Garrett Gamez

Garrett Gamez had a life-changing experience while playing professional baseball.  He collapsed during a game and now wears a defibrillator.

Listen to Garrett describe the changes that led to his becoming an investment banker.  His amazing story about developing a Heavenly Mindset.  Garrett is a young professional in the marketplace living for Jesus.

 If you want to be encouraged and equipped to live your life of faith more effectively in the workplace, the Skillful at Work Podcast is for you. 

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

SPEAKER_01 0:03

Welcome to the Skillful at Work Podcast, where we explore living out our faith in the workplace. I am your host, Dr. Kurt Beck, a professor of management and a leadership coach. Join me in my next conversation as I talk with Christians skillfully living out their faith at work for examples, resources, and practical tips that will encourage and equip us to honor God at work. Today we are talking with Garrett Gomez with Bridgepoint Investment Banking. Garrett, tell us a little about yourself and what you do for work.

SPEAKER_00 0:35

Hi, Kurt. Thanks for having me on the podcast. So again, my name is Garrett Gomez. I work for a firm called Bridgepoint Investment Banking. We focus on doing sell-side MA and capital raising for family and founder owner businesses in the lower middle market. Ultimately, what that means is we work with business owners to either monetize their life's work through the sale of their business or help them raise debt or raise capital to help their strategic initiatives going forward, whether that's acquiring another business, growing operationally inside by acquiring equipment, etc. Prior to my time at Bridgepoint, I spent my uh my early onset of my career at Pricewaterhouse Cooper's and their audit division doing larger audits for say blue chip institutional type clients. Prior to that, I spent time in the Northeast. That's where I went to Providence or College, a school called Providence College, where I did my undergrad uh focus on finance and accounting, and then also played on the men's ice hockey team. A little bit of a unique background in bringing me here to Nebraska. It's uh a little bit of a long story to but to make it short, uh growing up, I grew up in California. I was an ice hockey player growing up and was fortunate to have the opportunity to pursue my career outside of just youth sports. Uh when I was 17, I had gotten drafted to a team here in Nebraska called the Tri-City Storm. Some of your listeners might be familiar with the Lincoln Stars or the Omaha Lancers, but I uh I was drafted to Kearney, so I drove my little Honda Civic from Southern California to to Kearney when I was 17 with my dad, and you know, kind of never looked back from there. I spent three times three years in Kearney. During my first year, I met my wife in high school. We then did long distance for four years while I was at Providence College trying to pursue a career in professional hockey. But that that story was cut short during my my sophomore season. Um I we were playing against Notre Dame in the playoffs, and I had collapsed in the middle of a game. And after about six or seven months of testing with some some doctors in Massachusetts, found out that I could never play another game of hockey. So, you know, we can kind of talk about that a little bit later in regards to you know what our role is here in this world as believers, but certainly was faced with some adversity early on in in my career in regards to, you know, what am I gonna do next? And Lord, I had been working so hard for this for so long. My family has sacrificed so much money and time for the sake of this sport, and now it's all gone. And the moral of the story is it's not all gone, and God has used that story and uh my experience there to help build me who I am today. But but after finding out that news, I had spent the rest of uh my my two years at Providence really seeking God's guidance in regards to what he had called me to during one of uh my uh my classes in at Providence. It's called the the Student Managed Investment Fund, where we were given real money to invest in in stocks. And the the course was taught by a uh uh part-time professor that was also working actively in equity trading. I learned about investment banking through my colleagues and hearing from him and felt that it was a uh fantastic to industry to dive into. Uh, number one, there was uh a lot of competitive tension within the job from you know trying to get the best result for your client if a buyer is looking to buy the business that you're representing, and also pitching against other investment banks to win new business or win new clients. So I still then face adversity given that I had focused a lot of my career in the summers on hockey and less on internships. You know, it set me back in regards to my ability to get into investment banking right outside of college. But fortunately, I spent some time at PWC, uh studied hard, and I've been at Bridge Point now for about three years.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

That's a powerful story. And um, you are really kind of the target audience for this podcast. Where we are seeking to equip and encourage Christians in the marketplace to be able to live out their faith, and you've already had uh life experiences that have done that, and so we want to be able to talk more about that. So uh tell us more, Garrett, about being a Christian in the in the marketplace, being fairly still a young professional. Uh, tell us about your experiences of living out your faith at work.

