Robert Sayler

My first career was in civil engineering, and over time I noticed that the parts of it I gravitated toward were the planning, the problem-solving, and the time spent with people. When my father-in-law, who ran a Dean Witter branch that later became Morgan Stanley, invited me into the business in the mid-1990s, the move felt natural, and I have been helping clients ever since. In 2008, I established my own wealth management business in association with SeaCrest, and I have built it up steadily while earning recognition for my financial planning along the way.

My role really comes down to three things, which are portfolio design and investment management, financial planning, and client service. Underneath all of it is one rule I hold to, which is to know the client. Understanding someone's finances matters, and so does knowing the person well enough to be useful when life gets hard, including helping families settle affairs after the loss of a loved one. The success I care about most is a client who reaches their goals and refers friends and family without hesitation.

Giving back has always mattered to me. I am the Past President of the Rapid City YMCA and a member of Fountain Spring Church, and I have served on nonprofit boards including the Pennington County Humane Society and the Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce Transportation Committee. I grew up in Murdo, South Dakota, which I like to call a metropolis of about 475 people, so the wide-open outdoors has been part of my life from the start. My wife Audra and I are proudest of our three children, Sydney, Kelsey, and Nathan, and our grandchildren, and we spend as much time as we can skiing, hiking, hunting, fishing, golfing, and camping across the Black Hills of South Dakota and the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming.

• Essentials of Investment Consulting coursework, Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA)

• Degree in Civil Engineering