Joe Ricketts

  John J. “Joe” Ricketts started one of the country's first discount brokerage firms in 1975 with a $12,500 investment. During the next 25 years — through sound business practices, technological innovations and acquisitions — Ricketts  assembled TD Ameritrade into a powerhouse of the financial services industry.
  Ricketts bought out his partners in 1982. His company, then AmeriVest, introduced the first quote and order entry system that used a touch tone telephone in 1988. He was a pioneer in flat-rate trading, partnering with Ceres Securities. In 1994 his company became the first firm to offer securities trading over the internet. Three years later, Ricketts established eBroker, an internet brokerage firm. Later he united all of them together into Ameritrade, successfully creating one of the country’s largest brokerage firms.
  Because of his work schedule, his wife’s busy schedule as an Omaha Public Schools teacher, and a growing family, it took Ricketts nine years before earning  a bachelors degree from Creighton University.
  While at Creighton, Ricketts worked at Dunn & Bradstreet as a credit reporter. Upon graduation, he went to work for Dean Witter but soon left to start his own firm. Though Ricketts stepped down as chairman in 2008, he will be forever linked with Ameritrade. In the same year, his company bought the naming rights to the baseball stadium in downtown Omaha, new home to the College World Series.

— Steve Bowman
DCHS Intern