John Lothian Profiles

Neal Kottke, chairman of Kottke Associates in Chicago, is one of those industry veterans who has done it all in his career, from the commercial side to clearing, to starting his own clearing firm to proprietary trading. His contributions to the futures industry also...

Lee Stern has seen it all in his career – the highs of great markets and the lows of market scandal. After completing his military service in 1947, Stern enrolled in Roosevelt College and then found his way to the Chicago Board of Trade after answering an ad for a...

It’s not every day you hear one of the most successful traders and businessmen in the industry say he got his start as a card counter in blackjack. “My brother-in-law told me that he made money in Lake Tahoe, enough money to pay for his vacations,” he said. “I said...

Toledo, Ohio-born Mike Forrester has been a member of the Chicago Board of Trade for more than 50 years. He started out at the CBOT as a runner for the old Uhlman Grain Company in 1963 at age 22.  He got interested in the markets and started trading job lots on his...

From regulation to technology to the revenue structure, futures commission merchants have experienced drastic changes over the last 30 years, as Tom Kadlec, CEO of ADM Investor Services, knows full well. In this John Lothian Profiles piece, Kadlec talks about his...

From humble beginnings as a runner during high school, Bob Otter became a futures industry tale of success. He told John Lothian News about what was lost and what was gained when exchanges went all electronic, as well as the lessons he learned. His career began the...

George Gero started out as a floor clerk on the New York Stock Exchange in 1959. He has been a witness to the growth and changes in the markets over the years, becoming a member of NYMEX, COMEX, the American Stock Exchange and PHLX later on.  In this John Lothian News...

Ralf Roth got his start in 1994 at Deutsche Bank as a junior fixed income analyst. Starting at the bottom and working his way up, Roth occupied various roles in equities and prime broking before eventually becoming the global head of equity product development. He...

Steve Staszak recently retired from the CME Group, where he was director of clearing operations. Staszak began his career at the old CME Building on Franklin Street. He was there for the beginning of currency trading on the International Monetary Market and at the end...

Tom Cashman, a member of an iconic Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) family, is a pit trader, exchange trading floor broker and 50-year member of the exchange. Tom Cashman’s contributions to the CBOT governance are numerous, including serving as chairman of the Floor...