Billy D. Prim
Chairman & CEO, Primo Water Corporation

Billy D. Prim is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Primo Water Corporation. Primo, a privately-held company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, markets mineral enriched bottled water in 3 and 5 gallon sizes and a full line of convenient to use water dispensing appliances for the home.

Prior to Primo, Prim was founder and chief executive officer of Blue Rhino Corp., the nation’s leading provider of branded propane cylinder exchange and complementary propane-fueled appliances. In 2004, Prim sold Blue Rhino to Ferrellgas, New York Stock Exchange FGP.

Prior to founding Blue Rhino in 1994, Prim was chairman and chief executive officer of American Oil & Gas Company, a regional petroleum marketer.

Prim is chairman of the Dean Prim Foundation. This foundation provides scholarships for students to attend four-year colleges and universities, as well as the opportunity to participate in a China travel and study program. The Foundation was created in memory of his father, who was an active member of the Yadkin County Board of Education.

In 2003, Prim was named a recipient of The Carolinas’ 2003 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. This program honors entrepreneurs whose ingenuity, hard work and perseverance have created and sustained successful, growing business ventures.

He is President and owner of the Winston-Salem Dash, a Minor League baseball team and Class A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.

He is a member of the World Presidents’ Organization and serves on the board of directors of the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce, Wake Forest Business School, and the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

Prim and his wife Deborah reside in Winston-Salem, NC.

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F. Gordon Pollock
Executive Managing Director, Avondale Partners

Gordon Pollock joined Avondale Partners in November 2010 as Executive Managing Director, focused in the areas of Business Services and Education.  Before joining Avondale Partners, Pollock served at Morgan Joseph from April 2006 to October 2010 as a Managing Director and Head of the firm’s Business Services and Education Industry Group.  From September 1997 to March 2006 Pollock was an investment banker with SunTrust Robinson Humphrey and its predecessor companies and a Managing Director in STRH’s Business Services Group and Head of its Middle Market Merger’s and Acquisition Group.  From 1995 to 1997 he was a Manager in Accenture’s Strategic Services Consulting Practice and from 1989 to 1993 he held various management positions with a leading mortgage servicing company.  Pollock holds a BA from Williams College, and an MBA, with distinction, from The Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

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Tom Kammerer
Principal, Pure Room Solutions N.A.
Managing Director and Principal, Thayer Lodging Group

Tom Kammerer is responsible for strategic initiatives and asset management and will be a member of the Fund’s Investment Committee. Kammerer has 24 years of hotel investment management experience which includes asset renovations and repositioning, property management and due diligence. Prior to joining Thayer in 1991, Kammerer was instrumental in the creation of Grand Heritage Hotels, where he served as the company’s first general manager. Prior to his experience at Grand Heritage, he was associated with several hotel companies including Loews Hotels, Radisson and several independent hotels.

Kammerer attended the University of Maryland, and was a past Director of the Annapolis Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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Peter B. Lipson
Managing Director, HarbourVest Partners, LLC (Boston)

Peter Lipson joined HarbourVest in 1997 as an associate focused on direct investments in operating companies. He completed HarbourVest’s associate program in 1999 and went on to Harvard Business School; he rejoined HarbourVest in 2001 after receiving his MBA. Lipson currently focuses on growth equity, buyout, and mezzanine investments and serves as a director of Mimeo.com, Photobox, Towne Park, Tropitone, and xpressdocs. Before joining HarbourVest, he worked as a financial analyst in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group at Salomon Brothers. He received a BA in Economics from the University of California, San Diego in 1993, an MS in Information Systems from the University of Virginia in 1995, and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 2001.

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John Menghini, Sr.
Chairman & Managing Partner, Veritas Partners

John Menghini currently serves as chairman and managing partner of Veritas Partners, a venture capital partnership based in Kansas City. Prior to founding Veritas Partners, Menghini spent 24 years with Gear For Sports, a $250.0 million sports apparel company in Lenexa Kansas. During his tenure, Menghini served in a variety of management positions including President COO and CEO. He led a successful management buyout of Gear for Sports in 1997 and retired from there in 2000. In addition to his business interests, he serves on a large number of charitable and non-profit boards. He has three grown children and nine grandchildren, and lives in Overland Park Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City, with his wife.

