Investment Advisor, Lanham, O’Dell & Company
by Kensie Westerfield
Sean Mayberry has never been able to live life simply. In fact, it is this part of his personality that helped develop his ability to think independently and to challenge conventional wisdom. From an early age, Mayberry exhibited a zest for life that sometimes led to trouble.
“I was 15 years old and I did not have a license, so I had no business driving a car. My sister was at a meeting after school and she would drive me home after school. I asked for the keys so I could listen to the radio until she was done. I got in the car and I drove around. I wanted people to see that I was quite the driver. I pulled back into the high school parking lot and I totaled the car. That was an ‘83 Chevy Cavalier. My punishment was that when I turned 16, that was my car. The car was never fixed and we called it the Grey Ghost simply because it would not die. It was a standard, although you did not need to use the clutch, and the trunk never closed. It was a very unique first car.”
Mayberry grew up wanting to play professional football. “I wanted to be a pro football player when I was growing up, but evidently the NFL was not interested in small and slow,” Mayberry says with a grin.
His professional life really got on track with the help of his brother-in-law. “My brother-in-law, Andrew Vallandingham, helped me. He was a bond trader at the Chicago Board of Trade, and he was the one who originally convinced me to give it a try and help me get started.”
It was not only the help that Mayberry received from his brother-in-law but also from his father and father-in-law that have helped shape him into the professional he is today. “My father and my father-in-law were both very influential in my life. My dad helped me recognize that you always need to honor your commitments, no matter what the cost. My father-in-law really taught me that I could be or do anything I wanted to.”
Mayberry started his financial career as a runner at the Chicago Board of Trade but quickly advanced to a futures broker and then manager of the firm’s trading desk. His love of West Virginia encouraged him to come home where he felt he could really make a difference. “The desire to provide for my family is a big motivator, but, ultimately, my motivation comes from the desire to help my clients achieve their investment goals. If I do that, then the rest will take care of itself.”
Now a West Virginia resident again, Mayberry feels lucky to have met and to be able to work with Bob O’Dell. “He has pushed me very hard over the past 10 years. Although it has not always been fun, I have been extremely grateful. Without question he has made me a better professional and he has also helped me in many ways to become a better person.”
Mayberry spends a great deal of time doing the research necessary to discover the best, most accurate information, and that is why he chose his research books as his favorite thing. “I love my research. I know that if my research is well-thought out and accurate, then my clients are going to achieve their investment goals. Intellectual capital is the only thing we have to sell.”
Mayberry also understands the importance of helping to grow the community he loves and wants to raise his family in. Mayberry has been married to his wife Stephanie for 14 years and they have two daughters, Samantha and Madison. He serves on the distributions committee for the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, which provides philanthropic and charitable services throughout the region. He is also involved as a member of the First Baptist Church of Hurricane where he gives of his time as a member of the drama team and as a basketball coach for the Upward basketball team. “I have been blessed with a lot in life and with those blessings comes extreme responsibility. I have a strong desire to nurture and develop those gifts so that I can better serve and help others.”
