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2015 40 Under 40 Honoree: Greg Snider

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There’s a moment in everyone’s life when a hard choice has to be made. For Greg Snider, that moment came in 2013, when he had to decide between the security of working for a large investment firm and the challenge of going out on his own.

To help him make “the biggest change of my career,” Snider recalled a quote from a man who made a fortune in pizza and video games.

“The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer,” said Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari Inc. and Chuck E. Cheese.

Snider left Merrill Lynch to start Ledgestone Capital Management LLC, an independent, privately owned firm providing investment management services and financial planning to high-net-worth clients.

“It was a huge decision,” he says, “but I knew that I needed to turn my dream into a reality.”

Those dreams expanded when Snider launched Ledgestone Global Partners LP on Jan. 1, a hedge fund he manages with an adviser he recruited from Wall Street.

He notes starting LGP is a significant achievement because “it is unusual for a hedge fund to be managed in the Ozarks and it is very unusual for a hedge fund to be managed by a 35-year-old.”

But Snider’s relatively young age has never been a disadvantage. Back when he was still with Wall Street heavyweights Morgan Stanley then Merrill Lynch, his leadership skills were noticed by managers at both firms, who asked Snider to mentor young advisers.

“The failure rate is very high,” he says, “however, many of these advisers have become successful and still seek my advice today.”

Snider also mentors friends and former colleagues who find themselves at professional or personal crossroads. He shares the story of a friend with a vision to develop financial-planning software for an industry others had overlooked, row-crop farming. Snider says he advised on strategic planning, software development and marketing.

“With my assistance, he was able to develop the concept into a software package that has huge potential,” Snider says.

When a former colleague found himself at a career crossroads, he turned to Snider for advice. A few phone calls later, and Snider connected his peer with an opportunity at a regional bank.

“I spoke to him recently and he said this was the best decision he ever made. These are the moments that make you proud to know you made a difference.”

His proudest accomplishment, Snider says, is founding the Kyle Snider Memorial Scholarship Fund at Twin Rivers High School. Kyle was Snider’s younger brother who died in an accident in 2003; Twin Rivers is their alma mater.

“By establishing this fund, I was able to give back while honoring the life of my brother at the same time,” he says, adding a recent fundraiser quadrupled the amount of scholarship funds awarded each year.

When he’s not offering financial, career or personal guidance, Snider is an active volunteer with the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks, the American Cancer Society’s Cattle Barons Ball and the Springfield Mavericks Baseball Club.[[In-content Ad]]

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