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Joseph T. Jones, Jr.
President & CEO of the Center For Urban Families, Inc. (CFUF)

Joseph T. Jones, Jr. is founder of the Center For Urban Families (CFUF), a Baltimore, Maryland nonprofit service organization established to empower low-income families by enhancing both the ability of women and men to contribute to their families as wage earners and of men to fulfill their roles as fathers. Prior to founding CFUF, Jones developed and directed the Men’s Services program for the federally funded Baltimore Healthy Start initiative and replicated the Baltimore affiliate of the nationally recognized STRIVE employment services program. His ability to engage and provide hands-on services to fathers garnered him the reputation of trailblazer in the field. Jones is now a national leader in workforce development, fatherhood and family services programming, and through his professional and civic involvement influences policy direction nationwide.

ones has received numerous awards and honors for his leadership and programming, including the Johns Hopkins University Leadership Development Program’s Distinguished Leadership Award. He currently serves on President Obama’s Taskforce on Fatherhood and Healthy Families and several boards including: the Open Society Institute-Baltimore, the Baltimore Workforce Investment Board, and the National Fatherhood Leaders Group. He was a community advisor on fatherhood issues to Vice President Al Gore and contributed to First Lady Laura Bush’s Helping America’s Youth initiative.

Jones is a Weinberg Fellow and a graduate of the University of Maryland Baltimore County. He is happily married and has three children.

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David L. Warnock
Managing Member, Camden Partners

David Warnock is a Partner with Camden Partners and co-founded the firm in 1995. He has over 24 years of investment experience and focuses on investments in the business and financial services and education sectors. He serves on the board of National American University, Inc., New Horizons Worldwide, Inc., Nobel Learning Communities, Inc., The Princeton Review, Inc., Primo Water Corporation, Questar Assessment, Inc., Towne Park Ltd., Ranir LLC, CIBT School of Business and Technology Corp., and formerly served on the board of American Public Education, Inc., all of which are Camden Partners' portfolio companies.

Previously, Warnock was President of T. Rowe Price Strategic Partners and T. Rowe Price Strategic Partners II. He was also co-manager of the T. Rowe Price New Horizons Fund. He was employed by T. Rowe Price Associates from 1983 to 1995. Upon forming Camden Partners (formerly known as Cahill, Warnock & Company) and until December 31, 1997, he served as a consultant to the advisory committees of T. Rowe Price Strategic Partners and T. Rowe Price Strategic Partners II. He started his career at Welch and Forbes, Boston-based private trustees.

Warnock is also involved with numerous non-profit organizations. He is the Chairman of the Center For Urban Families, as well as former Chairman of the Board for Calvert Education Services, the nation's largest non-sectarian homeschooling organization.  He is Founder and Trustee of the Green Street Academy in Baltimore City. He also serves on the board of the University of Wisconsin Applied Security Analysis Program and is a trustee on the board of the Baltimore Museum of Art & the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.

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Jerry B. South
Founder & CEO

Towne Park’s Founder and CEO Jerry South believes in learning through living.  He’s a self taught savvy businessman and entrepreneur.  “Every day I learn,” South shared in a recent Parking profile.  “That’s the beauty of it.  You must use each and every day as a lesson for tomorrow because you’ll need it,” he added.

South is passionate about “providing opportunities for people to do more than they ever thought was possible.” He believes talented people at all levels within the organization are the foundation of Towne Park’s success and is strategically involved in attracting and cultivating executive talent.  “I have a lot of philosophies by which I live.  One of them is that you can’t be afraid to hire people smarter than you.”

South rewards talent through the associate stock plan.  It doesn’t matter how long an individual has been with the organization or the role they play.  It’s about their commitment to making Towne Park better that earns them a place in the program South created.  “I would rather own 10% of a billion dollar company than 100% of a $10 million dollar company,” South feels.  He welcomed Towne Park’s first six associate partners in November 1999 and today, the program has over 70 associate partners in the ownership ranks.

