James Reynolds, Jr., CFA

Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

James Reynolds, Jr. is founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Loop Capital. Mr. Reynolds, along with Albert R. Grace, Jr., founded Loop Capital in 1997 with a simple motto as a guide: "To provide client service beyond expectations."  The motto still serves as the foundational driving force of the firm.

Mr. Reynolds currently oversees all aspects of Loop Capital, including investment banking, brokerage and investment management.  

Mr. Reynolds has worked in the financial services industry for more than 27 years. Early in his career, Mr. Reynolds established and headed the Midwest Municipal Bond Sales Desk at PaineWebber. Subsequently, Mr. Reynolds joined the Corporate and Institutional Client Group at Merrill Lynch where he managed the municipal sales team responsible for the distribution of all tax-exempt products to institutions in the Midwest.  In 1997, Mr. Reynolds collaborated with Albert R. Grace, Jr. to form Loop Capital Markets, where he has led the firm to becoming the largest minority-owned financial services firm and one of the largest privately-held investment banks in the United States. Mr. Reynolds is a CFA charterholder and is a member of the CFA Institute. 

Mr. Reynolds strongly believes that successful executives have a responsibility to give back to the community. He participates as a board member of the Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness, Chicago United, The Lyric Opera of Chicago, and The University of Chicago Hospitals. Additionally, Mr. Reynolds serves as Vice-Chair of the board for the Chicago Urban League and is a member of the Advisory Board of the Levy Institute/ Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.  In 2011, he was appointed by the Mayor of the city of Chicago to serve on the boards of World Business Chicago and the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority.  He was also recently appointed by the Governor of the State of Illinois to the Economic Recovery Commission.

Mr. Reynolds holds a Masters of Management in Finance from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. Mr. Reynolds holds series 7, 24, 53 and 63 Financial Industry Regulatory Authority registrations.