Stephanie Sand
Partner
Stewart, Archibald & Barney, LLP
Las Vegas
Years in Nevada: 18
Years with Firm: 14
Type of business: Accountants and Consultants
Biggest business challenge:
Becoming the first female partner at our firm in a very male dominated industry.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I love meeting with clients and learning about new business opportunities. I like to help my clients get through problems and make the right decisions.
If you could start over and choose a different profession, what would it be?
When I first went to college, I thought I wanted to be an attorney. At some point, I switched and decided to be a CPA.
How do you spend your time when you’re not working?
My time is 100 percent devoted to being a mother when I am not at work.
Little-known fact about yourself:
Prior to moving to Las Vegas, I never really traveled. Since moving here, I have climbed Mt. Charleston twice, hiked the narrows in Zion Canyon, gone Para-sailing, and traveled to Hawaii, Cancun and Jamaica.
Best Business Advice:
Always be confident in what you do and continue to learn every day. There is not one person in this world who knows everything.
What advice would you offer other women trying to balance a career and a young family?
Being a mother is the most rewarding and challenging thing I have ever done in my life. You need to remember that your family is always first. You will have clients come and go but you will always have your children and your spouse in your life. They must always be your priority no matter what happens.
Doug Fries
BNY Mellon Wealth Management
Henderson
Years in Nevada: 3
Years with Firm: 11
Type of business:
Mellon’s Wealth Management group
Biggest Business Challenge:
Starting in a new market while I was in Cleveland and adopting an acquisition in Southern Nevada, Paragon Asset Management, into Mellon.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Interaction with clients – being involved with their lives, not regarding wealth matters but emotional and spiritual concerns is what keeps me passionate about my job. Dealing with wealth leads to altruistic questions on greater good for family and community.
If you could start over and choose a different profession, what would it be?
I’d be in the entertainment business, possibly promoting shows and events.
How do you spend your time when you’re not working?
My family, of course, but I also love to golf, play tennis, hunt and fish. Anything that keeps me active and outside.
Little-known fact about yourself:
I’m an avid sportsman – and that may be an understatement. I’m a bow hunter, fly fisher and scuba diver. I’m a single digit golf handicap and a devoted tennis player.
Best Business Advice:
Never give up. When the difficulty of the situation is at its peak, it is character and single mindedness that will prevail. Also, take everything with a grain of salt. Humor can play an important role in keeping yourself sane.
What is the most important thing people need to know about wealth management?
How to understand and measure risk, and knowing how much risk you need to absorb to get the best return on your investment. It’s the most misunderstood aspect of the entire wealth management process.