Jerry South formed Towne Park in July of 1988 in Annapolis, Maryland and has successfully built the company from one hotel account in Annapolis, Maryland to a national parking and hospitality services provider.  He courted and directed the key acquisitions of MediPark Valet Services out of Dallas and Mile Hi Valet Service of Denver to expand Towne Park’s hotel portfolio, as well as Avascend Healthcare Hospitality of Overland Park (KS) launching Towne Park into the healthcare vertical.  In addition to acquiring competitors to expand the organization, South has played a lead and integral role in growing the organization organically. 

As part of South’s self-education, he has successfully completed numerous programs including the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s Master Hotel Supplier certification, the Birthing of Giants series, a Young Entrepreneurs’ Organization program, the CEO project and the Masters of Business Dynamics program with other Towne Park executives. 

He’s also an avid reader and believes all business people should read Good to Great and How the Mighty Fall by Jim Collins.  After reading The Precious Present by Spencer Johnson, South fervently believes in “the present being now not the gift” which is a new personal South philosophy.

In addition to his role as Towne Park’s CEO, South is involved in his local and business communities.  He has served on the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s Allied Executive Committee since 2000, an active National Parking Association Board Member since 1995, and a founding member of the National Valet Parking Association, formed in 2002, where he serves as the treasurer and a vice president.  He’s also on the boards of the Anne Arundel Medical Center Foundation and the Maryland Theatre for the Performing Arts.  In 2004, Jerry South formed The Check Foundation to serve Towne Park associates and communities and is still an advisor today. 

Over the years, Jerry South has been recognized for his entrepreneurial spirit and ingenious business sense.  He has won numerous entrepreneurial and business awards from local organizations and associations including the Small Business Administration.  In 2002, he was an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and most recently, was named the 2010 SmartCEO of the Year by Baltimore’s SmartCEO magazine.

In addition to his duties as Towne Park’s CEO, Jerry South is also the chairman of the Towne Holdings, Inc.’s Board of Directors.  He also participates in Towne Park’s Communications Council and is a member of Towne Park’s Executive Committee and Strategic Planning Group.

Jerry South also leads a very active personal life.  He’s a golf fanatic, enjoys a fine glass of wine, and loves to cook.  He enjoys spending his free time with his wife Christy, daughter Alex and their two dogs, Parker and Eddie. 

Jerry’s guiding principle in life is to “love all, trust few, and do wrong to none.”

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Dave Nichols
President & COO

Dave Nichols’ guiding principle is “staying true to others and yourself.  A good leader is fair and honest, and they are supportive and respectful of others and their ideas.”  This philosophy holds true in his personal and professional life.  “I work hard to not only personally succeed, but to help others succeed.  There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing others develop, grow and thrive.  I really enjoy achieving goals as a team and we’ve achieved many at Towne Park.” 

Nichols is passionate about people and cultivating their talent.  He truly believes in placing the right people in the right place.  “Towne Park cannot succeed without great people.  Placing them in roles where they can excel ensures our company’s success.”     

Over the years, Nichols has helped Towne Park to reach numerous milestones.  He’s the pioneer of Towne Park’s metrics and engrained the philosophy of if you can measure it, you can manage it into the minds of managers and executives throughout the company.  Nichols is also the visionary behind many of Towne Park’s key systems and operating structure allowing the company to scale 15-fold since he joined the company in 1998 as the company’s first COO.

Today, Dave Nichols focuses on improving customer loyalty, and service and product quality.  He continues to lead the charge in innovation and continuous improvement in key areas.  He’s a 4DX champion and the pilot of new company initiatives and strategic bets. Overall, he’s accountable for the company’s financial and operational performance.

In addition to his role as the company’s COO, Nichols assumed the role as Towne Park’s President in 2007.  He’s also a Towne Park representative on the Towne Holding, Inc.’s Board of Directors and serves on Towne Park’s Executive Committee and Strategic Planning Group.

