Editors Note: In the next months, I am going to be speaking with business owners that help to strengthen Louisville Main Street and contribute time and treasure to the Community in many ways. This week I had the pleasure of a chat with Mark Leibman of Leibman Financial Services www.228Main.com Meet Mark:

Mark, how long has Leibman Financial Services been at 228 Main Street?
Leibman Financial Services, Inc. began operations in 1996, at the kitchen table of its owner, Mark Leibman. After four years in a home office, the firm moved in 2000 to the 1900’s era Courier Building at 228 Main in beautiful downtown Louisville.

What is it about your work that makes you look forward to each new day?
The investment markets fascinate me, and when we analyze them correctly, people make money. Managing $35 million in client assets is a full-time job, and making it do what it is supposed to do for each individual client is gratifying. I enjoy working with people on their most fundamental dreams and plans, and I enjoy managing investment portfolios.

Why did you choose the investment profession vs Architect, Lawyer or Doctor?
Although I had worked in virtually every form of financial services, in 1996 I decided to focus on the area in which I had the best client relationships and added the most value­investing and financial planning. It’s the way I’m programmed.

You are very active in the Community and especially in school board projects, have you ever considered politics?
I salute everybody who steps up and serves in public office. I’m interested in politics but not in being a politician. Back in the 1980’s, I served on the Louisville Village Board for a term, but since then my time has been better spent with the Louisville Public School Foundation, the Care Center Board, and similar endeavors. Any citizen can have influence by supporting great things and challenging things that aren't so great.

If you were talking to a group from Chicago, what would you tell them about doing business in Small town Nebraska?
Actually I was in Denver for an investment seminar last fall, and lunched with a group of people from the Denver megapolis. People were talking about their commutes, and the traffic and congestion. When it was my turn, I said, “There are no traffic lights on my commute.” People dropped their forks­it was great.
Recently a headhunter for a large national firm came to Louisville to look me up. He came to my office, looked around, then we walked across the street for lunch. As he looked up and down Main Street, he said, “I guess I have an uphill battle on my hands (in trying to hire me away from all this).” I told him he had no idea how steep the hill was.

As you talk with young people, do you ever encourage them to consider starting their own business some day?
I love being in business, and I do spread the word. The main thing is that each person must choose the path that fits them best, whether it means a career job or business ownership.

If you personally had the chance to do school all over again, what is the one thing you would do differently?
I’m not sure I would change anything. I studied history, which is superb preparation for successful investing. Taking the ‘long view’ is one of the keys to investing, and history helps you get the context right. I took some accounting and economics classes, and read the Wall Street Journal in the library every day. My business education was also in good shape. I got nothing but “A’s” in college, so obviously I wouldn't go back and study harder.

What teacher from High School had the most profound affect on you?
How did he or she change your life?
I had a mix of good teachers at Cathedral High School in Omaha. The most influential was Roger Higgins, the legendary football coach. He taught me that there were some things that simply had to be done, and done right. For a time I was the long snapper on the punt team. Before I went on the field for the first time, he put his hand on my shoulder and said. “Mark, see that gate over there? (pointing to the far side of the field) If you snap the ball over the punter’s head, you had better run through that gate and keep on running, because if I catch you...” He was a motivator, although some of his techniques would make trouble today.

What do you think is the biggest challenge that the City of Louisville faces?
With development beginning on the outskirts of town, we might see the day when our retail stores are not downtown anymore. The challenge will be to keep Main Street alive and vital.
Maintaining a mix of services, professionals, niche restaurants and shops will be key. Some towns have been hollowed out by new development, and we want to end up with nice new stores AND a vibrant downtown.

Between running your own Financial Services corporation, and Community service what do you do to relax? (read hobbies, etc)
I like to fish, walk along the river road, read good books and see good movies. One of my favorite things is to tether an air mattress to the dock with a rope, and take a snooze on a hot summer day without drifting to the other end of the lake.

Thanks Mark!