Joel Fortney was certain he would be heading to the Mountain West for his first financial management position upon graduating from the University of Iowa, after having interned for two summers with a major investment group in Denver.  

“I was really fired up about moving to Denver,” Fortney recalled. However, he began to see a lot of roadblocks that would likely keep him from advancing as quickly as he wanted. But then one of the people he interviewed with happened to be from Iowa, and that led to him landing a position with Principal Financial Group Inc. 

“It was sort of an accident to come back to Des Moines, but I think it was a very lucky one,” said Fortney, who has been with Principal Global Investors for the past 14 years. Three years ago, he was promoted to portfolio manager of Principal Mid-Cap Value Fund.  

“There have been a lot of amazing opportunities with Principal, which is why I’ve stayed here for so long,” he said. 

A piece of advice he got early on from a mentor that he’s tried to follow: “Check every box, and opportunities will happen.” So he completed his chartered financial analyst certification in 2008, and in 2012 earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. 

He worked during the week from Principal’s satellite office in Chicago while taking classes.

Fortney and his wife, China Wong, have a 2-year-old daughter and a 3-month-old son. Some of their favorite activities are exploring Greenwood Park near their home and visiting the Blank Park Zoo, which they support by sponsoring animals. 

His commitment to Greater Des Moines stems from the quality of life that he and his family are able to experience here, he said. 

“I love Des Moines,” he said. “I feel like I’ve spent a lot of time outside of Des Moines, and the more I leave, the more I appreciate it.” 

Reasons he’s a forty:

• He has brought in more than $550 million in new assets to the Principal Mid-Cap Value Fund since his promotion to portfolio manager in 2011. 
• He has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal and was a guest presenter at a 2012 Bloomberg investors conference. 
• He modernized the Civic Music Association’s endowment fund, enabling the association to win a $200,000 donation.   
• He led his division’s United Way fundraising campaign, raising $117,594 with 98 percent participation.