Jon Butcher
Board Director, Mintel Group Ltd.
For twenty years through to 2021, Jon led the commercial development and growth of Mintel Americas, as the Americas CEO. Mintel is a global research agency providing consumer and market insights to Brands, Agencies and Suppliers across consumer-facing industries. The Mintel Americas business has 300+ employees.
Jon continues to serve as a Director on the Mintel Board and is currently focused on developing the Group’s media monitoring business.
Jon also serves on the Board of the British American Business Council in Chicago, which supports transatlantic business connectivity.
Bob Calton
Managing Partner
Mr. Calton is a Founding Partner of Summit Park. He has over 30 years of principal investing and investment banking experience and has spent the majority of his professional career advising and investing in lower middle market companies.
Prior to founding Summit Park in 2006, Mr. Calton was a Partner at Wachovia Capital Partners (and its predecessor First Union Capital Partners) where he focused on investments in the business services and manufacturing sectors. Previously, he was a Managing Director and Shareholder at Bowles Hollowell Conner & Co., which, prior to its sale to First Union Corporation in 1998, was the leading independent merger and acquisition advisory firm focused on the middle market. Prior to attending graduate business school, he was an Analyst in the investment banking division at Morgan Stanley & Co. in New York and in the venture capital business as an Associate at Morgan Stanley Research Ventures in San Francisco.
Mr. Calton currently serves on the Board of Directors of Aspirent, Curion, Elliott Aviation, Exacta, Freedom Electronics, Parkline, Tennessee Industrial Electronics, and United Air Temp. He previously served as a Board Member at Arkive, Charter Brokerage Holdings, C.A.R.S. Protection Plus, Control Company, Fast Growing Trees, NSi Holdings, Sentry Security Systems, smarTours, and U.S. Salt Holdings.
A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Mr. Calton received his undergraduate business degree from Southern Methodist University and received his MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Michael York
Partner
Mr. York is a Partner at Summit Park and joined the firm in 2016. Prior to joining Summit Park, Mr. York was an Associate at BlackArch Partners. Prior to BlackArch, he was the founder and CEO of Soldthru, an ecommerce services company focused on pricing optimization for online retailers. Before Soldthru, Mr. York worked at Fidelity Equity Partners as a Private Equity Associate focused on investments in middle-market companies in the business services and technology-enabled services sectors. Mr. York began his career at Rothschild where he worked as an Investment Banking Analyst in the business services, media and energy sectors.
Mr. York currently serves on the Board of Directors of Curion.
Mr. York received a BA in Economics from Amherst College and his MBA from Columbia Business School.
Jason Carlock
Partner
Mr. Carlock is a Partner at Summit Park and joined the firm in 2019. Prior to joining Summit Park, Mr. Carlock spent more than a decade at Red Ventures, a leading marketing technology company that owns and operates a portfolio of high-growth digital businesses and technology accelerators serving Fortune 50 customers, where he most recently was the President of the Home Services business unit and a member of the Senior Executive Team. At Red Ventures, Mr. Carlock had significant experience in digital marketing, data analytics, and direct-to-consumer marketing, as well as in the evaluation of and integration of acquisitions. Prior to Red Ventures, he held sales and marketing roles at Procter & Gamble and Newell Rubbermaid.
Mr. Carlock currently serves on the Board of Directors of Artifact Uprising, Curion, Ledge Lounger, RuffleButts, and United Air Temp. He previously served as a Board Member of Fast Growing Trees and smarTours.
Mr. Carlock received his undergraduate degree from Davidson College and received his MBA from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
Chris Cotton
Financial Operating Partner, CCO
Mr. Cotton is a Financial Operating Partner and Chief Compliance Officer and has been working with the firm since 2010. Prior to joining Summit Park, Mr. Cotton was a Partner at Deloitte & Touche LLP where he provided attest and financial advisory services primarily to middle market companies in the consumer and industrial products industries. Prior to Deloitte, Mr. Cotton spent 11 years at Arthur Andersen LLP where he rose to the rank of Senior Manager.
Mr. Cotton currently serves on the Board of Directors of United Air Temp. He previously served as a Board Member of C.A.R.S. Protection Plus.
Mr. Cotton received his undergraduate degree in Accounting from Wake Forest University.
Steve Jungmann
CEO
Steve Jungmann, a seasoned leader across CPG and Retail industries, sits at the helm of Curion as its CEO, exudes an impressive background, making him a driving force behind Curion’s future success.
Before joining Curion, Steve served as the CEO of Urban Farmer, a leading manufacturer of better-for-you, plant-based specialty dough products. Prior to his leadership at Urban Farmer, Steve held the position of CEO at Convenience Valet, a prominent distributor of over-the-counter and personal care products catering to the convenience and travel channels.
Steve’s passion for his work and team leadership extend beyond his recent CEO roles. Steve has held key positions such as President of Sales at Richelieu Foods, EVP of Merchandising at SuperValu Food, and SVP of Solo Cup’s Consumer Product division. Moreover, his 20 years with Kraft Foods, encompassed Sales and Strategy roles across different geographies.
Steve holds a Master in Business Administration from Northwestern University’s prestigious Kellogg School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Illinois.
Neil Willcocks
Founder of Chair 8 Consulting LLC
Neil Willcocks was vice president of global research and development for Mars Wrigley Confectionery – the confectionery category leader and maker of chocolate, gum, mints and fruity confection brands. He was a member of the company’s leadership team, and responsible for the following functions globally: product development; package development; product, process and equipment technology; science, cocoa research & development; health & wellness strategy and innovation, scientific and regulatory affairs; quality & food safety; and regional R&D.
With more than 30 years of experience at Mars, Neil held numerous R&D roles in various Mars subsidiaries during his tenure. He began his career at Mars in 1990 as a research technologist for the company’s Confectionery business in the United Kingdom, and has invented more than 35 patents, spanning fields as diverse as chocolate technology, packaging, business models and e-commerce.
He holds an honors degree in chemistry from Loughborough University in Great Britain.
Dr. Derek Wang, Ph.D.
Founder of Stratifyd, Inc.
Dr. Derek Wang is an accomplished entrepreneur who founded Stratifyd, Inc. in 2014, a global leader in big-data analytics. His journey into entrepreneurship began when he left his tenure-track position in Computer Science at UNC Charlotte to pursue this venture. Under his leadership, Stratifyd expanded into a global force, offering AI-driven customer experience analytics to a wide array of Fortune 2000 enterprises.
Dr. Wang earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from UNC Charlotte. Notably, he served as the Associate Director of the Ribarsky Visualization Center, providing essential services to various U.S. Government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Special Operations Command (SOCOM).
Beyond his entrepreneurial and academic pursuits, Dr. Wang holds several board positions in academic institutions and non-profit organizations. Dr. Wang also holds six patents and contributes his expertise to publications like Forbes and others.
In 2022, Dr. Wang shifted his focus from his role at Stratifyd to venture investments, helping companies leverage AI and ML for effective growth.
