SPOTLIGHT: DONNA HEIDKAMP; Growing biz with web, mobile tools at RJO Futures.

Byline: Lynne Marek

Job: Chicago-based president of R. J. O'Brien & Associates' RJO Futures unit, the firm's private client division, since October.

Vitals: 38 years old; bachelor's degree, agricultural economics, Texas Tech University, 1995; master's degree, financial markets and trading, Illinois Institute of Technology, 1999; intern, agricultural broker training program, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Chicago, 1995; trading desk clerk/account executive, trading desk manager/senior account executive, branch office manager/senior trading adviser, RJO Futures, R. J. O'Brien & Associates, Chicago, 1995-2010.

Strong suit: Growing up on a farm, she learned to be independent and industrious. "In that kind of environment, you never have a boss," Ms. Heidkamp says.
R%sum% gap: Has never worked in marketing.
Track record: Was the top-producing broker for the firm from 2005 to 2007 and was among the top three, out of about 18, during her 15 years at R. J. O'Brien.
Job one: Step up training for her division's 27 employees so they thoroughly understand the firm's research department and technology tools and can pass that knowledge on to clients, she says.
Obstacle: She must allocate resources carefully because the changing regulatory environment may demand more attention, she says. She's also in an industry where commission rates are declining, says Howard Simons, a strategist at Chicago-based Bianco Research LLC. Independent brokers "that remain since the move toward electronic trading have proven they can innovate and cut costs," he says. "They will have to continue doing so as market competition keeps putting downward pressure on commission revenue."
The plan: Expand business with web and mobile tools that let clients more easily access the firm's research and market information.