UW-L grad., turned successful banker, reminisces about free beer Fridays at Heileman brewery

James Reynolds founded Loop Capital,
which employs 175 in 30 locations 

Not every college student is going to pursue a career where it’s possible to make huge amounts of money but they should all have some idea of how to make money from a career.

On Tuesday, investment bank owner James Reynolds Jr., brought that message to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where he received his bachelor’s degree 40 years ago.

Reynolds, of the Loop Capital investment firm, gave this year’s Russell Cleary business lecture Tuesday. Loop Capital grew from a staff of six to more than 175 in 30 locations, in which Reynolds oversees all aspects — investment banking, brokerage, financial advisory services.

Before he spoke to students, Reynolds talked with reporters and reminisced a bit about his UW-L days, when he did what all college students do.

“We’d drink at the brewery,” he joked.

He and his friends would get free beer on Fridays by taking the Gottlieb Heileman Brewery tour.

“Every Friday,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds said they would tune out the tour guide’s spiel until that guide said it was time to taste the product.

“And that’s when we would snap to attention,” Reynolds said. “He’d say, ‘And now we taste the finish product.’

“All the sudden, now we’re back from the back of the line to the front and we’d get in front of everybody.”

Reynolds says they stopped taking the tour when the guide recognized them as regulars.

Reynolds still lives in his old Chicago neighborhood and supports different charities there. He says a major reason for doing that is to show young people today that somebody from where they live can achieve big things.

“Really giving back and staying attached to those kids because it’s guys like myself and others that they really need to see, feel, touch and be a part of their lives,” Reynolds told reporters before his speaking to students.

Reynolds credits UW-L, and the chance to study overseas, for helping steer him to a career in finance.

Reynolds says the knowledge of money applies to all business, mentioning restaurant owners and shoe manufacturers.

“You better understand finance – some level of it,” Reynolds said. “Because your business is going to be under-performing and you’re likely not to achieve a lot of things you need achiever personally.”