R.J. O'Brien Opens Houston Office to Spearhead Energy Business

News provided by

Mar 09, 2010, 09:00 ET

CHICAGO, March 9 /PRNewswire/ -- R.J. O'Brien & Associates (RJO), the largest independent futures brokerage firm in the United States, today announced that it has just opened a Houston office to spearhead the firm's energy brokerage business and hired two experienced brokers to head the team. Steffen van Keppel and Tod Mitchell have joined RJO, both as Senior Vice President, Energy.

Working as a team for the past 24 years managing energy brokerage and Houston branch offices for futures brokerage firms and an introducing broker, van Keppel and Mitchell will help grow RJO's existing energy business and service institutional and commercial clients with their expertise. Most recently, van Keppel was branch manager and First Vice President, and Mitchell was First Vice President – Sales, for Newedge USA LLC.

Joseph Murphy, RJO Executive Vice President and President of the Americas, said: "As our energy business continues to grow, we're pleased to have a seasoned team on the ground in Houston who can help clients navigate the markets and manage their energy risk."

Said van Keppel: "In today's economy, energy plays a vital role in the trading and risk management strategies of commercial and institutional investors. We are excited about the opportunity to leverage our experience with RJO and grow this segment of the business."

The new office comes on the heels of RJO's recent announcement that it has hired an experienced metals team in New York to manage its client business on the London Metal Exchange.

About R.J. O'Brien

Founded in 1914, RJO is the largest independent futures brokerage firm in the United States. A privately owned, full-service futures commission merchant (FCM), RJO is a full clearing member of the CME Group (including the Chicago Board of Trade and New York Mercantile Exchange); ICE Futures U.S.; ICE Futures Europe; Eurex AG; EuronextLIFFE and Chicago Climate Exchange. The firm offers state-of-the-art electronic trading technology and 24-hour trade execution on every futures exchange worldwide. Clearing more than 80,000 client accounts, RJO services a global network of more than 290 introducing brokers and many of the world's largest financial, industrial and agricultural institutions.

For more information, please visit www.rjobrien.com.

SOURCE R.J. O'Brien & Associates