Work, community, family: Mark McCaw dives into it all

COURTESY PHOTO Mark McCaw Mark McCaw thrives on managing it.

He examines it, measures it and minimizes the risk for his clients, working to maximize the return on their financial investments. He uses his experience, expertise and professional resources to guide his decisions.

Weekdays, Mr. McCaw is senior vice president and senior portfolio manager for The McCaw Wealth Management Group of UBS Financial Services in Bonita Springs. During his nearly twodecade career in wealth management, Mr. McCaw has found he is happiest and works most effectively by developing personal relationships with his clients. He and his partners, Bill Clegg and Diane Lepola, share a philosophy of providing complete financial strategies that help clients live their dreams.

Along with similar outlooks on investments and financial planning, the three share a passion for client service and a commitment to their community. Their skills and personalities complement one another, and they work as a team, backed by two senior registered client service associates. The team, which has more than 75 years of financial planning experience, recently spent three days in Boston for UBS training held exclusively for Signature teams, the highest performers among UBS branches.

Mr. McCaw has worked in Bonita Springs since 1994. One of his earliest contacts was Rex Sims, owner of Heaven Scent Flowers, who introduced him to the Rotary Club of Bonita Springs. Since then, Mr. McCaw has served as president, secretary and treasurer of the Rotary Club, chair of the Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce, chair of the foundations of both Rotary and the chamber, president of the Bonita Springs Assistance Office and coordinator of a variety of projects including Shots for Tots and the Mardi Gras Charity Gala & Auction.

Weekends, he exercises a different area of expertise.

A USA Swimming official, he is certified to referee both pool and open-water competitions at the highest national levels. He also is one of a handful of Americans certified as an open-water official with the Swiss-based Fédération Internationale de Natation. His refereeing duties have taken him from Guam earlier this year for the Junior PanPacific Swimming Championships to Manhattan during Labor Day weekend for the FINA 10km World Cup Open Water races.

He swam competitively as a youngster, and his interest was renewed when his daughter, Jackie, showed promise as a swimmer when she was 8 years old. While Mr. McCaw enjoyed the swim meets, he remembers spending all day at the pool to watch his three children swim for only a few minutes. Refereeing was a great way to get involved and stay busy at the meets.

The meets can be grueling, particularly during Florida summers; some include 10 sessions held over four or five days. Although a coach or meet director organizes each event, Mr. McCaw is in charge of the actual meet and responsible for logistics, problems and all things unexpected. He’s proud that good sportsmanship is expected, and the rare parental outburst is not tolerated by the competitors or by the crowd.

During his 12 years of officiating — all as a volunteer — he has followed the careers of many youngsters who developed into Olympic competitors. Although his position as an official keeps the relationships somewhat detached, he says he knows many of the swimmers most people watch during important televised meets.

Mr. McCaw and his wife, Karen, love to travel and sometimes use meets as vacation opportunities, staying for a few days to explore event locations. Hunting for great local restaurants is a favorite pastime.

The McCaws have three children: Christina studies nursing at FGCU; Jackie is a freshman at the University of Central Florida; and Richard is a sophomore at Bishop Verot High School. They are also hosting Gui, a Brazilian Rotary exchange student.

How does Mr. McCaw juggle work, civic duties, his refereeing responsibilities and his family? He credits the support of Karen, who was 16 years old when they first met in Lexington, Ky. They married several years later, and Karen worked in banking while he studied business administration, finance and economics at University of Kentucky.

Bullish about the U.S. and global economies, he describes current conditions as a healthy, natural cleansing process — one that the strongest, best companies in the world will survive. He feels that 2009 is not the time to sell. “If you invest money in the market today, five years from now, you’ll be very happy you did,” he says. “The key is not timing the market, but time in the market.” 