As the founder of one of the top four institutional investment research firms in the country, Albert Lea High School graduate Steve Leuthold knows a thing or two about having a successful career.

While he is famous for being an investment strategist, manager and researcher — not to mention CEO of The Leuthold Group LLC — Leuthold comes across as a humble, down-to-earth man when you talk to him one-on-one.

How did he get so successful?

“I think maybe the most important thing is I love what I do,” he said right away when asked about his success. “I have a job in my field that is a hobby and a profession — all things kind of wrapped into one. I’ve never watched the clock to see when it’s 5 o’clock or anything.”

It’s no wonder why he was selected as one of this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipients by the Education Foundation of Albert Lea, the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce and the Albert Lea Area Schools.

He’s an industry expert and is frequently cited in leading trade journals, including The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, The Journal of Portfolio Management, The Financial Analysis Journal, Newsweek and Business Week.

He also makes appearances on broadcast media financial programs and is regularly invited to speak at meetings and investment conferences throughout the country.

He, along with five others, will be honored with the Distinguished Alumni Awards Thursday at the chamber’s annual meeting.

The awards are given annually to Albert Lea High School graduates who have achieved success in one or more of the areas of business and economic achievement, humanitarian and public service accomplishments, or locally achieved success. Awards are also given posthumously to candidates in any of the categories.

On Friday, the award winners will visit with students at Albert Lea High School.

“I was quite surprised,” Leuthold said of being selected as one of the winners. “I’ve always had a close identification with Albert Lea. It was really an honor from my standpoint.”

Leuthold who lives in Tucson, Ariz., was born Oct. 23, 1937, to Carl and Mabel Leuthold, the youngest of three children.

He said he’s grateful for his upbringing in the Albert Lea area.

“When I was there back in the ’50s, I think it was just a wonderful place to grow up,” Leuthold said. “There was a great mix of people. We had everything from Hispanics, farm kids, city kids — I think it was a great blend. I just wish my kids could have grown up in that kind of environment.”

He graduated from Albert Lea High School in 1956 — where he was involved in activities ranging from music, drama and athletics — and then pursued a higher education at the University of Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Minnesota.

When he was in college, he came back to Albert Lea to work construction during the summers. He said he was involved with building part of Streater Inc. and the Albert Lea Medical Center.

He still has many of his close friends from high school and comes back every three or four months.

He was 22 when he first got involved in the investment field.

The Leuthold Group was founded in 1981.

Despite market concerns in today’s world, the investment strategist said he is confident the market will turn around.

“It might take a while, but I think now that it’s become quite of a global effort, it will happen sooner rather than later,” he said.

As a history major at the University of Minnesota, he said it’s been helpful for him to see that the United States has been through this type of crisis before.

“I’ve found that over the years, that though history doesn’t repeat itself exactly, people’s behaviors do,” he said.

The Distinguished Alumni Awards are presented as part of the Pathways to Success program.

A plaque for each honoree will be posted at the Albert Lea High School to make the community and future students aware of how Albert Lea schools have contributed to society.

Click here to read about other winners of this Distinguished Alumni Awards.