SPEAKER_00 4:38

Yeah, absolutely. First and foremost, I want to say I'm very fortunate to have believers as as bosses. Matt and Natasha, the founders of our business, are believers. And it's something that's very attractive to me, especially in just the firm that you're working for, you know, and the ultimate mission and goal that you kind of have personally for yourself and how that can align with the business that you're working in. I would say that, you know, working in a higher finance role, you know, you're you're dealing with folks that have a lot of money, you know, and and sometimes you can see money being kind of the the direction that a lot of people people are focusing on. And while money certainly isn't isn't bad by any means, um we can use money to bless a lot of different people and in situations if it's the the sole source of who you are and what you're trying to achieve. Obviously, as a believer, uh, we think a little bit differently in the onset of life and what life is all about. But, you know, the main thing for me, especially, you know, as you as you your start cur you start your career, is first and foremost, is having a good foundation of who you are in Christ, what God has called you to do before you get into the workplace. I think a lot of the relationships that you have will flourish because of who you are inherently as a person. And it'll also also um who you are will determine how you interact with certain circumstances or situations that you run into, whether it's a difficult client, a difficult situation, you know, having to be put in a difficult situation and resolving that situation in an order that is both kind, courteous, but honest and integritable. Sometimes being, you know, in our position, especially at our firm, you're put in a lot of uh difficult situations to have tough conversations. I shouldn't say difficult, but you are put in a situation where you have a business owner that has operated their business for 30 plus years, they're extremely passionate about their business. You have buyers on the other side that are looking at the business from less of a personal level and more of a strategic level to grow and raise money and grow the company. And when there's two valuation thoughts in their minds come to collide, what do you do then? Our job is to represent the the seller and to do the best that we can in regards to get the most value that we can for the company or achieve whatever objective it is of the of the client. It might not be the highest valuation. We've certainly been in cases like that, and I can give a high level of you know, some circumstances that we've been in situations like that. But ultimately, our job is to be integritable to both parties and to give our client the best advice that that we can give. So, you know, for me and and my role currently today, it's more about focusing on who I am in Christ and let that permeate against other people, not by me um, you know, you always say like being a Bible thumper, not me, you know, pounding the pavement, but really letting my actions speak for what they are and let the let the end results you know be in God's hands. Of course, if anybody asks me, hey Garrett, there's something different about you, or why are you always so happy, etc., I am more than happy to elaborate on that and tell them about my Lord and Savior, but I'm also letting my hard work and my my care and um just genuineness, you know, you know, lead the way there.

SPEAKER_01 7:53

You mentioned honesty and integrity, and uh I love the verse out of Proverbs 11, one that says that God is disgusted by dishonest business practices. And uh interesting that it's clearly a reference to business and commerce, which I think is pretty cool to have that right out of the Bible. So can you talk to us about where you have faced this issues of where you've had to demonstrate honesty and integrity as you do your work?

SPEAKER_00 8:16

Yeah, you know, there's certainly circumstances kind of going back to the the valuation perspective, where you'll you'll run a process, you know, and in our deal, you will spend a lot of time, or in a deal process, you will spend a lot of time preparing materials, going to market, talking to buyers before you ever get any valuation guidance from the buyers and going back to your clients. And I think an important thing for us to do is even though maybe some of the valuation offers aren't what our client wants to hear, you know, speaking to them and giving them the opportunity. You know, one of the things at Bridgepoint that we always try to focus on is we're never gonna be the investment bank that's gonna push you into a deal. We're gonna be the, and by push you into a deal, it means that if there's offers on the table that we do not find uh or do not think are valuable to you or your goals and objectives, we are not going to try to uh misdrew the communication or try to position the opportunity in a way which is going to entice you to do the deal. We are gonna speak truthfully about what that deal provides, what that opportunity provides, and let you as the business owner make the final decision in regards to is it right for you or is it not. In our business, the way that our firm is structured and the way that we get paid is by closing deals. So you can imagine that you know you spend nine months on a deal, and that deal at the end of the day isn't the right deal for your client. Well, your tendency is to go, oh, let's just get this deal done, right? This is the only way that we're going to get paid. And so we truly pride our pride ourselves on giving the best advice at all times to our clients and letting them make the final decision in regards to you know, do they want to move down that path or not? And ultimately, our goal is to be in a situation where every single one of them is saying, this is a home run deal, let's do it. No questions asked. But as we know, uh and as life brings challenges, that isn't always the case.

