Darrell Mays
Darrell J. Mays is a Managing Partner of Navigation Capital’s SPAC Operations Group, which makes equity investments in Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs). The SPAC Operations team recruits CEOs to lead SPACs and through its SPAC-in-a-Box operating system, powered by the NYSE, turns the SPAC process “Upside down and Inside out” (See “About Us” section for greater detail).
Mr. Mays currently serves as Chief Executive Officer at American Virtual Cloud Technologies (Nasdaq: AVCT), a portfolio company of Navigation Capital Partners. Mr. Mays was the founder and CEO of nsoro, LLC, which provided turnkey infrastructure services to the top telecom operators. nsoro grew rapidly to approximately $70 million in revenues within less than 5 years and was acquired by MasTec, Inc. in August of 2008. As of 2016 MasTec Network Solutions, formerly nsoro has increased revenues to $2.3B and $245M of EBITDA.
Mr. Mays began his career in telecommunications at AT&T, Inc. where he held various positions in the Network Operations, Engineering, Marketing and Sales organizations for twelve years. In 1996, Mr. Mays was hired by Ericsson, Inc. as Sales Manager for a major account in the Southeastern region of the U.S. After holding the position of Services Director, he was named Vice President of Business Development for Global Accounts. Mr. Mays joined Motorola as the Vice President of Global Accounts in 2000 and in 2002 he was named Vice President/General Manager of Wireless Products at PalmSource, Inc.
In 2005, Mr. Mays founded the nsoro Foundation (https://nsoro.foundation/) which provides access to postsecondary education for youth who age out of the foster care system. Mr. Mays holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business from Georgia State University, and is a devoted husband and father of four.
Lawrence E. Mock, Jr.
Larry Mock is a Managing Partner of Navigation Capital’s SPAC Operations Group, which makes equity investments in Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs). The SPAC Operations team recruits CEOs to lead SPACs and through its SPAC-in-a-Box operating system, powered by the NYSE, turns the SPAC process “Upside down and Inside out” (See “About Us” section for greater detail).
Larry is also Managing Partner of Navigation Capital Partners, Inc, an Atlanta-based private equity firm that has made growth and buyout investments in middle market operating companies. In partnership with Goldman Sachs, its portfolio has included investments in 40+ operating companies representing equity investments (including co-investments) of approximately $800 million.
Larry is Chairman of the Board of American Virtual Cloud Technologies (Nasdaq: AVCT), which previously raised $310 million in July 2017 as Pensare Acquisition Corp. and completed an acquisition of Computex Technology Solutions in April 2020 as well as an acquisition of Kandy Communications in December 2020. It is a portfolio company of SPAC Opportunity Partners LP.
Between 1995 and 2006, Larry was President and CEO of Mellon Ventures, which he founded in partnership with Mellon Financial Corporation. Under his leadership, the firm invested $1.4 billion in 136 operating companies and 70 private equity partnerships. In 1983, he co-founded and led River Capital, which invested approximately $200 million in debt and equity into successful operating companies throughout the Southeast. Its return on investment over its first ten years placed it near the top of the private equity industry.
Prior to River Capital, Larry was Chief Operating Officer of a $100 million aviation sales, service, and distribution company with more than 1,000 employees in 15 locations. The company was sold to a Raytheon subsidiary in 1983 for a record industry multiple. He also was a senior manager of Fuqua Industries, a diversified Fortune 500 company, and an Associate with Booz, Allen & Hamilton.
Larry has served as an officer and director of many nonprofit business and community organizations, including the Society of International Business Fellows, the Young Presidents Organization, and the Atlanta Mission. He chaired the Board of the Atlanta International School (AIS) and the Society of International Business Fellows (SIBF) and recently was Chair of the Atlanta Mission (www.atlantamission.org ). He previously chaired the Endowment Committees of Sewickley Academy, AIS, and the Atlanta Mission.
Larry served as a U.S. delegate to the United Nations and as a White House Fellow. He is a combat-decorated Marine Corps veteran, having commanded a rifle platoon in Southeast Asia. Larry received a BA degree from Harvard College and a MS degree from Florida State University, and completed his postgraduate education at the London School of Economics. Born in Louisville, he has lived in Georgia since the mid-60s, now with his wife, Darden, two daughters and a step-son.
