Today we’re lucky enough to have an interview with Achim Neumann, Owner and President of A. Neumann & Associates, LLC, a premier mergers & acquisitions firmed headquarters in New Jersey with offices and representatives all over the Northeast United States.
So Achim, Where were you born and where did you grow up?
I was born in 1956 in Germany, close to Hamburg in the northern part of Germany. Originating out of an entrepreneurial family in the manufacturing field, with a company of 100+ employees in post war Germany, I was very early exposed to the philosophies of creating and managing a successful business – something of great value in relating to our clients today and their day-to-day challenges
Where did you study for college and what did you study Achim?
There are three significant phases of learning in my life.
First, I was fortunate in participating in a two year vocational program with an international commercial bank right after high school. Such programs are somewhat unknown in the US, however, they are very common in Europe and have great value, as they provide an early opportunity for a young person to be exposed to all aspects of banking. My education included the typical banking retail operations in various banking branches, lending, operational aspects, and stock brokerage investments.
The second part of my education consisted of the Liberal Arts degree, Bachelor, at Columbia University, with focus on economics in 1982. This was somewhat a natural extension of the previous education, and I was able to obtain the Prize for the best economics student in my class. More importantly, the Liberal arts degree gives me a very broad education, something I am very thankful for these days.
Finally, in 1983, I completed an MBA degree at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, considered the leading MBA program in the country, if not the world. At that stage, my focus was on Marketing, rounding up the previous experience in banking and economics.
When did you come to the states and why did you decide to stay in the states?
I relocated from overseas in 1979, and have been living in the US for the past 35 years, mostly in the North East (although, initially I lived for two years in Atlanta, GA).
I have thoroughly enjoyed my relocation, have developed many personal and professional relationships, and see great potential in our market here, in terms of future growth, versus the European market.
Even though it sometimes appears difficult to a business owner in the US to appreciate, the regulatory environment is considerably more stringent in Europe. Furthermore, the entrepreneurial spirit is so much more intrinsic here, consistent with the relatively short life of this nation.
What led you to open up Neumann and Associates?
ANA was a logical extension of my past experiences and education: not only was I employed by Siemens, a Fortune 500 company, for close to ten years, I had also managed two start-ups earlier in my career. One company was focusing on the security market, the other one was a jazz music labels.
Having been involved in both companies and experiencing the challenges a small business faces, gave me a thorough understanding of many of our clients today, and it is quite complimentary with my upbringing in an entrepreneurial environment.
Combining such experiences in small, midsize and large companies with the educational background is a perfect combination, and most certainly reflecting the success of A. Neumann & Associates, LLC covering the North East with a client base of 100,000 companies.
What are some of your hobbies?
As time has progressed, my hobbies have changed.
Whereas I had been very active in the yachting scene for many years (at one time training for the Olympic sailing team), having won many offshore yachting racing events and having managed crews of 15+ people, these days I enjoy taking my small motorboat out with my wife and kids over the weekend in the New York area.
However, I do also enjoy cross country motorcycle trips with my wife, and over the past ten years we have put more than 150,000 miles behind us, exploring close to all of the individual states in the country.
Always coming along on our trips is my extensive camera equipment, allowing me to consistently expand on my photo experience – having started 35 years ago with a simple photo journalism class at Columbia University.
Once again, we’d like to thank Achim Neumann for taking the time to answer All Peers.com’s questions and stay tuned for more interviews with influential business leaders.