SPEAKER_01 10:04

No, it's very uh interesting to hear that you emphasize in a in an environment where you want to get the deal in order to get paid, you're willing to not do some deals that may not be in the best interest of the client.

SPEAKER_00 10:17

Yeah, absolutely. And we are we are fully aware of that fact, and we actually take pride in being able to tell clients, hey, don't do this, you know, or or why don't you wait a little bit more longer? Typically, investors will look at the historical performance of a company. You know, if they're experiencing immediate, you know, changes in the financials that are going to level off in the coming years and ultimately the valuation isn't where they expect it to be. We take pride in being able to tell our clients, hey, operate the business for a few more years. We know it might not be exactly what you want to do, but for what we think your company is worth or what you your ultimate goal is, we think this is the best advice because we believe that that goes a lot longer and a long way, you know, a lot farther beyond just that momentarial deal where when we have a tombstone at the end of the day, we want that client when they do our their review on us and we publish it on our website, we want them to inherently feel inside that you know we did a good job and that they're fully satisfied with the process that we brought along with them.

SPEAKER_01 11:14

Excellent. Have you faced any challenges as a follower of Christ in the marketplace? Uh criticisms challenged. Can you talk a little bit about that?

SPEAKER_00 11:24

Yeah, you know, quite frankly, fortunately for me, I have never really faced any criticism or challenges. You know, growing up, uh, and I grew up in a Christian household. You know, I I I am from a family of believers. And so growing up, you know, as a young child, you you know, you're a little bit different. And I think those were more of like where the tendencies of where you're, you know, getting teaser hassled. There's certainly, you know, times in my life, especially in college, where, you know, you ask all of my college buddies, especially my teammates, there was they'll certainly say there was something a little bit different about me. You know, I wasn't the partier type, I wasn't the you know, the weekend warriors and going out and partying after the games all of the time. Mostly I was in my dorms and talking to my at the time, probably fiance. But, you know, during these times, I've always just tried to stay true to myself. And I think as time goes on, yeah, at the early onset, people might be a little bit hesitant in regards to opening up so you're developing a relationship with you. But ultimately, at the end of the day, when they start to really learn who you are and spend true time with you, they start to appreciate who you are as a person. And even if they're not uh not a believer, they'll start to respect the integrity that of who you are as a person. And I've always felt that as long as I stick and focus on you know being the best version of who God has intended me to be and less about what other people want me to be or what I think I need to be to fit in, you know, the more honest and solid relationships I've been able to make. So while operating both at PWC and here at Bridgepoint, I've had um the awesome opportunity to work with a lot of different individuals, both you know, internally within the company and also external clients and really haven't faced any adversity or or trials or tribulations because of my faith. But I have noticed that people do respect you for who you are. And at times it might take a little bit longer for them to warm up to you and really understand who you are and what you stand for.

SPEAKER_01 13:10

Well, the idea of discipleship. So we're called to become more like Christ. Could you talk to us about how you have maybe tried to grow in your faith uh uh and maybe help others grow in their faith around you?