Prior to Towne Park, Nichols’ professional life was as a hospitality industry executive.  He has over 25 years of hotel industry experience serving in general manager roles at full-service hotels for 17 years.  Before joining Towne Park, Nichols was the general manager of the historic Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, KY (a Towne Park client) and area manager for Medallion Hotels.  During his tenure with Medallion Hotels, he was their General Manager of the Year twice.  Nichols is also an American Hotel & Lodging Association Certified Hotel Administrator.

Dave Nichols holds a B. A. in Economics from Dartmouth College (1973).  He participated in FranklinCovey’s Leadership Week in Utah and is a FranklinCovey certified teacher in 7-Habits, First Things First, and, most recently, the Four Disciplines of Execution (4DX).  He has also successfully completed Business Dynamics with other Towne Park executives.

Nichols is a sport enthusiast and loves to play golf but enjoys spending most of his free time with his family.  He has been married for over 37 years to his wife Patty and their son Carey is currently attending the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine.  Dave Nichols likes to travel especially to Vermont for alpine skiing with his family.

Like other Towne Park executives, Nichols is a devoted reader and recommends reading anything published by Stephen R. Covey, especially the 7-Habits of Highly Effective People.  “It’s a must read for any professional,” according to Nichols.  He also recommends Built to Last by James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras. 

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Mark Norwicz
CFO

Mark Norwicz believes “I’ve been given a great opportunity and tremendous amount of responsibility at Towne Park and I am accountable to our associates, clients and shareholders.”  Norwicz leads by setting a good tone and example.  “In our organization, you need to be committed and are accountable to others.  They don’t work for me.  I work for them.”

Like other Towne Park executives, Norwicz is very passionate about developing people and helping them attain their professional goals.  “If the company’s success drives opportunities for others, I’m very happy,” Norwicz shared.  He loves to nurture and cultivate talent and watch people turn challenges into growth opportunities.

Mark Norwicz joined Towne Park in July 2007 as the company’s first Chief Financial Officer.  He successfully restructured the company’s bank financing program securing key financial partners such as SunTrust, PNC, CapitalOne, Bank of America and Wells Fargo.  He developed and implemented a customized business planning and financial reporting system and is the visionary behind the formation of Towne Park’s business planning and analysis group.  Norwicz has also played an integral role in acquisitions and other strategic initiatives. 

Today, Norwicz continues to manage Towne Park’s key financial relationships and is intimately involved in developing processes that allow the business to scale and grow in a fast-paced environment.  He is responsible for Towne Park’s financial functions including accounting, treasury, payroll, business planning and analysis, tax, legal and risk management. 

Over the years, Norwicz has held various senior financial leadership positions with high growth and Fortune 100 companies such as Citigroup, Household International and Chase Manhattan Bank.  In addition, he also worked in public accounting during the early part of his career.

Mark Norwicz has a MBA in Finance from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York University and a BS in Finance from the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland.  He recently completed a four year term on the Board of Governors for the University of Maryland Alumni Association and also served on their finance committee.  In addition, Norwicz is a CPA and a member of the American Institute of CPAs.

In his personal time, Norwicz likes to run and has coached many youth sports.  He also enjoys golf and other outdoor activities.  Needless to say, he is an avid Maryland Terrapin fan and likes the Ravens and Orioles.  He is married with two children and resides in Maryland.        

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Matt Cahill
Executive Vice President, Hotel Operations

What excites and drives Matt Cahill the most is “growing our business, developing people and entrepreneurialism in general.”   It may sound a little cliché, but Cahill truly believes in doing what you say you’re going to do, leading by example and to be present; in other words, don’t just show up. 

Cahill is homegrown Towne Park talent.  With many natural capabilities, Cahill has played integral roles throughout his tenure at Towne Park.  His humble beginnings started in 1995 as a shift supervisor in Baltimore, Maryland learning the basics of parking cars and the importance of client relationships.  Over the years, he’s served in many management and executive level roles including as the district manager in Louisville, regional vice president over the mid-West, senior vice president of operations, and executive vice president of operations.

