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CapTrust co-founder remembers USF roots

Fifteen years ago, Muma College of Business alumnus Eric Bailey combined his numbers-heavy degrees in accounting and finance to start a creative new venture: CapTrust, a Tampa-based investment firm that has grown to almost $15 billion in client assets since it was founded in 1998.

Eric Bailey

Bailey, who founded the firm with two partners and now leads the retirement plan division of the firm as a principal, said he and his co-founders began with a vision of having an independent firm seeking to offer objective institutional-level investment advice. With the implosion over the following decade of many of the large Wall Street investment firms, Bailey said the firm's corporate vision enabled it to grow.

"We were in the right place at the right time with the right mindset," he said.

Now, CapTrust has three offices -- in Tampa, Naples, and Miami -- and 41 employees. Bailey said the experience he gained at USF has been instrumental in his business success.

"The accounting degree and background gave me a huge edge on the finance side. I was very glad that I did both," he said. "They're very complementary."

Bailey, who graduated from USF in '94 and worked with a branch office of Paine Webber (now UBS) before starting CapTrust, has been a recipient of the Tampa Bay Business Journal's "40 Under 40" award, and is a past chairman of the CEO Council of Tampa Bay. Bailey said he also makes it a priority to assist current USF business students in their career journeys. He served as a mentor in the Corporate Mentor Program in the past, serves on the Lynn Pippenger School of Accountancy Advisory Council, and often recruits USF students for internships. He said many of the employees at CapTrust are, like him, USF Muma College of Business graduates.

"I think they're very well qualified," Bailey said of the USF students he hires. "Sourcing them through the Student Finance Association or through specific professors has enabled us to find students who are interested in what we do."

Arian Howard, a recent Muma College of Business graduate who interned with CapTrust before taking a position with Morgan Stanley on Wall Street, said his experience at CapTrust helped acclimate him to the finance world.

"I really enjoyed the environment," he said. "It's a small company, and there's a lot more camaraderie."

Finance instructor Jack Rader, who mentored Bailey during his time at USF, said Bailey is well-known for helping USF students.

"He is very well thought of, and he's continued to be very enthusiastic about USF," Rader said.

Bailey said his advice to current USF students looking to be involved in the finance industry is to take initiative and be involved. He credits his own involvement in the Student Finance Association with helping him develop a passion for the industry and expand his network while in college.

"If someone invites you to go to something, go," Bailey said. "If somebody doesn't invite you, invite yourself. The more that you can get involved with when you're a student, the better you can position yourself once you're in your industry and you're in your field."