Connell Hall joined McVean Trading & Investments, LLC in March of 2015 as a wheat and feed grains analyst.  Prior to joining McVean, Connell spent over two years as a wheat merchandiser in Great Falls, Montana with Columbia Grain, a subsidiary of the Japanese trading house Marubeni Corporation.   As Columbia Grain’s primary focus is to provide quality grain for the world, Connell was exposed to and emerged in all facets of the grain trade industry.   While his job centered on exclusive oversight of the domestic wheat trade, the company’s size forced knowledge of and participation in many different commodities’ coordination and execution of logistics, hedging strategies, and trading philosophies for clients around the world.   Since joining McVean, Connell has expanded his knowledge of the global grain trade through coordinating, actively participating in and directing crop tours throughout the US, E.U. and South America. Over the years he has cemented relationships and expanded on direct contacts throughout the grain industry spectrum, both domestic and international.  

Connell graduated with a BSBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in May 2012.  A native of Memphis, Connell’s family has had farming interests in the Mississippi Delta for several generations.  He spent his final summer in college interning at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange which is what solidified his interest in the futures industry.  Additionally, Connell interned for an investment banking firm and spent a summer studying abroad in Florence, Italy.  

 

Based on his experiences as an Eagle Scout, Connell believes in an emphasis on service to the community and is involved through Embark New Memphis, the Boy Scouts, and volunteering as a 5th and 6th grade lacrosse coach.