Today, as executive vice president of hotel operations, Cahill focuses on the hotel side of Towne Park’s customer base, hotel business development, and the talent group.  He plays an important role in the implementation and maintenance of FranklinCovey’s 4 Disciplines of Execution program throughout the ranks of Towne Park.  Based on the program, Towne Park has many strategic bets in place and he’s one of many accountable for achieving those bets.  He’s also responsible for fostering high level customer relationships and assists in recruiting senior level talent.  In addition, Cahill is a member of Towne Park’s Executive Committee and Strategic Planning Group.  He also completed the Masters of Business Dynamics with other Towne Park executives.

An attribute unique to Cahill and his leadership style is his use of vocabulary and themes to drive home a point or to push an initiative.  There are many “Cahillism” at Towne Park such as aggressive hospitality, parking concierge, parking storefront, brackets = caskets, and more.  Many of these Cahillisms are indoctrinated in Towne Park’s language.  His most recent initiative - substantially better - has been widely adopted and is daily phrase heard throughout the ranks – How can we be substantially better today?  What can I do to be substantially better?

Cahill is a founding member of the Green Parking Council and currently serves on the board of directors.  The Green Parking Council (GPC) is a non-profit organization offering certification and credentialing programs, open-source standards, professional leadership and educational development and training for organizations and individuals in the parking industry. GPC works at the intersection of parking, green building, clean technology, renewable energy, smart grid infrastructure, urban planning and sustainable mobility.

Prior to Towne Park, Cahill served in the U.S. Army.  He studied German at the U.S. Army’s Defense Language Institute and served as a German linguist.

Cahill is a sports fanatic in general but golf, basketball and football are by far his favorites. Recreationally, he enjoys boating, jet skiing, and just about anything on or in the water and shooting hoops.  He lives on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, great for water sports and golf, with his wife and children.  Cahill is an avid reader and recommends The Great Game of Business by Jack Stack and Conspiracy of Fools: A True Story by Kurt Eichenwald.

One of Cahill’s favorite quotes is “Life’s tough, wear a helmet.” But most recently, a quote from Herb Kelleher, founder of Southwest Airlines, has really resonated with him and is a theme that guides his leadership today – “think small, act small, get big…think big, act big, get small.”  Towne Park needs to think small and act small to better serve our customers and their clients, and in order to grow our business.

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Frank Pikus
Executive Vice President, Healthcare and Emerging Markets

Frank Pikus understands the importance of continual innovation within a successful company.  He believes “the cornerstone of any growth organization is the commitment to re-invent your company through product, service and operational innovation.”  At Towne Park, Pikus stresses that it is operational and service innovation that fuels the company’s growth and truly creates more value for its healthcare and hotel clients.  Whether it is state-of-the-art technology, comprehensive financial analysis and reporting or unparalleled training and development programs, Pikus and Towne Park are dedicated to finding ways new and innovative ways to better serve clients.

As a lifelong entrepreneur, Pikus is a teacher at heart and he thrives on helping people improve themselves both personally and professionally.  Today, Pikus serves as the Executive Vice President of Healthcare and Emerging Markets at Towne Park.  Within the Healthcare division, Pikus focuses on the unique needs of clients as well as the cultivation of new business opportunities.  In addition to his healthcare responsibilities, Pikus is the executive leader of two new Towne Park initiatives.  Towne Park Systems focuses on providing franchise opportunities in over 50 markets across the country.  Encore Hospitality Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Towne Park, was created to pursue opportunities involving union labor. Pikus is also a member of Towne Park’s Executive Committee and Strategic Planning Group.

Pikus previously served as Executive Vice President of Business Development where he was instrumental in the development of Towne Park’s sales efforts and guided the company to two consecutive record growth years.  He also led the creation and development of Towne Park’s National Accounts program where he identified key strategic customer and partner alliances.  With his leadership, Towne Park added over 100 new clients.

In 2009, Pikus was charged with leading the effort to re-brand and re-position the company.  He also was tasked with identifying key areas for cost and vendor improvements, an effort that yielded several million dollars in annual savings for the company.

