General Investing >> Money Manager Interviews >> December 8, 2022

High Switching Costs Mean Companies Keep Customers

Kautz, Jeff
Jeff Kautz, CFA, is Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Portfolio Manager of Ballast Equity Management LLC. Prior to founding Ballast, he was with Perkins Investment Management from 1997 to 2015, where he held roles including CEO, Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager. Mr. Kautz also served as co-manager of the Janus Henderson Mid Cap Value Fund and the Janus Henderson Value Plus Income Fund. Assets under management during his leadership at Perkins rose from $30 million to over $20 billion. Mr. Kautz began his career as a Market Maker and Specialist for GVR & Co. on the Midwest Stock Exchange. He earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois and an MBA with a concentration in finance from the University of Chicago. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder. Profile
Hughes, Randy
Randy Hughes is Co-Founder, Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager of Ballast Equity Management LLC. Prior to founding Ballast, Mr. Hughes was with Perkins Investment Management from 1995 to 2015, where he held roles including Director of Research and Analytics and Equity Analyst. Assets under management during his leadership at Perkins rose from $30 million to over $20 billion. Mr. Hughes began his career as a Registered Representative with First Investors Corporation. He earned a B.S. in finance from Southern Illinois University and an MBA from Governors State University. Profile
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TWST: We spoke a year and a half or so ago. Would you refresh our memories with an overview of Ballast Equity Management — a snapshot of the company’s history and what