SPEAKER_00 13:21

Yeah, absolutely. And going back to what I what I first said uh earlier on about just trying to be an example and be a light to people around me, you know, during my time when I was playing hockey and also in the in the workplace, I've always tried to be one of the most hard workers, um identify the talents and the strengths that I have, uh, try to always be one of the most integrityable persons and let the let the rest, let's let the conversations you know evolve. And if if the Lord opens up a door to to share him um in the workplace, I'm you know, most certainly pursuing that opportunity. During my my time in hockey, I did just that. And I would have friends, you know, years after you know being in communication with them, reach back out to me and say, Hey, I know there was something always different about you, I'm in a tough spot. You know, can you talk to me about Jesus? You know, or ask me questions. Hey, I'm dating someone that is a believer, but I'm not a believer, and and she's telling me that we need to start going to church and doing this stuff. Can you can you tell me a little bit more about it? And you know, I've had the opportunity to lead a few of my former teammates to Christ, which has been extremely amazing, and I'm still in contact with them today. But but you know, there I would say there's two circumstances. One is, you know, a non-believer coming to Christ or talking to you. And I think also, too, we I work with other believers. And so uh another part of it is being a good example for the ones that work under you and also uh looking up to the ones that uh are above you and and asking for guidance. One of the most, I would say, difficult things in the workplace is just finding your footing when you first step in and realize that this isn't just a school assignment, this is something real in your hands, and you're operating with you know precious businesses and being able to handle the amount of workload as a as an investment banker is really important. And how do you navigate that with also navigating a family? I have uh a wife, an 18-month-year-old, and one on the way come August. I also work probably in between 70 and 80, probably typically typically more 80 hours a week uh in our current state. And so, you know, creating a good regiment for myself, looking up to the believers above me that have kind of been in my path to identify, you know, how do I navigate through this and still cultivate my relationship with Christ? Number one, that needs to be the the foremost focus of each of our lives. And that's done in all different shapes and sizes. So, you know, when I did have more time on my hands, I would spend more time reading. And I think that reading is number one the most important thing. There's nothing like reading and, you know, opening up your Bible every morning and having the opportunity to read and pray with Christ before the day. But the reality of the matter is that as life gets more busy, you start having children, uh, you have a demanding job. That might not always be the case. And learning to not just let go of the ability to read, but supplement with other ways to stay close with Christ. You know, I'm listening typically to podcasts on the way in or on the way out. John MacArthur might be, you know, uh uh uh he's a pastor out of California that I've listened to. I used to go to a church in uh Southern California called Calvary Chapel Chino Hills. There's a pastor named Jack Hibb there, so listening to his podcast as well, along with, you know, I do a Bible study with my brother-in-laws on my wife's side uh every Saturday morning. And so we've we've been in a little break over the past couple of months because uh we've all been busy with work-related items and obviously the summer with kids. But uh, we just had finished Goliath Must Fall by Louis Giglio a little bit ago. And so, you know, I think the big thing is as you get into the workplace is being a good example of who Christ has called you to be, number one. Number two is staying close to Christ and never sacrificing your ability to connect with him for the sake of just uh a job. Although that job can be extremely demanding, never make it an excuse for why you can't be spending time with Christ, because that is the most important thing in your life. And if you are not doing that, then you're certainly missing probably some of the calling that he's put on your life.

SPEAKER_01 17:05

Uh excellent. Hey, tell me about you give some great advice here. So let's talk more about some practical advice for the young professional that's going into work. In fact, I'll phrase the question this way: if a young professional came up to you and asked, Hey, how do you live out your faith at work and what can what can I do to strengthen myself, what would you say?

SPEAKER_00 17:21

So one of the things that I think most important is number one, being who you are is important. Never, never you know, stray from that. Number one, always having a Christ-like mind when you're coming into work, having like the heavenly mindset. So you're going to experience a lot of different situations in your workplace. And there's a lot of different opportunities to react to those situations, positive or negative. I always say like there's a negative way, there's the Garrett's way of thinking, and then there's God's way. And so operating in a mindset of, you know, someone's really frustrated. Well, how am I going to react to that? Am I going to get the inherent Garrett, you know, the bad way is, you know, you just start yelling back at them and you know, cursing, etc. Uh, Garrett's way is just ignoring their comments and just kind of moving on, and you know, it is what it is. And God's way is why don't we listen to that person? Is are they saying something that's you know much deeper than just why they're frustrated on this call or this conversation? How can I connect with that person and how can I show them love and grace in this time of frustration? And so I would say it's very important to come to work every day with uh, you know, a heavenly mindset of, you know, what is God called me to this day? And there's going to be situations that you run into that you would think is just going to be a normal, difficult situation, but there's a whole different way that God is using those relationships and that conversation to glorify him, and it's better to move in that direction than any other.

