Great Range Capital Welcomes Sam Pottenger
When we first reached out to Sam Pottenger in the fall of 2022, it was a classic case of right person, wrong time. Only six months into working as an Investment Banking Analyst in the Financial Institutions Group at Jefferies in New York City, Sam was interested in learning more, but he wasn’t ready to change his career or address just yet.
After months of staying in touch, we’re thrilled to share that both the person and timing are right, and we hope you’ll join us in welcoming Sam as Great Range Capital’s newest Associate.
Meet Sam Pottenger
Making the move to Great Range Capital was a homecoming of sorts for Sam, as he grew up on both the Missouri and Kansas sides of Kansas City. A double graduate of the University of Missouri–Columbia, earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting, Sam’s interest in finance and investing was sparked by his involvement in the Allen Angel Capital Education Program, a student-led venture fund.
Sam took the class during his graduate year of college, at which point he’d already accepted a job with KPMG and was headed down the public accounting path. He found the material fun and interesting and was impressed by his classmates, almost all of whom were pursuing investment banking/finance roles after graduation. Despite having a clear career trajectory, the class gave Sam pause, and he began reconsidering his plans.
After working as a CPA at KPMG, Sam accepted the aforementioned Investment Banking Analyst position at Jefferies where he was involved in a broad range of investment banking transactions, including M&A advisory, restructuring advisory, and debt and equity financings. And even though he wasn’t ready to move to private equity when he first met Larry and Phil, Sam says he was drawn to both the people and the location. “The GRC team struck me as hardworking and highly experienced, but also fun and easy to get along with,” Sam recalls. “And the opportunity to move back to Kansas City (where both my fiancé and I are from) was another huge plus.”
Sam says that the best part about his role thus far has been the opportunity to learn about different industries and sectors. “At both KPMG and Jefferies,” he explains, “I covered financial institutions–clients like banks, broker-dealers, lenders, and insurance companies–so I’m really excited to evaluate and support businesses in different sectors like services, manufacturing, and consumer/retail.”
Outside of the office, you can find Sam traveling, trying new restaurants, getting outdoors, and cheering on both the Mizzou Tigers and the Kansas City Chiefs (as one with his resumé and zip code must).
If you’d like to join us in welcoming Sam, you can reach him at 913-389-7852 or sam.pottenger@greatrangecapital.com.