Meet the Team – Matt Adams
Matt Adams is all about problem solving!
With a focus on helping clients find solutions, Matt Adams is all about problem solving! His background of practical experience in energy distribution, logistics and hedging gives him a solid understanding of what Westlark Advisors’ clients do and how he can help them do it better.
A Kansas City native, Matt grew up here and received a degree in accounting from the University of Kansas. However, instead of becoming an accountant, he moved into the energy industry with FerrellGas.
Starting out in the energy industry
Matt started his career managing bulk distribution of propane across the Mid-Atlantic and Southwestern regions of North America. He did this for about two years, then moved into refined fuel logistics with Carter Energy. For the next five years, he managed five dispatchers, dealing with a 30-truck fleet with 70 drivers across Midwestern markets. This job gave him experience with gas stations, commercial fuel, and delivery logistics.
Experience in Risk Management
Matt then moved to INTL FC Stone as a risk management consultant where he helped retailers and wholesalers develop and implement hedging programs. These programs were designed to reduce risks associated with their pipeline shipments, bulk plant inventory, retail sales, and fixed forward contracts for their end-users.
Moving to Westlark Advisors
In 2014, Matt moved from FC Stone to Westlark Advisors. For almost ten years now, he’s been responsible for procuring supply across the Great Lakes region, mitigating risk, and helping clients plan for the unexpected.
Helping clients understand and reduce their risk
As a Senior Commodity Advisor, Matt is particularly interested in making sure that clients understand their market risks. He invests a lot of time ensuring that clients recognize areas where they may have exposure to market changes, and that they are educated about options that can reduce exposure like hedging. As he puts it-
“What I’m doing daily is helping the propane retailer understand – what are your market risks? Are you short or long in the market? Even by doing nothing, you are creating risks. The market’s going up or down. We don’t know what it’s going to do tomorrow. Are you hedging and covering your risks?”
Understanding the market – inside and out
Helping clients understand their risks means having a good grasp on what is happening in the market. In addition to talking with clients, Matt also regularly talks with suppliers, people in transportation, and others in the industry. This allows him to give clients a fuller picture of what is going to affect them. Matt explained it this way, “I may be talking to a client about their day-to-day operations of how to dispatch their loads, but things going on outside of their market are affecting the price that they are paying for the propane in their markets.”
Problem-solving with clients
Understanding market details helps Matt when it comes to the client interactions he enjoys most – problem solving. Sitting with a client and reviewing the previous year’s history, while planning for the next gives him the opportunity to coach and advise, helping the client make better decisions. Matt sees this as an extension of the teamwork he shares with his colleagues at Westlark Advisors. “We work as a team. There is no conflict of interest here. We are here to advise.”
Outside of work
Outside of work, Matt enjoys spending time with his family. It doesn’t matter whether it’s driving the kids to and from their activities, playing card games, or going on vacation, it’s the time spent together that counts! He and his family enjoy taking road trips to visit national parks and are trying to visit as many national parks as they can. For this particular “problem” the best “solution” is – more road trips! It is fair to say that whether in his personal or professional life, Matt knows the value of problem solving and teamwork.
