Gary T. Padussis, RFC® President of Cape Investment Management, LLC., in Towson, MD. Gary has over 28 years in the financial services industry. His services are offered through Cetera Advisors LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC. The Register invited Gary to the roster of IARFC Member Profiles. Why did you choose the financial services industry? I believe the financial services industry chose me in an ironic way. With a Biochemistry degree, and advanced degrees in genetics and chemistry, I had planned to study medicine with the goal of becoming a doctor. My father was a severe diabetic who lost both his legs due to the disease from an accident. My father micromanaged his business, so there was no contingency plan in place if something were to happen to him. I was asked to take over the business from both my parents. So, I did.
Profile Interview
Gary T. Padussis, RFC® Don’t Get Comfortable
From childhood, I had helped my father in the business, working there during the summer months and winter break from college. However, I had never been put in a management position. I remember the first month running the business I had borrowed a business book from one of my friends to learn accounting and finance. When the company accountant contacted me and said he had the quarters “P&L” ready, I thought he was talking about some type of litmus or other chemical test. After two years of operating the business, I had tripled the sales revenue and had lost the desire to continue studying medicine. When my father sold the business, I had an education in learning how a business runs from the ground up. Running a business sparked my interest in the financial industry as I had studied the company vendors my father used for his products. Many of them were public companies. I began to purchase their stock and read quarterly reports. I enjoyed trading stocks in my own account.
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The Register | December 2013