2024 Hall of Fame Inductees
Jay Jester
Partner
Plexus Capital
Jay is a Partner at Plexus Capital. Jay is a member of the senior leadership team and works alongside the other team members to chart the strategy and vision for Plexus. In addition, Jay interacts with investors, assists with sourcing new investment opportunities, and helps oversee the portfolio.
Jay is a graduate of the University of North Carolina where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Interdisciplinary Studies. After UNC, Jay was an investment banking analyst with Bowles Hollowell Conner & Company in Charlotte, NC. After BHC, Jay spent eight years as a Partner at Florida Capital Partners, in Tampa where he helped to lead the firm and to build the firm’s business development engine.
In January of 2000, Jay joined Audax Group. During his 19 years with the Audax, he served as senior member of the leadership team of Audax Group and Audax Private Equity. Jay focused on deal sourcing and business development, but also served on the investment committee and played an active role in charting the strategy and direction of the firm, contributing to recruiting, training, investor relations, professional development, financing and portfolio operations.
Jay is an active member of several M&A and business networking organizations, including YPO and ACG. Jay is originally from Greensboro, North Carolina. Jay and his wife live in Raleigh.
Matt Lindberg
Founder
Plumb Line Capital Partners
Matt is an Investor in and Advisor for Private Companies (Middle Market, Growth Equity, Early Stage); a dot connector at its finest. Matt founded Plumb Line Capital Partners, LLC (PLCP) and serves as Managing Partner. PLCP works with a number of long-term focused investors/family offices investing, advising, operating, and helping to grow family/founder/entrepreneur owned companies. PLCP structures these deals as "direct deals" in order to bring in the most strategic investors, board members, industry experts, etc. to accelerate the growth/scale the operations of the company. PLCP works in board member/strategic/operational partnership roles to these operating companies.
Matt is Owner of Abatemaster, a leader in environmental services including asbestos surveys, inspections, & abatement, lead based paint removal, mold remediation, soda blasting, and demolition services in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia for over 25 years.
He is Owner of Vivid Metal Prints, which prints photography, digital images, and signage on aluminum producing stunning high-definition prints. Clients range from businesses who use them for product promotion, décor, and signage to professional photographers and amateur photographers.
Matt previously served as a Board Member / Member of the Investment Holding Company for Power Curbers & Power Pavers, the worldwide leader in concrete slipform machinery; specifically multi-purpose, paving, and curb/gutter/barrier machines used in infrastructure and construction applications. He has prior experience working as a private equity investor at investment firms that focused on investments in family, founder, entrepreneur, and management team owned companies where he was actively engaged as a board member in the strategy and operations of portfolio companies. Previously, he worked as an investment banker where he provided public and private companies with mergers and acquisitions and debt and equity capital raising advice.
Mr. Lindberg graduated from Wake Forest University with a B.A. degree in Economics and Political Science. He resides in the Charlotte region with his wife and four children.
Jon Perry
Executive Chairman
Specialty Products & Insulation
Jon Perry began his career with General Electric, spending 11 years in their aerospace, power systems, medical systems, and industrial systems. He then moved to a material handling distribution equipment company, where he served as their VP of sales, and to a machine tool manufacturer as their VP of operations and service. He then spent 6 years as President of C.C. Dickson Co. (CCDC), a large regional HVAC distribution company in the southeast.
After leaving CCDC, Jon worked as the CEO for two private equity firms in the healthcare sector, running Global Medical Imaging, or GMI. He left GMI to return to the HVAC industry as the COO at Carrier Enterprise, the largest distributor of Carrier HVAC products in North America.
Jon joined SPI in February of 2019 as the CEO, and brings with him a wealth of experience across various industries. A graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute and The Wharton School, he holds a BS in Mechanical/Metallurgical Engineering, as well as an MBA. Jon now serves as Executive Chairman for SPI.
Outside of work, Jon supports his local community. He sponsors Freedom School Partners, a summer literacy program that focuses on improving reading skills in elementary school children. In his spare time, Jon is a wine enthusiast, enjoying all aspects of tasting and pairing wines. He currently lives in Charlotte, NC with his wife and three children.
Robert Maynard
Founder/Developer/Investor
Won Life Brands
Robert Maynard is the founder of Won Life Brands, which includes brands as Famous Toastery, VaVia, Cartridge World, Big Burger Spot, and Flour Power Cooking Studios, with combined annual revenues exceeding nine figures. Starting his career in corporate finance, Robert soon discovered his entrepreneurial spirit and began building a diverse and ever-expanding business portfolio. Robert holds a series of titles at each brand, including but not limited to Founder, Partner, Advisor, and Chairman. Robert is also a real estate developer and investor in Private Equity, Venture capital, and private brands. With a passion for mentorship and community involvement, Robert is driven by the positive impact he can make for those he works alongside—providing career-defining opportunities to his partners and teams as well as unparalleled products and service to clients and customers. One of his central mantras for awakening greatness in himself and others? 'If not you, then who?’ With a passion for mentorship and community involvement, Robert Maynard is committed to making a positive impact in the business world and beyond.
Joe Giordano
Co-Founder & CEO
Payzer
Investor and advisor to early-stage growth companies.
Former CEO, Co-founder, and Board Member at Payzer, a software technology and payments company that provides end-to-end operating software and simple, easy, payment solutions for HVAC and Plumbing contractors. Grew the business from start-up to a successful $250M exit with WEX in November 2023.
Previously, a Senior Payments and Retail executive with ExxonMobil and Bank of America for more than 25 years, and a strategic payments consultant with Fortune 500 clients including Verizon. Primary inventor on 7 U.S. Patents, and secondary inventor on 2 U.S. Patents.
Contactless and alias based payments innovator (circa 1995). Founder of Speedpass, a pioneering payments application that demonstrated the viability of alias-based payments, tokenization, and contactless RF technology. Successfully implemented with 6+ million consumer users in the U.S., Canada, and Tokyo.
Recognized by many publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Information Week, and Fast Company; named one of the Top 30 Retail Executives by RIS News, nominated for KPMG Technology Entrepreneur of the Year, and received Mobil Oil Corporation's Presidents Award."
Mark McDowell
General Partner
Charlotte Fund
Mark McDowell is the co-founder of the Charlotte Fund, a venture capital firm that invests in Charlotte area startups. Mark has thirty years of experience as an investor and entrepreneur in digital technology, telecommunications, and software. His focus areas include wireless, applied AI, robotics, and blockchain. He has served as a board member at more than 20 venture and PE backed companies, and has been involved in numerous financing rounds, M&A transactions, exits and IPOs. Mark holds BS and MS degrees from MIT. He and his wife Jill divide their time between Cornelius and Boone, NC.