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Team Members
Jay McCormick, CFA
Jay McCormick has broad, deep and varied experience in the worlds of business, investing and the financial markets.
Jay graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1981 from the Honors College at the University of Michigan, with a Bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in history. He started his career as a financial journalist with Advertising Age, before moving on to Crain’s Chicago Business, and then to Forbes. In 1986, Jay joined USA Today, where he rose after a few years to the position of Financial Markets Editor. In that role, he directed all stock and bond market coverage. He also developed the Insider Trading column, tracking large equity trades by company executives, the first such column to be produced regularly and rigorously.
In 1993, Jay was named Managing Editor for Crain’s Chicago Business, responsible for developing strong business coverage of the Chicago area on a regular basis. He also wrote a monthly column on the strategies of mutual fund portfolio managers. In his final journalism position, Jay became an international correspondent and wrote investment and other financial and economic articles from Paris and London for USA Today, as well as for Business Week International and other business publications.
In 1997, Jay was named an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow at the University of London. After graduating with Distinction with a Masters of Science in Management at the London Business School, Jay joined Standard & Poor’s in the U.S. During his more than seven years at S&P, he supervised a group of industry analysts, worked with global investment data and index providers, and oversaw data and products used by major mutual fund and quantitative analysis firms around the world for equity and fixed income research.
During this period, Jay also studied the technical workings of the financial markets, passed a series of examinations and earned his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. The CFA charter is internationally recognized as a global standard for measuring portfolio management and investment analysis competence and integrity.
Jay’s interests, besides professional, include road and mountain cycling, skiing, and spending time with his wife, Carolyn, and young son. He attends St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral and also acts as a volunteer for the CFA Society of Colorado.
Contact Jay McCormick at 303.861.4835 x211 or jmccormick@helminvest.com
Please click here for full curriculum vitae and printable biography in PDF format
Peter J. Quinn, CFA
Peter Quinn has worked in the investment industry for over two decades, with job roles ranging from sell-side investment banking to buy-side investment management.
Peter began his professional career in New York City, structuring leveraged finance transactions for a large international investment bank. Desiring to return to his hometown of Denver, Colorado, Peter resigned from that position to work on the buy side as a fixed income analyst for the U.S. subsidiary of one of Canada’s largest insurance companies. Following that position, Peter moved to a boutique investment management firm, where he worked as an equity analyst for a little over a decade before joining Helm.
Since returning to Denver, Peter has immersed himself in the community, with involvement in several civic and professional endeavors. Peter currently serves on the board of CFA Society Colorado, after reprising the role of President from 2019 to 2021. Past community involvement includes serving as president of CFA Society Colorado and the Cornell Club of Colorado following increasing roles of responsibility within those organizations. Peter also served as Treasurer and Executive Board member for Wonderbound, and as a trustee of the CoBiz Cares Foundation. In addition to those formal board leadership positions, Peter has served as a mentor for Minds Matter of Denver and CFA Society Colorado and has taught several Junior Achievement class modules. Peter is a graduate of the Denver Metro Chamber’s Leadership Denver class of 2008, and in 2011 was selected by the Denver Business Journal as one of the Denver Metro Area’s “Forty Under 40.”
Peter graduated from Cornell University in 1997, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, with distinction in all subjects. At Cornell, Peter was a Cornell Tradition Scholar and received the Cornell Distinguished Service Award for three consecutive years. Those awards recognized his extensive involvement in giving back to the Cornell community during the time of his undergraduate study. In 2006, Peter was awarded the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
Beyond his professional and civic commitments, Peter enjoys all things Colorado and can often be found hiking, skiing, enjoying a concert at Red Rocks, or taking in a summertime Rockies game. Above all else, he enjoys sharing these experiences with his lovely wife, daughter, and extended family throughout Colorado.
Contact Peter Quinn at at 303.861.4835 x201 or pquinn@helminvest.com
Vale Blackstock
Vale Blackstock joined Helm as Administrator in 2012. She has a varied work background with a strong emphasis in mortgage banking and real estate law. Vale is responsible for setting up new accounts as well as providing on going client account support. She also helps manage the day to day operations of Helm. Vale, a Colorado native, briefly lived in London but quickly returned to our beautiful state. She lives in Denver and is the mother of 2 adult children.