About Us

Avery began his career in 1992 on the exchange floor of the New York Board of Trade. In 2001 he started a full-service floor operation, providing execution services in sugar, coffee, cotton and cocoa futures and options. With his transition from the floor to electronic trading in 2008, Avery expanded his expertise to brokering options off the floor.

Avery is a former member of Intercontinental Exchange, and today facilitates a broad spectrum of execution services. He provides exceptional liquidity and price discovery to institutional clients, banks, fund-to-funds, and hedge funds. Avery’s experience and knowledge in commodity markets make him a valuable key member of our organization.

Paul Gauger is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa. Paul has many years of experience on the CME and CBOT floors, trading in the S&P 500 pit and on the execution desks.  At Rosenthal Collins Group Paul worked with a diverse group of clients. Paul was with RCG for 18 years. Paul has managed the Sweet Futures execution desk and also served as an NFA registered account executive. Outside of work, Paul’s passion is coaching youth hockey, which he has been doing since 1995. He loves to tell co-workers and clients alike about the many championships his teams have won.

Michael Korn specializes in price execution in options exchange cleared contracts and energy futures. His experience is gleaned from time spent on the New York NYMEX, Chicago CME and London IPE and voice brokering. Michael began covering the crude oil options market on the NYMEX floor in 1986, on the very first day that energy options started trading. He holds a Series 3 license and takes pride in building long-term relationships with satisfied clients.

Mark Lenkowski attended the University of Illinois with a degree in Economics and has been in the futures industry for over ten years. Mark first started his career running a Trade Desk for an introducing brokerage firm. Mark currently helps run a book of business and team of brokers from North and South America, Europe, and Asia. His client base consists of institutional and commercial clients, including foreign brokerage groups, proprietary trading groups, commodity producers/consumers/merchandisers and CTAs/Hedge funds. Mark works with many of the industry’s largest market makers to source liquidity for clients as well.

Chad McClintock has been a valuable member of Sweet Futures 1 LLC, since October 2021, catering to clients across major futures exchanges worldwide. Holding a National Futures Association Series 3 registration, Chad brings with him a wealth of experience. Prior to joining Sweet Futures, he spent four years brokering options in the S&P 500 Options Pit at the Chicago Board of Trade, where he honed his expertise in electronic execution and block trading of equity index options. With a deep understanding of the market and execution arena, Chad consistently delivers exceptional value to his clients. Apart from his professional achievements, Chad is a University of Miami graduate, happily married, and the proud parent of twin 5-year-old boys.

Thierry started working as a futures and FX broker in 2012 in Chicago. He joined Sweet Futures in September 2016 and oversees the international business of our group, with a focus on Europe and South America. Thierry deals with institutional and commercial clients, including foreign brokerage groups, proprietary trading groups, commodity merchandisers, and CTAs.Thierry graduated from ESSCA, a leading French Business School and holds a bachelor and a Master’s Degree in Finance. He also holds his Series 3 and 34.

Mark Lenkowski attended the University of Illinois with a degree in Economics and has been in the futures industry for over ten years. Mark first started his career running a Trade Desk for an introducing brokerage firm. Mark currently helps run a book of business and team of brokers from North and South America, Europe, and Asia. His client base consists of institutional and commercial clients, including foreign brokerage groups, proprietary trading groups, commodity producers/consumers/merchandisers and CTAs/Hedge funds. Mark works with many of the industry’s largest market makers to source liquidity for clients as well.

Maxime Etchart is a registered member of the NFA with a focus on international clients. Having lived in Europe, Asia, and North America, he understands the intricacies of international business and dealing with different cultures. Maxime’s career began in the foodservice and manufacturing industries where he developed a deep understanding of the commodity markets. Maxime holds an MBA with a focus in Finance and a Series 3 certification. In addition, Maxime has over a decade of experience investing and managing portfolios.

Abbey joined Sweet Futures as a Senior Commodity Futures & OTC Broker in September 2021. Prior to joining the Sweet team she spent 7 years managing the Marketing department at a US Futures Commission Merchant where she planned events and created marketing content for the firm website, social medias, and in print to support the firm’s Exchange Cleared and OTC product sales objectives. As an Iowa native, Abbey is well versed in the agricultural space and has serviced many producers and consumers to facilitate their hedging trade operations. She holds a series 3 license with the National Futures Association.

Alternative Investment Professional with 40+ years’ experience in the Futures and Financial service industry. He has held senior level executive positions in Compliance, Operations and Marketing at industry leading global Futures Commission Merchants which include Cargill Investor Service (CIS), Bank of America, Refco Fund Holdings, Royal Bank of Canada to name a few. Leo has in depth experience in Managed Futures for 30+ years and has worked with some of the industry-leading CTAs in their emerging stage. His deep understanding of managing emerging CTA’s allows him to guide clearing, execution services, and capital introduction through allocation of public and private commodity pool operations. His current focus in operational trade execution solutions for domestic and global markets allows him to provide consulting services to institutional FCM’s, CTA/CPOs, IIB’s and RIA’s ( Registered Investment Advisors) in areas of sales, marketing, and capital introduction.

