After managing an investment and trading firm in Chicago, Jeff Peterson was looking for opportunities closer to his home in Pleasant Prairie, Wis.
Jeff had been a longtime radio fan of Bob Landaas, so he called Bob to get advice on local companies that might be a good fit for Jeff’s talents. Before Jeff knew it, Bob was offering him a job.
“I guess he was intrigued by my background,” Jeff says.
Jeff’s eclectic experience included consulting on energy and equity research for a New York investment bank. He taught a graduate course in securities analysis at Concordia University Wisconsin. He earned an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and a Master of Science from the Illinois Institute of Technology in securities analysis and financial risk management.
But Jeff started out far from the investment world, earning a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California. He was a commissioned U.S. naval officer on a nuclear fast-attack submarine. He also had a career in the commercial nuclear power industry. At various junctures, he was a senior reactor operator, engineer, project manager and line manager at such companies as Westinghouse Electric, ABB, and Duke Energy.
“Eventually, the challenges of driving nuclear subs and operating or modifying nuclear power plants become routine,” Jeff explains. “I discovered that people are far more complex, unpredictable, and interesting than physics. That’s why the financial markets are so challenging and can never be completely mastered.”
Since joining Landaas & Company in 2001, Jeff has been applying his varied skills as a problem solver to clients’ financial situations.
“I know of no other job that allows me to combine two arts that I really enjoy: The detailed study of the financial markets and working with a variety of interesting clients – all of them unique – while tailoring customized solutions to their specific goals and needs.”
The father of three daughters, Jeff sings in a church choir and plays trombone on occasion with various groups. He and his wife, Julie, are active in their local community and have a special interest in the MACC Fund and other childhood cancer causes.