Ty Flood
Shareholder, senior client executive, Holmes Murphy and Associates
Age: 33
Education: University of Northern Iowa, business degree
Wife: Ceci Flood
Children: Ledge (8), Coy (5), Pax (4), Belle (2)
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Tell us some of your proudest accomplishments or accolades.
Invested over a decade mentoring and coaching young men through Serva Fidem, Big Brothers Big Sisters and youth wrestling – focusing on character formation, discipline and confidence development.
Built and grew a successful client practice at Holmes Murphy, earning selection into leadership development programs and achieving shareholder status by age 32.
Served in governance and stewardship roles for faith-based nonprofits, strengthening operational structure, finances and long-term sustainability.
What’s an experience or memory that influenced how you saw the world or what you wanted to do in life?
When I was young, my mom bought an extra winter coat – one that wasn't my size. Later, I saw a classmate wearing it. His parents couldn't afford one. That quiet act shaped me. I remember having an overwhelming realization of how much I’ve been given without earning. This gave me a lifelong sensitivity to those overlooked and a desire to love and serve the underdog.
What’s one decision you made early in your career that had an outsized impact?
Early in my career, the COVID shutdown forced an unexpected reset. Stripped of work-based validation, I reassessed what mattered most. I chose the long game – putting family first and building a sustainable career rooted in clarity, values and presence rather than short-term status.
What are your aspirations for the future?
I'm less interested in leadership as a title than as a responsibility. As I’ve grown in my career, I’ve found fulfillment in mentoring young folks entering the workplace. My aspiration is to use business as a platform to invest in people – whether that influence comes through a formal role or simply through consistent example.
What are you still working on to improve as a leader?
I’m working to properly pair urgency with steadiness. I want to push hard, but I’ve learned that urgency without steadiness creates anxiety. At home, in coaching and at work, I want people to feel challenged – but also secure. Calm pressure builds strength. Anxiety weakens it.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to a young professional?
Write down the categories of what matters most in your life. Rank them. Then assess whether you’re growing, stagnanting or declining in each category. When I feel anxious or worn down, it’s usually because my priorities are out of order from what I’ve already determined matters most. When I’m aligned, I’m firing on all cylinders.
What’s one regular habit that’s made you successful?
Daily practice of my Catholic faith has shaped everything. In a culture obsessed with reinvention, it provides me structure, moral clarity and identity. I’ve found that when I approached faith with the same intensity as I historically brought to self-help, I discovered everything I was searching for and more through faith — peace, purpose, identity and confidence.
What’s one outdated way of thinking that you’d like to challenge?
The lie that you have to choose between winning at work and winning at home. If your drive, discipline and leadership don’t show up in your marriage and parenting, you’re not elite – you’re imbalanced. The best professionals I’ve seen don’t compartmentalize excellence. They live it everywhere.
What is one issue you would like to see Central Iowa leaders address, and why?
I’d love to see Central Iowa leaders rethink our park playgrounds. With four kids, this one’s close to home. Research shows kids build confidence, resilience and judgment through managed risk. Today’s playgrounds feel a little too safe – and boring. Google what playgrounds looked like in the 1960s – long swings, tall slides, real challenges. If we want brave future leaders, let kids climb, fall and grow. And yes, bring back the merry-go-rounds!
What’s one fun fact about you?
I’m a sucker for sad 1980s country music. If the chorus includes a steel guitar and a man hitting rock bottom, I’m in.
Hobbies: Jiujitsu, cigars with the boys, hunting.
What is one word that best describes you?
Present.
What’s one food you think people must try in the Des Moines area?
Large Combination Pho from Pho 515.
What’s the funniest or most surprising thing that’s happened to you recently?
When someone asked my 4-year-old son what I do for work he responded: “My dad presses buttons on his computer and talks to his friends.”
What’s your favorite tradition to participate in locally?
Eating crickets at the Lao Festival.
What is your go-to snack?
Jalapeño cheddar deer sticks.