Forty Under 40: James Bell

James Bell, 34, was born and raised in Springdale, but when it came time for college, he took off for Tulane University in New Orleans. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do for a career at that point, but that changed as soon as he took a few courses in finance and learned about investments.

He said he caught the fever.

Bell graduated in 1996 with a bachelor’s in finance and headed back home, where he landed his first job as a research analyst with Greenwood & Associates in Fayetteville. In 2000, he and his wife moved to Tulsa where he worked in the acquisitions department for Samson Investment Co., a private oil and exploration firm. He helped that company determine when to strategically buy and sell oil fields and related investment businesses.
Bell earned his chartered financial analyst designation in 2001.

In mid-2002, a former colleague called and convinced him to come back to Northwest Arkansas and work at Garner Asset Management. In 2005, GAM was purchased by Tom Garrison and renamed Garrison Asset Management. The GAM arm of the company now manages about $170 million in stocks and bonds for individuals, foundations and institutions.

When he’s not tied to his Bloomberg computer, Bell likes to relax with his children and play rock and country tunes on his guitar.