Dominic Altobelli

As a former Colorado Rockies player, Dominic Altobelli thinks in baseball terms. That vocabulary translates in his work at The Scandariato Group, a 14-person Chicago practice with Merrill Lynch, where he’s managing partner. “We have to swing the bat,” he’ll say in weekly meetings. “We have to take the opportunity to have great conversations with people, and we’ve got to take action.”

That attitude has served the business well, scoring record-setting revenue in 2021, with Altobelli adding $100 million in new assets. He credits his team, which consists primarily of savvy millennial and Gen-Z employees who assisted with the firm’s digital transformation during Covid. Altobelli has long been committed to helping develop younger employees, having chaired Merrill’s NextGen Leadership Council and helped launch a national mentor/mentee program.

Recently, Altobelli added his proudest title to his resume: father. He and his wife, Maggie, welcomed twin daughters in 2020. The babies were born with complications — they were conjoined — and in 2021 they underwent successful surgery at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. To show their gratitude, Altobelli and his wife participated in a fundraising campaign that brought more than $4 million to the hospital.

For Altobelli, the notion of helping other children dominates his top accomplishments. “I’ve never felt so much excitement in my life,” he said.

— Kate Silver