A Chitown mutual fund industry entrepreneur who leads a $10-billion shop most admires and respects famed investor Warren Buffett and Morningstar founder Joe Mansueto.

John W. Rogers Jr. Ariel Investments Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Investment Officer

Those are two tidbits revealed in Ariel Investments [profile] founder John Rogers' recent interview with Gail MarksJarvis of the Chicago Tribune. The piece tells the history of the Chicago-based mutual fund shop and highlights Rogers' perspectives, on investing, life, and running a business.

Other interesting revelations that come to light in the interview:

Rogers, who sits on the board of nearby fast-food titan McDonald's, has eaten there "almost every day for year" and favors biscuits, Diet Coke, fries, and hamburgers;

His big long-term worry is "some kind of major catastrophic terrorist event," and he dismisses concerns over "China, the economy, interest rates, index funds" as "short-term in nature and will get resolved in months";

He thinks that he wasn't aggressive enough in recruiting people in Ariel's early years;

His parents each started their own law firms, and his dad and someone at William Blair both advised him not to leave the brokerage when he revealed his plans to start Ariel. 

Edited by: Neil Anderson, Managing Editor


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