Our Team
We are a team of investment professionals focused on relationships and exceeding expectations as we invest in and acquire middle market companies and develop real estate throughout the U.S. At Haywood Ventures we are focused on finding the right companies to integrate into the platform where we can bring long-term planning, capital and expertise to grow these companies to their full potential.
Meet the Team
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Josh is the CEO of Haywood Ventures and Haywood Development and is responsible for strategic direction and day-to-day management.
Josh has a passion for creating and structuring an organization that will be a place where people can thrive and be supported to achieve their goals. Josh believes that creating the right structure and partnerships within an organization is the optimal way to generate superior long-term growth for companies and to provide a platform for employees to achieve their highest potential.
Josh has been a developer for two national real estate firms including Cortland Partners and Transwestern Development. While at those firms he has led development teams overseeing execution of 3,406 residential apartment units totaling 762.5M in project cost. Most recently, Josh oversaw the development of two multifamily projects in Florida which were both delivered under budget and upon sale have delivered superior returns to investors compared to the proforma assumptions. Before his real estate development career Josh worked at the headquarters of Caterpillar in their corporate and supplier finance groups managing the financial health of Caterpillar’s vast supplier network.
Josh enjoys travel and the outdoors. Some of his favorite activities include hiking in the western U.S. and skiing. He is also active in his local church in Atlanta, GA.
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Bennett currently serves as Vice President at Haywood Ventures where his focus is on evaluating target company’s long-term operational potential. Post-acquisition, Bennett concentrates on driving long-term growth throughout our portfolio companies by optimizing operations and synergies across platforms. He is also integral in developing leadership and cultivating a culture that stays true to our founding focus on long-term growth over short-term profits. In addition to leadership and culture development, Bennett develops and oversees key strategic plans to enhance each portfolio company’s technology, sales, and operational capability.
Bennett began his professional career with Altria Group Distribution Company, formerly Phillip Morris, as a territory sales manager. In this role, Bennett was responsible for hitting a number KPI’s, generating sales revenue, building client relationships and ensuring his business was driving sustainable profitability. In 2013, Bennett left Altria to focus on the B2B technology industry. Since that time, Bennett has held a variety of sales and executive leadership roles where he has been responsible for revenue growth and operations at several small start-ups as well as large, publicly traded companies with SAP and Salesforce.
Prior to joining Haywood Ventures, Bennett was the founder of Sequoia Group Solutions, a consulting advisory firm focused on helping small and middle-market business owners prepare for business transitions and liquidity events.
Bennett lives just south of Atlanta with his wife Lauren and three young children. When not in the office, you can find Bennett outside golfing, training for his next Ironman triathlon or at his local church where he has served as an elder.
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Sophia is the Head of Design & Marketing of the development company and is responsible for creating and managing digital content, providing design/trend analytics and more.
Sophia’s love of people and beauty motivates her to provide the best user-centric solutions. She strives to exceed expectations in every facet of her job.
Sophia was traditionally trained in Industrial Design at Purdue University. She has been a Designer for Techtronic Industries as well as The Home Depot, the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer and a top rated Fortune 500 company. While at The Home Depot, she was project lead, brought value by researching new technology solutions and led training sessions. Sophia specialized in Industrial Design, Graphic Design, CAD Development, Adobe Suites, Web Design, Media Marketing, Blogging & Design Trends and Impactful Design Boards & Presentations.
As a side hustle, Sophia enjoys event planning and creating graphic designs for her stationary business. She also likes to travel and experience new cultures. “Variety is the spice of life” is her motto. Sophia loves new experiences and will never pass an opportunity to sip coffee with a friend.