60 Seconds with Emilio Mercado of Simplified Financial Information

What does your company do?
Simplified Financial Information answers the growing need that market data professionals have to better manage risk and market exposure by understanding the impact of volatile and unpredictable conditions. We are doing this by building a complete solution for capturing usage, simulating and playing back high-volume data, and integrity testing client trading-related applications.

What does your job entail?
While I would like to say I do everything, I spend the majority of my time directing and orchestrating the marketing, technology, business development and strategy for the firm I started four months ago. My work entails scouting new clients while keeping the team and investors up to speed.

What trends do you see in the market?
Greater client acceptance of managed services.

How has the regulatory environment affected business?
It is creating new opportunities for us in providing solutions such as risk and reporting, whereas providing intra-day visibility has been difficult.

What do you do to unwind?
Run! I clocked 1,250 miles in 2011, 1,350 miles in 2012, and am on track for another 1,200 miles this year.

Who is the most influential person in your business life? Why?
Thirty-five years ago, I worked with a district manager at Red Lobster who taught me two lessons. He emphasized how important people are and to acknowledge and enable them. And he taught me to fill in the gaps in my management teams. These two vital things take you out of your comfort zone and make the team successful.

What is your favorite part of your job?
Building solutions that solve major client problems at a compelling price point.

What was your first car?
It was a 1974, tan, three-on-the-column Plymouth Duster! It was the last car I owned where I could actually see the ground through the engine compartment.