Clark Reed graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1963 with a degree in economics and completed his graduate work in international economics from the University of Tokyo. He began his investment banking career in 1966 and founded his own investment company in 1982, which he later sold to Synovus Financial Corp. in 1985. As a private investor, he remains very active in the investment markets and acts as economic advisor to 3 banks in Georgia and one in Nebraska.

John Blair graduated from Wake Forest University in 1973 with a degree in economics. He has spent the last 30 years as head trader and economist for several leading brokerage firms in Richmond, VA. John is closely tied to business and government leaders in the Washington, D.C. area. He is considered to be an expert on how money moves back and forth between the bond market and the stock market. As a private investor, he closely monitors the price changes in commodities, currencies, and interest rates worldwide and how they influence the U.S. economy.