Kurt Rademacher has developed a habit of going his own way — and has logged the miles to prove it.
After earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Ole Miss, Rademacher earned his law degree at Notre Dame, which led him to a year of overseas study in that law school’s London campus. The experience solidified a love for international work in Rademacher, who up to that point hadn’t traveled overseas.
He briefly returned to the U.S. to work in Jackson. But overseas opportunities knocked again, and Rademacher found himself back in London. His London firm sent him to Hong Kong to launch a new branch of the firm there.
Rademacher has built a solid reputation as an adviser to wealthy families and small businesses in Asia and Europe. Yet, over time, he felt the tug of home as he and his wife began to start their family.
“I suppose I always knew I’d come back eventually,” he says. “It’s home, my parents are here, my wife’s parents are here. We had a little boy in Hong Kong, and we decided it was time for him to get to know his grandparents a little bit more. And I definitely missed going to Ole Miss football games. All of those things played into our decision to come on back home. We knew we would eventually. It was always just a question of when, rather than if.”
Rademacher has been working out of Jackson for about a year and a half now. But he is racking up the sky miles as he crisscrosses the globe, meeting with clients.
“I just got back from Hong Kong on Saturday,” he says. “I tend to go to Hong Kong twice a year, Singapore twice a year, the UK twice a year, and on the next trip I’m going to Switzerland as well. So I spend a decent amount of time on the road … well, in the air, actually.
“That’s kind of the price of making sure the practice remains successful, because you have to shake hands with people and look them in the eye … it’s important to keep those relationships fresh.”
Keeping his own eyes fresh — and jet-lag free — is a challenge in itself, but Rademacher has some advice for the international traveler.
“One of the things I do is the day that I arrive, wherever I arrive, I try not to go to sleep,” he says. “Let’s say I arrive at 6 a.m. I try not to take a nap or do any sleeping. Also I try to get outside and do a little exercise, and if it’s sunny, try and make sure you get some sun on your eyes and on your face, and I think that helps in trying to reset your body clock. It doesn’t always work, but it helps.”
Hong Kong is a 14-hour trip from Los Angeles. Tack on a side trip to Singapore, and you’re looking at 17 1/2 hours. That doesn’t count the time it takes to get from Jackson to Los Angeles, which with layovers, can be a day’s trip in itself. Still, Rademacher is happy to work out of his home base in Mississippi.
“An advantage is having the family life and the home life that I wanted, and I also can do international work, but do it from Jackson.”
And, of course, he’s closer to Ole Miss and Rebel football games. “Hopefully I’ll be able to make it to more games next year,” he says. “Especially since that was a stated purpose of coming home. I’d like to see some more Rebel victories.”
