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June 25, 2010

June Member Spotlight- Bryan Mau

Bryan Mau
Regional director of retirement services, CPS Investment Advisors

Q. How did you come to live/work in Lakeland?

A. My firm, CPS Investment Advisors, brought me down to Lakeland from Keene, New Hampshire a little over a year ago to manage their 401(k) Retirement Program.

Q. What do you find most rewarding about your job?

A. The best part of my job is educating the general public on all things financial. This subject is not taught in schools and most of the time parents won't discuss finances with their children and so it is a taboo subject. Most financial worries can be solved quickly and painlessly by just learning how budgets and the financial markets work. That is what I get to do every day. I turn the light on for people and remove the "boogie man" of finances, if you will.

Q. If you could have grown up during a different decade, which would it be and why?

A. I am a huge fan of history. I would love to go back to the mid to late 1700's and see the birth of America and all of the raw, untapped beauty that was discovered back in the early stages of our great country!

Q. How has your EMERGE Lakeland membership been beneficial to you?

A. The networking abilities that have been presented to me as a member of EMERGE have been amazing, especially as a new member of this great city. I have had the ability to meet and get to know people that have been Lakeland residents all of their lives and find out all the amazing things that have gone on here. The growth that this city has experienced in the last 10 to 20 years has been incredible, so having connections to the local community and more specifically the younger generation has really helped me get involved and feel welcomed.

Q: Name one of your favorite Lakeland events and why it’s your favorite.

A: The Christmas Parade is great, but then again, so is The Pig Festival. Don’t make me choose between them!! We do a lot of fun things here in Lakeland that make most major cities envious.

Q. If you could serve on any organization's board in Lakeland, which would it be and why?

A. The first three that come to mind are the Early Learning Coalition, Polk Museum of Art or the Peace River Center. All three have extremely strong ties to the community and they really believe in helping the community grow, as well as helping families and children.

Q. If you could ask one question of an EMERGE Spotlight member, what would it be?

A. We at EMERGE do a lot for the community already, but what about the kids in our society? Why can't we start up a mentoring program for the local kids in schools? A lot of organizations (Boys and Girls Club for example) have a great program and they don’t have a lot of support or recognition. I think it is time that the community at large takes a step back from itself and help the next generation so they can avoid the pitfalls and mistakes that we have learned in life and in business.

Q. What is the worst job you've ever had?
A. That is a funny question. As an extreme optimist, I believe that everything you have gone through in life is a learning lesson and no matter how bad a particular job is, you should grow from that experience. But, that being said, working on a crab boat in Alaska during the winter months was extremely brutal. Tough not only physically, but mentally as well. I am glad that I did it, but I would never do it again!

Q. Name one guilty pleasure.

A. Sunday afternoon naps! I received a hammock as a birthday gift a few years ago and I love it. Give me a nice warm Sunday afternoon with nothing to do and you can find me outside completely content!

Posted by Emerge Lakeland at June 25, 2010 03:56 PM

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