Running with Sled Dogs or Running a Branch? I do both.

At Edward Jones, our financial advisors come from a wide variety of professional backgrounds, from banking and finance to sales and service. We know that building a diverse team of financial advisors is key to meeting our clients’ needs across the country. This week, we’re highlighting that diversity outside the workplace by showcasing our financial advisors’ unique skills and interests outside the office. We recently met with Chris Knott, one of our financial advisors in Fairbanks, Alaska, to learn how he discovered a rather chilly hobby.

Chris, we hear you have an interesting hobby. Tell us a little about it.

After college, I decided to take a year off before entering graduate school. Although I graduated with honors, I was feeling a little burned out. I needed to do something else for a little while. Around that time, I read a book on crossing Antarctica with sled dogs. I really liked the idea of being out in the wilderness alone with a team of dogs, so I contacted a friend of mine who owned a racing kennel in Alaska. Shortly after, I ended up moving there to train and race dogs.

Wow! What was that training regimen like?

It was incredible. I started in August with shorter runs to get the dogs in shape and used to the runs. As the miles got longer, the teams started to come together. The dogs start learning together and moving as one unit, not individuals. That’s when you know you’re ready to race.

It’s so rewarding to see all those months of training pay off. To form that bond with each dog and mold that into a team is an unbelievable feeling. It’s all based on one goal: to finish together. When you go out on a 100-mile race, the dogs know to trust you and to follow your direction, whether or not it’s the right move. On the other hand, I know to trust them. If we’re on thin ice and they veer from the course, I know they feel something I don’t and I have to trust their instinct.

So, shortly after moving there, you decided to stay in Fairbanks and started a practice with Edward Jones. Can you talk about that transition? How did you balance your racing hobby and growing a business in your community?

Well, I was engaged at the time and my wife wasn’t thrilled about marrying a dog trainer. It was the perfect time for me to go back to my experience in finance and start looking for a career that was right for me. I was interested in Edward Jones for the firm’s commitment to integrity and honesty.

At Edward Jones, I have found incredible support both for my hobby and my practice.