Contact: Lmock@navigationcapital.com (404-583-0425)
www.navigationcapital.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrence-mock-6089a55/
David Panton
David Panton is a Managing Partner of Navigation Capital’s SPAC Operations Group, which makes equity investments in Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs). The SPAC Operations team recruits CEOs to lead SPACs and through its SPAC-in-a-Box operating system, powered by the NYSE, turns the SPAC process “Upside down and Inside out” (See “About Us” section for greater detail).
David is also a co-founder of Navigation Capital Partners, Inc, an Atlanta-based private equity firm that has made growth and buyout investments in middle market operating companies. In partnership with Goldman Sachs, its portfolio has included investments in 40+ operating companies representing equity investments (including co-investments) of approximately $800 million.
David is also the Chairman of Panton Equity Partners, a private family office, which he founded in 2012, and is an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Finance at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. David has served as a Board Member on over 15 companies, including Brand Bank (sold to Renasant Bank), Track Utilities (sold to CIVC Partners), SecureWorks (sold to Dell Technologies), and Exeter Finance (sold to Blackstone).
David is a co-founder and former Chief Strategy Officer of American Virtual Cloud Technologies (Nasdaq: AVCT), which previously raised $310 million in July 2017 as Pensare Acquisition Corp., and completed an acquisition of Computex Technology Solutions in April 2020. AVCT is a portfolio company of SPAC Opportunity Partners LP.
Between 2003 and 2006, David was a Vice President at Mellon Ventures (now Navigation Capital Partners), a $1.4 billion private equity firm, where he focused on growth capital and buyout investments. Previously, he co-founded and served as Managing Director of Caribbean Equity Partners, a private equity firm focused on investments in the Caribbean and Latin America. Prior to that, he was an Associate at Morgan Stanley in New York City, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions in Latin America and the Caribbean.
David also served as CEO of CMP Industries, a publicly-traded company in Kingston, Jamaica and is a former Senator in the Upper House of Parliament in Jamaica.
David was named by Buyouts Magazine as “One of Eight Buyout Pros Under 40 to Watch” in 2009 and by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of the “40 Under 40” Rising Stars in 2011. He is a member of the Atlanta Chapter of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and is a former member of the Atlanta Group of Tiger 21 and Leadership Atlanta (Class of 2012). He is Chairman of the Jamaican-American Chamber of Commerce of Atlanta, a former member of the Board of the Michael C. Carlos Museum of the Arts, and is a former Trustee of Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in Atlanta, GA. David holds a Master Professional Director Certification from the American College of Corporate Directors.
David received a Doctorate in Management Studies from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, a J.D. (with honors) from Harvard Law School, where he was elected President of the Harvard Law Review, and an A.B. (with high honors) in Public Policy from Princeton University.
Born and raised in Jamaica, he resides in Atlanta, GA.
Robert Willis
Robert Willis is a Managing Partner of Navigation Capital’s SPAC Operations Group, which makes equity investments in Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs). The SPAC Operations team recruits CEOs to lead SPACs and through its SPAC-in-a-Box operating system, powered by the NYSE, turns the SPAC process “Upside down and Inside out” (See “About Us” section for greater detail).
Dr. Willis currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Board at American Virtual Cloud Technologies (Nasdaq: AVCT) and previously served as President of Pensare Acquisition Corporation (Nasdaq: WRLS). He was the key financial architect of Pensare’s successful acquisition of Computex Technology Solutions, AVCtechnologies’ contract with AT&T, and subsequent acquisition of Kandy Communications in December 2020.
Dr. Willis began working with Darrell Mays and David Panton in 2006 as President of nsoro, LLC where he navigated the successful sale to MasTec (NYSE: MTZ).
Dr. Willis began college courses at the age of 12 at a local college near his hometown of Lancaster, PA before being accepted to Northeastern University at age 15. He later dropped out of college to found Alpine Computer Systems, Inc which he grew to annual revenues of $35M and sold to Delphi Group in 1996. He joined Delphi Group as Chief Investment Officer where he completed 26 technology services acquisitions in North America. After Delphi was sold to Adecco, Dr. Willis bought back the Alpine business and later sold it to Mellon Ventures in 2000.
In 2004, Dr. Willis founded Gaming VC Holdings, took it public on the London Stock Exchange, and served as the Financial Director until 2006. Gaming VC is now one of the world’s largest gaming groups, employing more than 24,000 people in 20 offices across five continents.
