Nathan Mehta’s Mentor Spotlight: Richard Ryan of St. Charles Country Club

Mar 11

By caddying at St. Charles Country Club, Nathan Mehta has been mentored by Richard Ryan. He took a moment to share how this has positively impacted his life.

How did you first meet your mentor, and was there anything in particular that helped you two forge a relationship? How did the friendship develop over time?

On a loop! Something that helped forge this relationship was him being a director for the WGA and someone who gave great life advice to a 14-year old. I always felt like an equal, and we both enjoy cracking a few jokes.

What are some of the most important things that you learned from you mentor?

How important it was to be balanced and always doing your best.

As a caddy, how were you able to help your mentor on the golf course?

We've had some fun in Directors matches and tournaments at the club.

As you've continued on your career beyond caddying, how has your mentor been helpful?

Having someone there past being a caddy is nice to bounce ideas and career advice off of. It’s like having the knowledge of a seasoned professional as a 22-year old, which helps in decisions or thinking.

What's your favorite thing about your mentor, something that others should know?

Mr. Ryan is someone who is always there when you need and willing to be your biggest supporter at our club helping many Evans before and after me. It’s always nice having a friend and a mentor to bounce ideas off of.

Want to recognize a mentor from your caddying career? Submit your Mentor Spotlight using this form.

Kai Sato

Kai Sato is a managing partner of Mauloa, a unique private equity firm where he is its west coast lead. In addition to Mauloa, he is an advisor to Forma Capital, a consumer-focused venture firm and a fund advisor to Hatch, a global startup accelerator focused on helping feed the world through sustainable aquaculture technologies. Kai is the author of “Marketing Architecture: How to Attract Customers, Hires, and Investors for Any Company Under 50 Employees.” Through his holding company, Kaizen Reserve, Inc., he also advises family offices and corporations on the design, implementation, and oversight of their venture capital portfolios, sometimes taking an active role in turning around underperforming investments. Previously, Kai was the co-president & chief marketing officer of Crown Electrokinetics (Nasdaq: CRKN), the chief marketing & innovation officer of Rubicon Resources (acquired), the co-founder of FieldLevel, and a board member of SportTechie (acquired). He has also been a contributor to publications like Inc., Entrepreneur, IR Magazine, and HuffPost, in addition to a speaker at various industry conferences. An avid golfer who put himself through college by working as a caddy, Kai is the creator of Caddyshack to Corner Office, a golf media platform that profiles successful people whose lives were transformed by caddying and also serves on the board of a Los Angeles-based nonprofit, called Friends of Golf (FOG). He graduated from the University of Southern California as a Presidential Scholar and now chairs the alumni board of its John H. Mitchell Business of Cinematic Arts Program. Follow Kai on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Nathan Mehta’s Mentor Spotlight: Richard Ryan of St. Charles Country Club

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