SPEAKER_01 18:49

You have a powerful story in the sense that you know you you felt your life was going in one direction, and uh then you had a serious health issue. Talk to us about what lessons you've learned from that about resilience or grit, kind of coming back, changing your perspective.

SPEAKER_00 19:06

You know, one of the things that goes back to me is just identity and who who you are as a person. You know, there's always, I think I've seen I'm sure you might have seen the meme before, but there's a meme that's gone on social media a while back, but it was a person riding a bicycle and it was a big hill, and it was the person here, and then you know, my plan, and then there was a straight line, and then there was God's plan. It was like, you know, there was a lake that you would drop into, then another mountain to climb and whatnot. And you know, when you're early on in your career, and I know I still am, but I think I've experienced enough to realize this and gain maturity in it, is when you grow up and you you you start your career, you kind of have this perfect path of this is how my life is going to be. You do not know what's going to happen in between. Only God knows. And so what I've tried to focus on is setting short-term goals that I can achieve that, you know, are desirable for me and my family as I collaborate with my wife and in our goals and objectives and where we think God has called us to. But also knowing that everything can change in, you know, in a matter of moments. Your life can change, you know, in a matter of seconds, as it was for mine. I always knew, unfortunately, I knew Christ before I had collapsed in my life, changed in a different direction. And if it wasn't for that, I will tell you right now, I would be in a completely different circumstance because hockey was my everything. I mean, the amount of sacrifice that my parents made from a time standpoint, from a money standpoint, was tremendous. Uh something that I will be extremely grateful for forever and will, you know, will cherish. I received one phone call and all of that was gone. If I wasn't a believer, I could have gone in a whole different direction. But because I was a believer and I knew that my identity wasn't in the game of hockey, Garrett Gomez wasn't just hockey. Garrett Gomez was a child of God and that my life wasn't about me, but my life is about glorifying Christ and whatever life he calls me to, and I will choose to pursue the directions that he has called me to. But wherever that wherever that goes, that's where I'm supposed to be. And so I think it's very important at a young age to identify what God has blessed you with, what gifts do you have? Don't try to force yourself into doing some position or some job for the sake of money. Do something that you're extremely passionate about and gifted about. And if you do that, he's gonna take care of the rest. He doesn't promise that he's we're not, you know, life is gonna be easy and it's gonna be great and grand, and we're gonna have this perfect up to the past, you know, up to the checkered flag, but he did promise that he's gonna be with us and he's gonna give us peace beyond all understanding. Uh, that's gonna guide our you know our hearts and our minds as we go upon the journey that he has called us to. And so, you know, I just want to encourage all of your your your listeners to do the thing that you love and become really good at it. Don't do something because someone told you, oh, this is where the money is at, or this is the career that you need to choose. Do something that you love and trust that God will bring you along that process and supply all of the needs. Because I'll supply all of your needs because he promises it in the Bible.

SPEAKER_01 22:04

Excellent. Hey, um, you mentioned uh a couple podcasts, one by John MacArthur and also the book by Louis Giglia. What else uh lately have you? I know it's your time is limited, but what else have you been reading or listening to?

SPEAKER_00 22:17

Yeah, so um there's another great uh, and I'm I'm uh blanking on the name, but I used to listen to it a decent amount. Um pulling up my apps, and so number one, U version Bible app is great. But outside of that, there's another one called Cross-Examined. And I'm not sure if you've heard of the apologist Frank Turek, but cross-examined is an amazing apologetics platform where you can go on and listen to discussions. Um, there's quick answers and quick questions if uh if a new believer is wondering, you know, what are some of the main streamlined questions that you know I'm I'm questioning around should I believe in Jesus or not? What is Jesus, etc.? I've always felt as I've developed my relationship with Christ that you know a lot of people have different in today's world, a lot of people have different testimonies about different faiths. And I think a testimony is extremely important, extremely valuable because it's proof of God's impact on your life. But it's also to have it's also important to have a strong foundational framework around why does God exist, who is God, etc. To explain to other friends that potentially might be wavered by your testimony, but not fully convinced. And so I have I have tried to make it a point to you know listen to cross-examine the different speakers that are on that platform, stick to some of the preachers that I admire and you know have listened to for a long time, and let that be a framework that kind of guides me and guides my thoughts as I continue to read and study the Bible, because as you and I know, there is a lot of different interpretations of the Bible and a lot of different versions of the Bible. So having uh, you know, a key source of information that is reliable and readily available has been very important.