Pikus originally joined Towne Park following the acquisition of Avascend Healthcare Hospitality in June of 2009.  As CEO of Avascend, he led the company through the process of positioning Avascend for a sale while helping to protect the jobs of nearly 1,200 associates.

Prior to Avascend, Pikus co-founded Veritas Partners and served as its President and Managing Director from 2001 to 2009. While at Veritas Pikus managed a group of diversified investments, most notably Prima Profiles, a leading cabinet component manufacturer, and Impact Design, the largest provider of custom decorated apparel services in the United States.  He also led Veritas through a myriad of real estate development and acquisition activities focused on commercial and residential opportunities.

Before co-founding Veritas, Pikus spent nine years as Vice President of Sales and Marketing with Gear for Sports where he served on the board.  While at Gear for Sports he led the creation of Event One, a wholly owned subsidiary with exclusive retail rights for NCAA championship merchandise and pioneered the Professional Sports Licensing business focused on the NBA, NHL and MLB.

Pikus attended Rockhurst University in Kansas City (MO) earning BA degrees in both finance and economics in 1991.  He is also a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and the American Society for Healthcare Environmental Services.

He resides in Overland Park, Kansas with his wife of 20 years, four children and two golden retrievers.  He has spent many years on the athletic field coaching his children in soccer, basketball and volleyball.  Currently, he serves as a Trustee for St. James Academy, a nationally recognized college preparatory high school located in Lenexa, Kansas.

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Rick Sorrells
Executive Vice President, Administration

 

Rick Sorrells loves “being a part of building and growing organizations and having the opportunity to influence young leaders.  It’s far more exciting than money, fame, or prestige and it can never be taken away.”  According to Rick Sorrells, you must rely on your character to succeed.  This is Sorrells’ guiding principle in life and what he instills in young leaders within Towne Park.  He truly leads by example.

Sorrells is passionate about our people and believes in giving them opportunities to grow and learn throughout the organization.  Weekly, Sorrells shares a life lesson through a story or a real life experience by means of his Weekly Update he sends to all Towne Park leaders and rising stars.

Rick Sorrells joined Towne Park in 2006 as the assistant to the COO working on a variety of key projects quickly advancing him into a vice president of operations position.  He played integral, lead roles in transitioning and indoctrinating acquired businesses into Towne Park’s culture and operating structure.  He was essential in the implementation of FranklinCovey’s 4 Disciplines of Execution program within his operational realm of responsibility.  In addition, he reorganized and improved loss prevention initiatives and claims processing and resolution.  He also assisted in the centralization of support services in the Corporate Office saving hundreds of thousands of dollars

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Today, as vice president of administration, Sorrells leads the administration group and its initiatives.  He oversees operational special projects including the installation and specification of parking equipment, new account openings, loss prevention and claims resolution, and revenue compliance.  He continues to support the centralization of operations support and improvements and the implementation of the 4 Disciplines of Execution program.  He also serves vital roles in the Strategic Planning Group and Safety Council and is a member of Towne Park’s Executive Committee.

Prior to Towne Park, Sorrells served in a variety of operational, sales, and staff positions with the Cintas Corporation.  During this period, Cintas grew nearly seven-fold.  Sorrells was involved in seven major acquisitions, a key market start-up, and a critical and large organizational turnaround.  He led several customer services and process improvement initiatives, and also held key human resources and sales leadership positions.

Sorrells earned a BS in Engineering Management from the Air Force Academy and served for five and a half years in the United States Air Force.  He held program management positions with the Air Force and was responsible for developing, testing, and fielding several key Intelligence Systems.  After leaving the Air Force, Sorrells received a MBA from Harvard Business School. 

Sorrells lives in Maryland with his wife Trish and their three children.  He’s passionate about his family and sports, especially his kids’ sports.  He loves Braves baseball and is an avid University of Georgia and Air Force Football fan!  In addition, he enjoys reading about the Civil War and WWII, and his business must reads include Good to Great by Jim Collins and The Business of Happiness by Ted Leonsis. 

Sorrells favorite quote is by John Wooden: “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”

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