Forty Under 40: Kraig Williams

Kraig Williams was 17 when he started in the financial industry as a client associate, but he’s been a part of the industry since he was 8 when his mother became a financial adviser.

“We grew up playing in the office,” said Williams, adding it was across from Orange Julius at Northwest Arkansas Mall. His stepfather later joined the business, and he remembers seeing how fulfilling it was for his mother and stepfather to help people.

“It didn’t feel like we worked for a company,” Williams said. “It felt like we were working with people.”

Over the next 22 years, the Springdale native worked his way up the ladder, becoming managing director — investments for Williams Investment Group of Wells Fargo Advisors on Jan. 1. Though the firm’s name has changed, he’s worked at the same firm over that period.

And from the time he became financial adviser to taking on a leadership role as a managing director, he continually worked to build up the business through continuing education and earned several internal achievements. But the three things that have led to his success include his team, clients and the foundation his mother and stepfather built before him.

“It never gets old helping people,” he said. “We’re not afraid to meet with people who don’t have money. Everybody starts somewhere.”

Highlights of his career include the opportunity to work alongside his mother and stepfather for more than 20 years and to take a leadership role in the firm.

“I’m most proud of the fact I’m able to carry on the legacy and tradition,” he said.

In 1999, Williams graduated with a bachelor’s degree in financial management from the University of Arkansas.

The diehard Razorbacks fan and musician is actively involved in conservation. He enjoys golf, the outdoors and fishing.