SPEAKER_01 23:56

Awesome. I appreciate those resources. Uh as you now look forward in your career, you're in investment banking, you've been uh with Bridgepoint about three years or so. Uh what do you think five, 10 years down the road? What do you what are your plans?

SPEAKER_00 24:11

Yeah, no, I I I love where I am at right now. My wife and I are in a season of you know being um steadfast and content, uh, but also driven and want to grow at Bridge Point and grow as a family. You know, we have a young family, we would we want to continue to have uh more babies. My wife is a labor and delivery nurse, so you know she's delivering with the nurses that she also works with. Uh, we love being in Omaha, and I I I truly appreciate and and enjoy being at Bridge Point. You know, I I used to say that I was gonna be a professional hockey player and be so convinced by that, and God changed those plans. So I don't want to sit here and tell you, oh, I'm gonna be an investment banker forever because I don't know the plans that God has set in store with me. But what I can tell you is that uh I truly love my job. I love what I do, and I love the people that I get to interact with on a day-to-day basis. And for me, my head is down and uh you know I'm kind of in those called grinding years of learning the business and and building my rapport.

SPEAKER_01 25:10

Now, Bridgepoint has multiple office locations, and you're out of out of Omaha. About how many employees total at Bridgepoint?

SPEAKER_00 25:20

Yeah, I think we're right now just a little north of 20 employees. Uh we have managing directors that sit in New York, Chicago, uh, Denver, and Nebraska, specifically Omaha. And then uh we have some junior folks, and most of them sit here in Omaha. So directors down to analysts, everybody sits here in Omaha.

SPEAKER_01 25:41

The the clients that you deal with, are they regional, worldwide? What's your focus?

SPEAKER_00 25:48

Yeah, so majority of our clients, currently all of our clients sit here in the United States. At times we'll do, you know, we'll look to do work in Canada if it's uh if it's uh you know fits our uh criteria from a sell side or a capital raise, but most of the clients that we have are all focused in uh the United States. From a deal standpoint, we focus on doing deals on the sell side M ⁇ A anywhere between, I would say, 50 and and 750 million, with the most of that sitting in that $100 million to $250 million range. And on the capital raising side, uh it's a little bit different. We'll go down to $20 to $25 million and up to that same threshold, uh, dependent on the opportunity and what the client's desires are.

SPEAKER_01 26:29

Well, Garrett, I certainly have appreciated your time today. I know you are very busy, and uh just spending some time with us here on the podcast, I greatly appreciate it. I certainly appreciate your powerful story that you have to tell uh and how you've had to overcome great difficulty. I also appreciated how you talked about you have a regimen that you that you stick to for your own personal, professional, and you know, your own discipleship. So I certainly appreciate it. And uh any final thoughts you might have?

SPEAKER_00 26:55

No, I would just you know encourage your listeners as you're uh or want to encourage your listeners as they continue to you know delve into the the real world to you know always trust in the Lord with with all of your heart and all of your mind and he's gonna take care of you. The real world might seem intimidating. You might have just studied for four years and realized that you don't love what you're doing. Trust in God's plan for you and the guidance that he's putting on your heart, and don't stray from that because he has a purpose as to why you're here in this world uh and who you are here to serve. And you know, I just want to just make it a point to say that because I know that uh you know there's a lot of confusion in the world today, and and by focusing on Christ and where He has called you to do or what He has called you to do will uh will suffice all of that.

SPEAKER_01 27:40

Well, I appreciate that. It's it's very powerful for people to realize that there are others like them, uh believers out in the marketplace, and that they can trust Christ as that as that foundation as they go forward. So again, I'm grateful for your time and appreciate it. Thank you very much.

SPEAKER_00 27:56

Yeah, thanks for having me, Kirk.

SPEAKER_01 27:58

Join us next time on the Skillful at Work Podcast as we interview Christians about living wisely in the workplace and serving as the salt and light at work. If you want to be encouraged and equipped to live your life of faith more effectively in the workplace, the Skillful at Work Podcast is for you.