Elevating Athletes Beyond the Slopes: Stifel’s Internship Program with the US Ski and Snowboard Team

Featured Image: Provided by Stifel.

Stifel Financial Corp. is a multinational independent investment bank and financial services company based in the United States. Not only is the firm dedicated to assisting people with their financial goals, they are also genuine supporters of organizations, including the US Ski and Snowboard Team. 

Stifel’s strong dedication to the U.S. Ski Team is based around a partnership that goes beyond the slopes; they want to ensure that each athlete on the team is well-equipped outside of the sport. 

The company initiated an internship program this year, primarily at their Park City, Utah, private client group office. Two outstanding athletes were selected for this internship, aiming to familiarize them with the finance industry, help them manage their finances, and explore potential career paths beyond the sport.

The two athletes who were selected through an application and interview process were Dasha Romanov from the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team and Hunter Hess from the Stifel Freeski Pro Halfpipe Team.

Chris Nielsen, the Branch Manager at Stifel Park City, stated, “We understand that their priority is the national team, but we think that the greatest value of the internship is to give them some tools, opportunities, and insight into post-skiing life.”

The Internship Outline 

In the first year of this eight-week internship program, the Stifel team collaborated to find ways to offer athletes a valuable experience while also accommodating a flexible schedule.

In a firm where there are a lot of rules, regulations, and licensing requirements, they were faced with the challenge of creating a plan that was achievable and would maximize Hunter and Dasha’s experience.

The team decided to give them the opportunity to focus more on the marketing aspects of the firm. 

“I think we ended up coming up with a really good balance,” Chris explained.

He continued, “The athletes did a project where they researched what other branches are doing and conducted research that let us understand what some of our strengths and weaknesses are in our advertising.” 

The interns started at the headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, where they completed orientation. Throughout the program, they were introduced to a variety of Stifel employees, managers, and top executives. 

Engaging with a variety of people inside Stifel provided them with knowledge and networking opportunities. 

“Meeting various departments and getting a holistic view of Stifel was fascinating during that first week. It was educational and inspiring to see how different parts of the firm work together, and it gave me a chance to seriously consider if finance is something I want to pursue in the future,” Dasha stated.

Chris added, “I’ve always believed that if you want to be successful at something, find successful people and then listen intently and do exactly what they do. So that’s the opportunity I really try to provide: to point them in the right direction to talk to the most successful people in the business.”

A Warm Welcome

Dasha and Hunter kicked off their internship with limited experience and minimal knowledge of finance. Dasha had some familiarity due to her parents working in the field.

Despite the newness of the concepts for both athletes, their enthusiasm to learn was embraced by the team at Stifel.

Hunter stated, “We were treated exceptionally well. Everyone broke things down and answered all our questions, making it easy despite our lack of prior knowledge.”

Dasha added, “Everyone here is so helpful; going the extra mile is normal here. I needed to solve an issue, and while I was transferred to three different departments, every person on the other end of the line was patient and helpful and genuinely wanted to help me get to the bottom of the issue.” 

To ensure that the two athletes received valuable mentorship in the program, Chris set up meetings with different employees that they could connect with. For example, Chris put together meetings for Dasha with different women from across the firm. 

“Hearing that female perspective from women high up in the company has been exciting and invaluable,” Dasha stated. 

She continued, “Everyone I spoke to emphasized the importance of relationship building and trust in the industry. For newcomers looking to build relationships, Stifel is perfect. Everyone has been so welcoming and eager to talk to me.”

Teaching Athletes Life Skills Beyond Sport

Dasha stated, “Young people need to be financially literate to understand their money, optimize savings, and control spending.” 

The team at Stifel made it a priority to ensure that the athletes left the internship program with financial knowledge that is applicable in their day-to-day lives. 

Chris dove into the factors that he believes are important to teach the next generation: “I think helping young people understand the importance of savings, creating wealth, proper investment opportunities, the discipline of savings and management, and then understanding how to manage wealth as it’s acquired.”

He was delighted to show the two athletes different ways to utilize their wealth and plan for a better future. He also wanted to show them that the financial industry is about helping people, and that is the most satisfying part of the job. 

Chris stated, “One thing that they learned is that the financial part is relatively academic. But what we really do for people is manage people, and we help them make plans. And that’s very satisfying.”

“When we have those relationships, which tend to be career relationships and even multi-generational relationships, you become part of your client’s family, which is great satisfaction. So, hopefully, they learned that the financial industry is not just about money; it’s about managing money, and it’s about creating those relationships,” he continued.

Continuing the Internship Program

Next year, the Stifel team is looking forward to accepting another set of interns to participate in the program. Since this was a pilot year, they are hoping to take what they have learned and enhance it. 

Julia Sullivan, Stifel’s Park City Brand Partnerships and Activations Specialist, stated, “We will take what we’ve learned from this internship and just fine-tune it for next year. Hopefully we’ll be able to keep it going and keep educating the new generation.”

Chris added, “I mean, ideally, we’d love for all of the team who are interested to be able to have an internship with Stifel.”

The athletes were thrilled to be able to participate in the program, and they expressed how important it was to them. 

Hunter stated, “Gaining a more comprehensive understanding of Stifel and seeing how everyone supports each other to achieve the best results for clients has been great.”

He continued, “If you get the chance, work with Stifel. It has been amazing.”

“I’m really grateful for this opportunity. We both feel lucky that Stifel even offers something like this to athletes. This has been an amazing chance to learn and grow as people outside of our sport,” Dasha added. 

“Stifel is looking forward to making sure that we don’t just support the athletes on the slopes; we support them outside of that as well,” Julia emphasized.