William Parnell specializes in showing businesses how to use commodity options to reduce risk, helping them to implement the hedging strategy that best fits their risk parameters. He was instrumental in developing the MERDER (Mexican Futures Market) and has also worked with the AMIB (La Asociación Mexicana de Intermediarios Bursátiles) as an adviser, developer, and certifier of traders. Bill has introduced many banks and brokerage houses to Chicago’s futures and options market. Bill has been a registered member of the National Futures Association since 2004.

Robert Rashid is a quantitative options trader with over a decade of experience. Before joining Sweet Futures Robert attended Lawrence University where he earned a degree in Mathematics. After graduation, Robert joined a proprietary trading firm and began his career as a risk manager in US commodity futures and options.

Over the years, Robert has developed an interest in options trading and has become a specialist in the field. Joining Sweet Futures in 2023 as Director of Options Strategies, Robert’s primary responsibility is to further develop the firm’s Quantitative Options Division. Robert uses a sophisticated proprietary program known as M-Maker to forecast his trading strategies and assist Sweet Futures clients with their own risk management strategies.

Robert holds a series 3 certification and is fully registered with the National Futures Association

Jaime Menahem is a Senior Commodity Futures Broker that began his career in 2002 and has spent the last two decades implementing risk management strategies so that clients could mitigate their price risk, protect their margins, and achieve their hedging goals. He holds a series 3 license with the National Futures Association. He joined the Sweet Team in 2022 and works from the Miami Branch office.

An experienced financial professional with a successful career managing risk, performing due diligence, leading projects, and handling time-sensitive, complex transactions. Recognized as one of the youngest to become a commodity professional with experience in option and futures trading. Experience includes soft procurement and commodity brokerage, institutional and private, and corporate customer accounts trading. Hands-on expertise in running a proprietary trading firm, including managing high dollar transactions, managing people, time, and Profit and Loss statements. Series 3 background provides intuitive financial and the ability to interpret key financial metrics, as well as analyze numerical aspects of supply chain and other strategic procurement negotiation techniques.

Agricultural commodity strategist is able to develop properly balanced and innovative risk management platforms for small and large-size businesses. Extensive, hands-on knowledge of all aspects of, marketing, and R&D. Focused and goal-oriented collaborative leader with a commitment to building and retaining high-performance teams. An out-of-the-box thinker with proven strategic purchasing successes and multi-million-dollar cost of goods savings achieved. Deliver a constant stream of profits, reporting, and communications, with special emphasis on systematic trade transactions and technical analysis dealing with algorithmic trading, automated trading, and electronic trading while maintaining CFTC, CME, and NFA regulations.

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Gary Selz joined Sweet Futures in June 2023 as a Commodity Futures Broker. Prior to joining Sweet Futures, Mr. Selz was a co-founder of Zero Delta Funds. Prior to Zero Delta Funds, Mr. Selz spent 11 years as a Senior Trader and Portfolio Manager at PEAK6 and Nolita Capital, both firms specializing in options volatility. In both posts, Mr. Selz focused on managing a relative value equity volatility arbitrage portfolio in single stocks while still creating new non-correlated volatility strategies. Mr. Selz had a particular focus on derivative strategies that exhibited convex return profiles. At the start of his trading career, Mr Selz focused on trading LEAP options. Mr Selz has been investing in alternative hedge funds for his own account for over 15 years. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University and holds the Series 3, 7, 56, and 63 securities licenses. Mr. Selz has also passed the CAIA Level I exam.

Prior to joining Sweet Futures in June 2023 as a Commodity Futures Broker, Peter Striebel co-founded Zero Delta Funds and was also the co-founder and COO of Pine Point Capital LLC and its subsidiary, Pine Point (CG) for 12 years. With a focus on global derivatives, mainly futures, options, and foreign exchange products, Pine Point (CG) was a registered broker with the NFA and CFTC and a pioneer in the electronic options brokerage markets. Mr. Striebel earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University, where he also earned two Ivy League titles on the lacrosse team. Mr. Striebel went on to compete professionally for the Denver Outlaws in Major League Lacrosse. Mr Striebel holds Series 3, 7, and 63 securities licenses.

