Summit Park Welcomes New Members to LEAD Program

July 11, 2023 at 08:30 AM EDT

Summit Park is pleased to announce it has welcomed four new members to its Leadership Excellence and Development Program (“LEAD”).

The LEAD program develops execution-focused and operationally talented executives who assume a meaningful and mission critical role as Chief of Staff at businesses within Summit Park’s portfolio. LEAD executives actively participate in the leadership of the day-to-day operations of the business and assist in the creation and execution of company-wide long-term strategy.

The following professionals have joined the teams at businesses in the firm’s portfolio, reporting directly to the respective company’s CEO:

Fletcher Baldwin – Freedom Electronics
Dan McFarland – Elliott Aviation
Grant Miller – United Structural Systems
Jack Trump – Exacta Land Surveyors

Bob Calton, Co-Managing Partner at Summit Park, said, “Along with the CEOs at Summit Park’s portfolio companies, we are excited to welcome this impressive group into their new roles, and we feel confident they will gain valuable experience working alongside the teams they are joining. Fletcher, Dan, Grant, and Jack each have impressive backgrounds and records of success, and we look forward to seeing the impact they make at our companies.”

Fletcher Baldwin is the Chief of Staff at Freedom Electronics. Prior to Freedom Electronics, Fletcher was a Finance Associate at Delta Air Lines, supporting category and negotiation strategy development within the Technical Operations Supply Chain. Prior to Delta Air Lines, Fletcher served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Marines for six years. Fletcher received a BS in Environmental Science from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the Darden School of Business at UVA.

Dan McFarland is the Chief of Staff at Elliott Aviation. Prior to joining the LEAD program, Dan was an Operations Manager at Aurora Innovation, a self-driving vehicle technology company. Before Aurora, he served five years in the United States Marine Corps as an active-duty Reconnaissance and Scout Sniper Marine. Dan received his BA in Political Science and International Relations magna cum laude from Columbia University and his MBA from The McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin.

Grant Miller is the Chief of Staff at United Structural Systems (USS). Prior to joining USS, Grant was a Consultant at Dell Technologies focused on supply chain optimization and demand forecasting. Before Dell, he served as an Infantry Officer in the 101st Airborne Division in the United States Army. Grant received his undergraduate degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point and his MBA from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas.

Jack Trump is the Chief of Staff at Exacta Land Surveyors. Prior to joining Exacta, Jack held roles in GTM Strategy consulting at SBI Growth and Accenture. He received his undergraduate degrees in Entrepreneurship & Marketing from the University of Arizona and received his MBA from The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

About Summit Park

Summit Park is a Charlotte, North Carolina-based private investment firm focused exclusively on the lower middle market. The firm invests across a range of industries, including services, consumer, and industrial growth. The Firm has made over 40 investments in the lower middle market totaling more than $2 billion in total enterprise value. The firm’s capital can be used to facilitate a change in ownership, to support expansion and growth, to provide partial liquidity to existing owners, or to support an industry consolidation plan. For more information, visit www.summitparkllc.com.

About the LEAD Program

The Leadership Excellence and Development Program (“LEAD”) was started in 2017 to develop talented, operationally-focused executives for leadership positions in the Summit Park portfolio. LEAD executives assume a meaningful and mission critical leadership role as the Chief of Staff in one of the firm’s portfolio companies. Success in the role can lead to a C-level position within the portfolio over an accelerated timeline. LEAD members are not employees of Summit Park. For more information, visit https://www.summitparkllc.com/team/lead-program/