July 17, 2018

This week’s Up-and-Comer is Sam Gotham, a financial adviser at the Venrick Goeman Group at Morgan Stanley.

Name: Sam Gotham

Age: 27

Hometown: Eden Prairie, Minn.

What brought you to Sioux Falls?

I attended and played baseball at Augustana and stayed after accepting a job right after graduation.

What keeps you in Sioux Falls?

The community and quality of life. Being from the Twin Cities, I had grown up with all that comes with living in a large metro. While I moved to Sioux Falls for school, I was surprised to find much of what I really liked about back home but in a smaller community. I came here assuming I’d be back in the Cities in four years, but here I am, and our family isn’t going anywhere.

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

Getting to know different people, their unique stories and what makes them successful. We all have different hopes for ourselves and our families, and many aren’t sure what they can do now to start down a path to achieve them. Helping people achieve the goals they’ve set and enjoy what they’ve worked hard to create is very fulfilling.

How did you get connected to your industry, and what made you change industries?

My mom was a CFA/portfolio manager, so I grew up around the finance world. I can remember her working at home with Bloomberg on the computer and CNBC on TV, and that always stuck with me. After graduating from Augie, I worked at Lawrence & Schiller in a couple roles and learned a lot about client service and running a small business. Transitioning to wealth management was a natural next step that leveraged my interests and skill set.

How have you become involved in the Sioux Falls community?

I serve on the boards of Helping Kids Round First and the Furniture Mission of South Dakota. My wife and I also like getting out and enjoying the community – golfing, trying new restaurants, shopping local, exploring the bike trails. With the newest addition to our family, we’re excited to see a part of our community that we haven’t yet explored.

What’s one business you’d like to see in Sioux Falls that isn’t here now?

It’s not just one business, but a Power & Light type entertainment district — with a downtown baseball stadium?. Mainly because it’d be great to see that Sioux Falls could sustain something like that and what that would mean for future development.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Continuing to help our clients build financially comfortable lives. Technology will only increase accessibility across our industry, so it’s an exciting time to look ahead at what is coming next.