Holmes has had a lot of experience working in leadership positions in the financial industry. Holmes has worked as the President and CEO for Liberty Monetary Services, President and CEO for Liberty Capital Markets and Managing Director of Fixed Income for Gilford Securities, Inc. Holmes worked at Gilford Securities, Inc. until 1996 when he left to work at Mischler Financial Group.^[7]

Philanthropy

Mischler Financial Group committed to not only hiring and training qualified service-disabled veterans, the firm is committed to giving back to the veteran and SDV community. Mischler Financial Group has advocated SDV legislation since introduced in various States and has helped raise millions of dollars and directly donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Service-Disabled Veteran support programs including, among others, Wounded Warrior Project,^[8] The Fisher House Foundation,^[9] The Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation,^[10] Bob Woodruff Foundation,^[11] and Lead The Way Fund.^[12]

Investment Banking Presence

Thanks in part to Mischler Financial Group’s minority designation, coupled with the capital markets capabilities the firm’s management and employees, many of whom are also service-disabled veterans, and who before joining Mischler had previously served in senior capital markets roles for the financial industry’s premiere investment firms, Mischler has established a notable presence across the primary debt and equities capital markets. Mischler has played a role as underwriting manager, co-manager and or selling group member on behalf of dozens of Fortune corporations in the course of their issuing billions of dollars of new debt and equity issuance. Mischler Financial Group has helped to underwrite debt capital market deals for among others, GE Capital, Fannie Mae, Bank of America, Chevron Corporation, PG&E, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Toyota Motor Credit Corporation, and has been a selling group member for a number of the most widely-followed initial public offerings (IPOs), including Twitter.^[13]

Corporate Events

In recent years, Mischler Financial has been selected by the New York Federal Reserve Bank on two recent occasions to be one of a very short list of firms designated to participate in pilot programs that intended to level the playing field by enabling those select minority firms to serve side-by-side with the 21 global banks that the Federal Reserve has designated to be primary dealers. This means that Mischler Financial Group is one of only a few non-primary dealers designated by the New York Federal Reserve Bank to serve in the same capacity as the 21 primary government dealers in connection with the distribution of new debt issues from the United States Government and facilitate the US Treasury's QE-related bond repurchase program on behalf of the United States Government.^[14][15]

References

1. "Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) Program". California Department of Veteran Affairs. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
2. Clough, Richard. "From front lines to high finance". Orange County Register. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
3. "Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) Program". California Department of Veteran Affairs. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
4. Clough, Richard. "From front lines to high finance". Orange County Register. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
5. "Our Team". Mischler Financial. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
6. "Dean Arthur Chamberlain". BrightScope.
7. "Our Team". Mischler Financial. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
8. "Wounded Warrior Project Gratefully Recognizes Donation From Mischler Financial Group, Inc.". PR Newswire. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
9. "In Honor of Vets on Memorial Day: Mischler Financial Group Supports Fisher House". Nasdaq GlobalNewswire. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
10. "Wall Street Firm Honoring Vets This Coming Veteran's Day: Mischler Financial Group Pledges Profits to Children of Fallen Patriots". GlobalNewswire. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
11. "Wall Street Investment Firm Announces Veterans Mission; Mischler Financial Expands Annual Profit Pledge in Honor of Veteran's Day 2014". GlobalNewswire. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
12. "Wall Street Firm Pledges May Profits to Help Lead The Way". Global Newswire. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
13. Wells, Jane. "Broker-dealer is looking for a few good veterans". CNBC. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
14. "New York Fed Names Four Firms to Participate in the Treasury Operations Counterparty Pilot Program". Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
15. "New York Fed Names Three Firms to Participate in the Mortgage Operations Counterparty Pilot Program". Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Retrieved 30 April 2015.