By MIKE MCKENNA
Brayden Olson feels pretty blessed to have been raised in the Wood River Valley, especially now that he’s beginning his professional career.
“I was extremely lucky to grow up here,” said Brayden, who’s a whitewater kayak enthusiast. “The access to recreation here propelled all my passions in life and I had a ton of great mentors, in sports and school especially, that had really positive impacts on me.”
Brayden moved to Hailey when he was just 2 when his dad, Chet, took a job teaching at Wood River High School. Over 20 years later, his father is still teaching computer, multimedia and video productions, while Brayden is a proud Wolverine grad.
After serving a mission in Ghana, Brayden returned to Idaho. He completed a Bachelor’s in Finance at Boise State (BSU) in just three years and right after graduation Brayden took the “very tough” Series 65 Investment Advisor Exams.
Brayden’s journey to the financial world began here in the Wood River Valley. He credits his former high school teachers, Bill Petzke and Lisa Hoskins, amongst others, for their guidance and mentorship. But the first big bump in the compass of Brayden’s career path came when he served an internship with his grandfather, a commercial real estate investor based out of Salt Lake City.
“I learned a lot about real estate finance and got my real estate license,” Brayden said. “But I found it kind of boring. I wanted to do something that had more person-to-person interactions and I realized that I needed a more formal education to be as knowledgeable as possible.”
That led Brayden to BSU, which led to another impactful intersection in his life’s journey. Brayden worked for BSU as an outdoor guide for students. During a trip through the Lost Coast of California, Brayden met another Idahoan named Heather and the rest, as they say, is history, as they are now happily married.
Brayden enrolled in the Entrepreneurship Program while studying at BSU. This led him to team up with his brother and dad to found Aquafur, which sells coldwater gear, like drysuits for kayakers. It seemed a natural business product for Brayden, since he also founded the BSU Kayak Club. The Hailey-based small business is still going strong and growing.
The other big bridge that Brayden crossed during his career path was when he took a college internship with Madison Poole financial planners. It led to a job offer after graduation. Founded in 1987, Madison Poole has become one of the most trusted advisory groups in the Treasure Valley. They have over 2,500 clients of all levels.
“What I like about working at Madison Poole is that they offer a lot of great guidance, help and mentorship. It’s an environment where you can bring big questions and get expert, experienced guidance,” Brayden said. “What I also really like is that we’re financial advisors for the everyday working class. We’re here to help everybody.”
Find out more at MadisonPoole.com or by contacting Brayden at (208) 720-1466.