Charles McVean was born in 1943 in Memphis, Tennessee. His mother, Ella, was a well known educator and his dad, Charles, a civic engineer. He graduated from Vanderbilt University, cum laude, majoring in Philosophy and minoring in Economics. Charles and his wife, Kay, have four children, Katherine, Courtney, Dow, and Gwen, and eleven grandchildren, all of whom reside in Memphis.

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McVean’s business career began with Cook Industries in Memphis, Tennessee, then the Louis Dreyfus Corporation of New York City, two large, international physical commodities trading companies. Subsequently, McVean was a principal of Refco, Inc., a major Chicago-based futures trading firm.

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In 1986, McVean Trading and Investments, LLC began business in Memphis, Tennessee with Charles as Chairman and CEO. The company conducts extensive research in livestock and meats, grains and oilseeds, and global macroeconomics. McVean Trading manages investments for clients worldwide, and maintains foreign consultants in Beijing, Osaka, and Geneva.