BrewsterConnections - Brewster Academy

more finance and investing. I initially wanted toget a master’s in informational systems at BostonUniversity but thought it would be more practical togo full-time for an MBA as well. It turned out thatI enjoyed the MBA finance and investing coursesmuch more that I thought I would, much to mysurprise.”We discussed joining family businesses, as I hadplanned to return to teach at the school my familyhad owned and run for generations but shied awayas the reaction from some of the faculty questionedpossible favoritism. Hadley’s decision was moremeasured.“All my previous jobs in Boston were invaluable.They were not only diverse experiences but alsoenabled me to discover my strength and what trulyinterested me. For a while the thought of moving toNew York to join Case Pomeroy – the family businessthat my father had run since my mother’s fatherretired – had not really crossed my mind. However,there was a lot of analytical work there. When Ispoke with my dad about the possibility of joiningthe family business, he was very clear with me abouthis overall expectations of my work.“I joined the company in early 2004 and haveenjoyed working with other employees and myfather ever since, and I couldn’t be happier with mydecision to join the family business.“As my father was working toward semi-retirement,he left the day-to-day responsibilities up to me, ashe has done with all the other employees. Whilehe is not in the office daily, he is always availablewhen major decisions are made. Otherwise, he relieson the rest of us to do our best for the company. Iwasn’t certain how our relationship would work outin the office. Ironically, the hardest part has beento refrain from discussing business when we aretogether during family gatherings. “Building ConfidenceAt Brewster Hadley was extremely polite, reserved,modest, and as he readily admits, somewhat lackingin confidence. Through his work and experience, hehas gained the strengths, knowledge, and confidenceThe Clarks: Hadley and Sara with daughters Hannah, 5, (on left) and Madeline, 3.to work his way up the company ladder at Case simply because I am the CEO’s son. (My mother’sPomeroy with hopes of some day taking over the grandfather co-founded the business.)helm.It was at Brewster where I found a lotof interest and confidence in myselfthrough my successes in mathand science classes and this hasdefinitely carried over towhat I’m doing today.“It was at Brewster where I found a lot of interestand confidence in myself through my successes inmath and science classes and this has definitelycarried over to what I’m doing today. Case Pomeroyis a small office and there’s little bureaucracy, whichis nice. Everyone collaborates. It was an interestingplace to start because most everyone has workedhere for over 20 years. I made a point of taking(and thankfully passing!) the chartered financialanalyst (CFA) exams that show I have the credentialsto work at such a company and am not here“I primarily manage the marketable securitiesinvested by the firm and there is a ton of analyticalwork on company reports, financial statements,economic data, projections, and valuations.”As far as having any concerns about returning to hisfamily business, Hadley has none. Family membersand businesses obviously differ to the point wheremaking a generalization as to joining familybusinesses is meaningless, but in Hadley’s case ithas been beneficial to both Hadley and the familybusiness. Hadley’s reasoning and approach, however,makes it clear as to why Case Pomeroy has such apromising future leader.“I don’t think I could ever join an organization simplybecause it was the family business. For me, I couldonly work where I was not only qualified, but whereI could contribute meaningfully and be passionateabout it.” •