Q&A with Richard S. Price, Mesirow Financial

1. Tell us about your passion?

In addition to my family, I’m truly passionate about giving back to the community and contributing to the growth and success of Chicago. Fortunately, I’m able to do that at Mesirow Financial and through charitable giving. At the firm, we want to attract great people and provide them with an opportunity to build long and successful careers. As an independent organization, our employees control their own destiny and have a real opportunity to make an impact.

2. How do you stay focused on what matters most?

It’s important to continue to evolve, and to stay close to our clients to meet their needs. I’ve tried to help our culture evolve so that we remain relevant, yet be true to the characteristics and values that have made us successful. One of those values has been to give back to the community. It started with Norman Mesirow, was embraced by his successors, and is a genuine part of the fabric of our organization. In fact, it’s one of the reasons I’ve been at the firm for nearly 45 years.

3. What have you learned over your career?

In good times and in bad, we always focus on our clients and how best to meet their needs. We discuss problems and solutions in the context of doing the right thing. Over time, we realized that our culture truly contributes to what makes us unique and that clients value it.

4. What is the most important thing you’d like people to learn from you?

I believe in collaboration, teamwork and open communication. I surround myself with good people, lean on them and learn from them. I’ve asked our leaders to get involved so there isn’t one face of the organization. We work together to drive the firm’s growth. And we encourage our people to ask questions and offer input. I want to hear what’s on our employee’s minds. I might not always be able to fix a problem or solve it in a way they would like, but they have a chance to be heard.

I also encourage our employees to get involved and support a worthy cause, not just financially, but to give of their time and energy.

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