Dr. Willis holds an honorary doctorate degree from Newberry College and lives in Philadelphia with his wife and children.
Alex Candee is a Vice President of Navigation Capital. Mr. Candee was most recently an Investment Banking Associate at Lazard, covering consumer, food, and retail. Prior to Lazard, Mr. Candee provided corporate development advisory services for middle-market companies and was the co-founder of two software startups. Mr. Candee began his career at World Fuel (NYSE: INT), a Fortune 100 energy commodities and logistics provider. He has worked on over twenty completed M&A transactions with cross-border experience in energy, industrials, consumer, and TMT.
Mr. Candee holds a BBA from the University of Miami, an MS from Southern Methodist University, and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, with additional studies in network science at the New England Complex Systems Institute. He has worked on volunteer missions in Haiti and Honduras, and served on the University of Miami Young Alumni Leadership Council for seven years.
Ronald Coombs
Ron Coombs is the Chief Financial Officer for Navigation Capital Partners and has a wide range of financial experience which includes private equity, strategic planning, financial services, small business, real estate development and nonprofits.
From 1995 to 2006 Ron was Chief Financial Officer of Mellon Ventures, from its creation in partnership with Mellon Financial Corporation, managing all financial operations, information technology, regulatory compliance and administrative matters of the firm as it expanded to 5 national offices with over 200 investors. Mellon Ventures Invested $1.4 billion in 136 operating companies and 70 private equity partnerships.
Prior positions include, Chief Financial Officer at the nonprofits Blind and Vision Rehabilitation Services of Pittsburgh, and the Regional Industrial Development Corporation, an economic development, finance and real estate firm, which operates a $155 million portfolio of industrial and office space throughout Southwestern PA. Ron was also Chief Operating Officer of ImPACT Applications, Inc. a start-up software company and began his career as a Certified Public Accountant in the New York City office of Kenneth Leventhal & Co.
Ron was also a member of the executive committee and board of Lutheran SeniorLife, which manages residential living, personal care and assisted living services throughout Southwestern PA, including the region’s premier Alzheimer’s care program.
Ron received a Bachelor of Science degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo with concentrations in Accounting and Financial Analysis. Raised in central New York state, he and his wife Laura live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and have two children.
Graham McGonigal serves as the Chief Strategy Officer at American Virtual Cloud Technologies (Nasdaq: AVCT) and special advisor to Navigation Capital Partners. He was Chief Network Officer at Vonage Holdings (NYSE: VG) from December 2015 to February 2018, and as Senior Vice President of Network Operations at Vonage from February 2012 to December 2015. Mr. McGonigal has more than 30 years of technical experience and has held senior leadership roles within AT&T (NYSE: T), Cingular Wireless and Bellsouth.
From September 2007 to January 2012, Mr. McGonigal was the Chief Operating Officer at MasTec Network Solutions, a division of MasTec Inc. (NYSE: MTZ). At AT&T Mobility, Mr. McGonigal led the national data and service delivery networks and created highly competitive wireless data networks. Mr. McGonigal holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Mercer University.
Ryan Peters is a Vice President of Navigation Capital. Mr. Peters was most recently the Lead Fellow for Southeast Investor Group, a private peer-to-peer membership composed of partners from Venture Capital Funds, Corporate Venture Funds, individual investors, and family offices.
Mr. Peters began his career as a mechanical engineer and has 7+ years of experience in the consumer product, industrials, and energy sectors.
Mr. Peters graduated from The University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He received an MBA from Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business, where he worked as an Investment Intern for Aflac Corporate Ventures. Ryan and his wife, Hana, live in Marietta, GA.
Gayle Suggs is Executive Assistant and Office Manager of Navigation Capital Partners and brings broad experience to the administrative support role.
From 2009-2016 she was Executive Assistant at Navigation Capital Partners providing support to the partners and CFO of the private equity firm. She has also worked as an administrative assistant for Huron Consulting Group (HURN), an administrative specialist at the Georgia Student Finance Commission assigned to the HOPE Scholarship Program, and she spent six years as an administrative assistant in the Office of the Governor during Zell Miller’s administration.
Gayle has a Bachelor of Music Therapy degree from Georgia College in Milledgeville, Georgia. Born and raised in Marietta, she currently lives in Brookhaven, GA with her husband and they have two adult children.
Copyright 2020, Navigation Capital Partners, Inc.