Meet DTN Trainer: Richard Weissman

For people who have been to one of Richard Weissman’s training courses, they know him as a passionate, experienced trainer who cares deeply about sharing practical information about the trading industry. But, Weissman would not be the successful trainer he is without his other career pursuits.

Weissman believes that all of an individual’s accomplishments are integrally linked to the totality of his or her life experiences.  It’s his accomplishments as a futures trader and published author that contribute to his success as a trainer, and these three career paths are intertwined and made stronger because of the others.

Weissman started his career as a trader on the floor of the New York Futures Exchange. But, after a few years on the trading floor, he realized that he wasn’t a stereotypical Wall Street trader and he longed to trade his power suits and happy hours for palm trees and a life in the shadow of the Hollywood sign. He ended up taking a sales trainer position with a futures brokerage firm in Southern California. The cross-country move was meant to be; Weissman found a fulfilling career path, got to spend time with his sister, enjoyed the Southern California lifestyle and met his wife, all as a result of the move.

As his career progressed, Weissman went on to become a partner in a training firm that was eventually purchased by DTN. The DTN acquisition opened up a world of agriculture industry opportunities for Weissman, after decades of focusing on energy trading.

“It’s like I finally had use of both hands again,” says Weissman. “For years after I left the trading floor, my focus was really on energy trading. But, my expertise and passion is also agriculture, so to have this opportunity to help so many people in the ag industry has been really exciting for me.”

Weissman has leveraged DTN’s expertise as a leader in agricultural insights to offer a suite of on-demand courses specifically for those in the industry. “Whether you are a farmer, rancher or elevator operator, having access to online courses is a real game changer,” says Weissman. “Building your knowledge base without having to sacrifice time away from work makes it easier for a small business owner to continue to learn when it’s convenient in a user-friendly format that will help develop trading skills and knowledge.”

Weissman’s suite of on-demand courses cover topics from commercial hedging to an introduction to futures.

For Weissman, the digitization of trading was one of the most transformative changes in the industry in recent years. “when trading went from open outcry to electronic trading, it created a lot of change,” says Weissman. “Tools like DTN ProphetX became critical to success with transparency going way up.”

Weissman leans on his own trading experiences and book research to help others adapt to these changes. Whether it’s a farmer learning more about cash grain basis or a CEO attending an on-site course on futures trading, Weissman finds satisfaction in helping others gain confidence and knowledge to help them further their business interests.

DTN Institute provides cutting edge training solutions not just for those in the agriculture industry, but also traders, risk managers and other professionals in the energy industry. For more information, check out the list of available courses here or find out more about how to customize training for you and your staff.