Veteran discretion-ary portfolio manager Robin Douglas is remarkably calm, cool and collected during these highly turbulent times, and he communicates that “Don’t panic” attitude to his clients.

But given the close calls to life and limb the advisor with Raymond James Ltd. in Vancouver has had over the years, taking a steady-as-she-goes approach to his job — and to his life — is hardly surprising.

In fact, on the afternoon that Douglas talked to Investment Executive, he was in a particularly jubilant mood. Only that morning, his doctor had given him the coveted “all clear” from prostate cancer. Douglas had undergone surgery for prostate cancer a year ago.

“I am a cancer survivor,” says Douglas, “because of my positive mental attitude and my physical fitness.”

Douglas’s past careers in the hotel business and as a commercial pilot have prepared him for the investment business and the position he now holds at Raymond James. He is senior vice president and portfolio manager of Concierge Investing, Raymond James’s discretionary investment service, which has a client list of 100 families and businesses. Douglas established the service in 2005.

“My whole premise in starting Concierge Investing was to take everything I’d learned in my previous jobs and create a new business based on those skills,” he says. “The hotel business, for example, is all about relationships and service.”

In fact, the name “concierge” comes from the hotel industry.

“As for flying, the [catchphrase] in my day was: ‘It’s all about hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror’,” he explains. “You learn to keep cool in stressful situations.”

Douglas’s client list at Concierge Investing is small, and he keeps it that way for a reason. “I have very strong feelings about people in this business trying to be all things to their clients,” he says. “I’m a portfolio-management specialist experienced in working with families. I’m not a salesman, I don’t sell my clients anything and I don’t do financial planning, although I do insist that my clients’ solutions are integrated.

“And not only is my group trained to deal with the family,” he says, “we’re trusted to deal with the family.”

LIMITED CLIENT LIST

Limiting the client list to about 100 enables Douglas to give each client the appropriate amount of time to ensure Douglas is meeting the client’s needs. That is especially important during turbulent markets, and Douglas’s cool demeanour is a plus.

“When people ask me how I can be so calm in a turbulent market, I can now tell them that I recently stared down cancer,” he says, “and that I’ve had other near-death experiences in my life, too.”

Douglas is referring to his early days as a commercial aviator. He flew as a bush pilot in Canada’s Far North and as a commercial airline pilot for long-gone Pacific Western Airlines, then for Air Canada, flying DC-8s. Along the way, Douglas was also a corporate pilot for former B.C. forestry giant MacMillan Bloedel Ltd. and once flew Vancouver radio station CKNW’s Eye-In-The-Sky rush-hour traffic aircraft.

Douglas had three close brushes with death during those days: two mid-air near-collisions and a third escape that was simply a matter of chance: a small PWA aircraft that Douglas might have been piloting went down on Vancouver Island; all four people on board were killed.

In Douglas’s first career in the hotel business, he started as a busboy and rose through the ranks. But, still a young man, he elected to follow his dream of becoming a pilot.

Douglas gave up his wings in 1971 to begin his career as a registered investment advisor with Pemberton Securities Inc., which was subsequently bought by RBC Dominion Securities Inc. “I was soon in management,” he says, “because I kept sticking my nose in things.”

By 1979, Douglas had the fellowship of the Canadian Securities Institute designation under his belt. In 1989, he became one of the first advisors in Canada to earn the portfolio manager’s designation.

“And I’ve been learning ever since,” says Douglas, who admits only to being “over 60.”

As part of Douglas’s Concierge Investing service, he is committed to making himself available to clients. “I have a laptop computer and a BlackBerry with me always, and I’m available 24/7 anywhere in the world,” he says. “I don’t get lots of after-hours calls from my clients. But they all know that if they need me, I can be reached.”

@page_break@CONQUERING FEAR

His regular market commentary newsletters also reflect his emphasis on a concierge-style of service. In the Fall 2008 edition, for example, Douglas counsels his clients on the current market turbulence by quoting Dale Carnegie: “You can conquer almost any fear if only you make up your mind to do so.”

From there, Douglas tells his clients that to survive the market fear, they should have cash and own dividend-paying equities, only buy great companies and not the market. And he tells them to ignore the fear-mongering “talking heads” who discuss the markets on television.

“The way you keep yourself under control in tough times is by keeping your emotions under control,” Douglas says. “But you also have to make sure your clients’ goals are realistic.”

As if managing clients weren’t enough, Douglas also plays a vital role in training staff at Raymond James — a task he enjoys.

And he makes time to take care of his physical well-being, as well. He works out regularly in a gym with a personal trainer. In fact, Douglas credits physical fitness for helping him thrive despite his busy schedule.

“So, I would advise anyone in this business to eat properly and stay fit,” he says. “If you can sleep at night with what’s now going on in the markets, then you have your emotions under control. But if not, then seek help, because you’re no use to your clients if you lie awake all night.”

In his spare time, Douglas enjoys cooking and admits to being “a bit of a wine nut.” His special passion is deep-sea fishing in the huge, open ocean swells off the west coast of Vancouver Island.

And what about retirement?

“I enjoy my clients, I enjoy working at Raymond James and I enjoy what I do here,” he says. “So, as long as my limbs and my mind keep working effectively, why would I throw myself on the heap?” IE