ACG National Capital
In our last member spotlight, we had the opportunity to connect with Greg Woodford, Managing Director with BB&T Capital Markets | Windsor Group. Greg opened up on his unique transition from liberal arts to finance, and the success he’s been able to achieve.
This week we were thrilled to connect with Tucker Sampson, a senior vice president at Bank of America. During our discussion, Tucker shared details about his exciting work with clients in middle market banking, along with his experience working with a diverse set of clients in the professional sports arena.
Can you tell us a little bit about your background?
I joined Bank of America as an associate training within commercial banking right after graduating from Florida State University in 1989. After working as a client manager for six years, I moved from Tampa, FL to Charlotte, NC in 1997 to work in our sports finance practice.
This turned out to be a great opportunity as my client base consisted of professional teams within the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL. Our focus was primarily raising capital to support the acquisition of teams within each of the leagues as well as the financing of stadiums and arenas around the country. We also worked extensively with the leagues themselves as well as various businesses in the broader sports/media space.
In 2007, I began working on our leveraged finance platform, and after doing that for a couple years, I ultimately made my way to Rockville, MD where I currently manage our middle market credit products business. Our focus is on businesses with revenue between $50.0 million and $3.0 billion, and we manage a portfolio that approximates $4.0 billion.
What was a key moment in your career that helped you get to where you’re today?
Probably that point where I moved to Charlotte and joined our sports finance practice. Until that point, I was focused on a much smaller client set.
With the move, I was able to do so much more with a more sophisticated client base. I was able to learn how the broader capital markets worked, and after learning the ropes, was able to manage a number of high level transactions that I would not have otherwise been exposed to.
If I hadn’t taken the risk and moved my family to a new part of the country, I’m not sure what I would be doing today.
What is your current role and what does your firm focus on?
I currently manage our credit products business for middle market banking in Maryland, DC and Northern Virginia. We manage around 250 client relationships with a loan portfolio of approximately $4.0 billion. Our clients range in size from $50 million or so in revenue to nearly $3.0 billion, with a large portion consisting of government contractors.
There are twenty-eight professionals on my team located in Baltimore, Rockville, McLean, Charlotte and Atlanta. Our goal is to provide our clients unmatched products and services with a goal of driving revenue and client satisfaction in what continues to be a challenging business environment.
Can you describe your relationship with ACG National Capital? How has your membership factored in your career?
My relationship with ACG National Capital has only just begun. When I was in Charlotte, I used to attend several ACG events. At the time, I was covering middle market financial sponsors and it was a good way for me to make connections that I might not otherwise have made.
Since moving to DC, I have gotten to know National Capital President, Ron Morgan, and he more formally introduced me to ACG.
Joining the Board is going to give me an opportunity to meet movers and shakers in the area, and offer associates on my team an opportunity to participate in the many ACG events.
Any final stories or anecdotes you’d like to share?
We couldn’t be happier with our move to DC (specifically Chevy Chase) almost two years ago. The area has so much to offer.
From a business activity perspective, our market is one of the most active on the East Coast, in large part because of our focus on the government contractor space. Hopefully we will be here for many years to come.