Kris Gilboy joined Sweet Futures in June 2023 as a Commodity Futures Broker. Prior to joining Sweet Futures, Mr. Gilboy was a co-founder of Zero Delta Funds. Mr. Gilboy spent 14 years at PEAK6 Investments LLC, a proprietary trading business specializing in providing liquidity in equity options. He ended his career there as Director of Trading Business Management and led the Non-Electronic Block Execution Desk and Stock Trading groups. Before that, Mr. Gilboy was the Division Head of the Core Broad Trading Group, trading his own book and managing the combined portfolio of twenty equity volatility traders utilizing over $125 million in capital. Mr. Gilboy originally joined PEAK6 as a Senior Trader in 2004 after a successful career as an independent market maker on the CBOE and owner of his own options trading firms. Mr. Gilboy has been investing in alternatives and hedge funds for his own account for over 25 years. Mr. Gilboy graduated from Skidmore College and got his Master of Business Administration from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. Kris holds the Series 3, 7, 56, 63, and 24 securities licenses

Chad McClintock has been a valuable member of Sweet Futures 1 LLC, since October 2021, catering to clients across major futures exchanges worldwide. Holding a National Futures Association Series 3 registration, Chad brings with him a wealth of experience. Prior to joining Sweet Futures, he spent four years brokering options in the S&P 500 Options Pit at the Chicago Board of Trade, where he honed his expertise in electronic execution and block trading of equity index options. With a deep understanding of the market and execution arena, Chad consistently delivers exceptional value to his clients. Apart from his professional achievements, Chad is a University of Miami graduate, happily married, and the proud parent of twin 5-year-old boys.

Zsolt Vincze has been with Sweet Futures since the beginning of 2024. He has over 20 years of experience in production agriculture focusing on risk management for producers and end users. Zsolt started his career as a grain merchant for Continental Grain Co. in Minneapolis, after receiving his master’s degree in agriculture and applied economics from the University of Minnesota. After the acquisition of Continental Grain by Cargill, Mr. Vincze worked for Cargill Ag Horizons first as a grain merchant, and later as a risk manager for CAMS (Cargill Ag Horizons Marketing Service). Mr. Vincze joined R.J. O’Brien in 2005, where he spent over 18 years providing agricultural risk management for farmers in the US and internationally Community. He has been participating as a speaker for various international grain conferences over the years in Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, Morocco, and Egypt. Mr. Vincze is married with 3 grown sons and resides in St. Paul, Minnesota with his wife, Maria.

Sofia Viotto Brandao joined May 2024 as our Account Executive. Sofia is a highly skilled finance professional with over eight years of experience, filling in roles as the Partner and Operations Manager at XP Investments US LLC in Miami, and Financial Analyst at Banco BTG Pactual S.A. in São Paulo, Brazil. Sofia graduated from São Paulo State University with a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering and received her Master of Corporate Finance and Investment Banking from the Foundation Institute of Administration in São Paulo. Sofia’s expertise spans financial analysis, risk management, and engineering, supported by certifications including SIE, Series 7, and Series 3.

Ian Sweet is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sweet Futures. He began his career as at the Chicago Board of Trade as a runner in 1997, Eventually working for a local in the soybean pit and running a commercial hedging desk. Three years later, Ian left the floor and founded the in-house brokerage division for an FCM by the name of Rosenthal Collins Group (RCG) in 2000.

In 2006, RCG made Ian a Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) divisional partner by the name of Sweet Futures a division of RCG, and in 2010, Ian formed Sweet Futures 1, LLC and became an Independent Introducing Broker to serve customers requiring services from other FCMs.

Ian attributes his success to offering outstanding customer service, knowledge, and experience as well as surrounding himself with employees who share his commitment to personal & professional service. As of 2023, Sweet Futures services a wide range of customers and has hundreds of millions in customer funds which has resulted in executing millions of contracts. Ian presently works on the day-to-day operations to help continue to grow the company.

 

Aysheh Sweet joined Sweet Futures in 2011 with the goal of advancing her skills in the business and commodities world. She has the knowledge that’s needed to provide excellent support and leadership in our organization, ensuring success in the industry. Aysheh is the administrator for risk management, overseeing and implementing day-to-day operations relating to back-end equity run, customer service, and research. She facilitates wire transfers, account openings, and closings for clients, and establishes policies and procedures to comply with CFTC and NFA requirements. She is a valuable asset to our executive team.

Avery began his career in 1992 on the exchange floor of the New York Board of Trade. In 2001 he started a full-service floor operation, providing execution services in sugar, coffee, cotton and cocoa futures and options. With his transition from the floor to electronic trading in 2008, Avery expanded his expertise to brokering options off the floor.

Avery is a former member of Intercontinental Exchange, and today facilitates a broad spectrum of execution services. He provides exceptional liquidity and price discovery to institutional clients, banks, fund-to-funds, and hedge funds. Avery’s experience and knowledge in commodity markets make him a valuable key member of our organization.

 

Jhon has a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and Multilingual Studies from the University of Cartagena (Colombia). He joined Sweet Futures in 2021 as a Customer Service Representative. Currently located in Medellin, Colombia’s second-largest city and one of the most economically influential places in Latin America. Jhon is passionate about science, reading and also loves the game of basketball.