The J Team

Joel has over 25 years of experience leading startup business ventures in the areas of investment management, debt and equity financing, M&A and strategy. Prior to The J, Joel served as CFO for several technology and ecommerce successes such as Cart.com, RTIC Outdoors (RTIC Coolers) and SalvageSale.com where he was a member of founding management. He also led the online ecommerce strategy launch for start-up brand iwilife.com, a plant-based eco-friendly nutraceutical in the Omega-3 category that is one of the fastest growing brands in its channel. Joel has also facilitated several successful exits to date, with aggregate Enterprise Values exceeding 2 billion USD.

Joel began his career at Price Waterhouse Coopers, is a CPA, and member of the Private Equity Executives Group, Texas Society of CPA’s and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Adrian brings extensive CPG marketing, innovation, and ecommerce experience. Prior to The J, Adrian dedicated 8+ years to PepsiCo, where he held several marketing and innovation roles for Frito Lay North America, Quaker Foods and Gamesa. During this time, he spearheaded significant portfolio marketing campaigns like the Super Bowl, Summer and other major holidays for big name brands like Lay’s, Doritos and Quaker.

More recently, Adrian served 3+ years as VP of Marketing for start-up brand iwilife.com, which he helped transform into the fastest growing plant-based Omega-3 supplement brand in the US. Adrian has also launched several small businesses internationally. His entrepreneurial background in the food, beverage, and supplement industry combined with his insights on consumer needs and trends contribute to a deep understanding of how to drive brand success, disrupt different industries, and create value for shareholders.

Vanessa supports The J’s executive management team in driving the HR strategy and development, performance, M&A, and compliance for current investments.  

Vanessa has over a decade of experience in leading and implementing organizational HR strategies and programs in recruitment, performance management, employee engagement, and leadership development and compensation. In her previous role, she has supported multiple companies in their success in leading organizations through change and transformations through employee retention, talent strategy, succession planning, policy development, and streamlining communication and development plans. Noteworthy business ventures were successfully working in a start-up environment-scaling operations and infrastructure which lead to the acquisition of business meeting the overall goal of leadership.

A graduate of St. Edwards University Vanessa is committed to making work more meaningful and engaging by creating a people culture that is cohesive, transparent, and supportive. Vanessa is an active member of the Society for Human Resources Management, having served as a Mentor in the SHRM Mentorship Program encouraging Mentees in their HR Careers. In her free time, Vanessa enjoys being active with her family outdoors, running, weightlifting, hiking, and traveling.

Arthur has a wealth of experience in ecommerce, digital marketing, and startups. Prior to The J, he founded and served as the CEO for his performance marketing agency, Optimal Agency. During which he led the organization to be among the few hand selected into TikTok's advertising beta, and his work was featured in TikTok's first published ecommerce success story. Optimal Agency went on to be acquired by Cart.com, where Arthur then served as VP of Marketing.

Arthur also spent time at two of the largest advertising tech companies, Google and Facebook, where he consulted some of the fastest growing ecommerce brands with marketing and advertising strategies. At Google, he was an early member of the marketing team that developed go-to-market strategies for Google's ecommerce technology partnerships. Arthur has also worked with a multitude of high-growth startups like RTIC Outdoors, Keeps, Osmo, Cirkul, Orgain and Lifesum. Through innovative marketing solutions, Arthur helped scale these companies from generating thousands in revenue to eventually millions. His contributions have allowed many brands to go on to successfully raise money or acquisitions.

Emerald is a CPA licensed in the state of Texas and graduated first in her class earning an MBA from Houston Baptist University and received the highest recognition earning the Stewart Morris Award as a Texas Business Hall of Fame Scholar. She also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and continues to express a passion for organizational psychology.

Prior to joining The J, Emerald made a career of working alongside high net worth investors in single and multifamily offices managing over $1.5 billion in AUM in over 45 different alternative investment vehicles in various industries.

Her duties include financial planning and analysis, operations management, tax compliance, and advisory services management for the firm and its various investments.

Bret is a CPA licensed in the state of Texas and has an extensive history in the field of financial management. Prior to his role at The J, Bret served as Vice President of Finance for Cart.com, an end-to-end ecommerce platform. Bret also served as CFO of The Cannon, a Houston-based startup incubator, and Director of Strategic Initiatives and Global Finance for Houston Methodist hospital system. Bret holds an MS in Management Information Systems and a BBA in Accounting from Texas A&M University.

Haley brings over 5 years of digital marketing experience working with ecommerce businesses across multiple industries. She obtained her bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University at College Station and began her career at RTIC Coolers, where she helped build the brand identity and launch multiple essential marketing programs that led the brand to its massive following.

She was also one of the early members of new ecommerce player, Cart.com, where she helped establish and scale their marketing-as-a-service department and worked with a multitude of fast-growing ecommerce brands. Other high-growth startups that she’s worked with include iwi, Cuero Boots, TagsForHope, Cirkul, Lifesum, and Cheap Cheap Moving Boxes.

Her diverse range of experience, innovative mindset, and creative skills have equipped her with the ability to keep pace with a rapidly changing digital world and provide value to businesses looking to succeed in today’s market.

A serial innovator, Alfonso has over 10 years of entrepreneurial experience and has co-founded several brands within the ecommerce space. He started his career in business and opened a logistics company during his early days. He then moved on to open an oil valve B2B company before eventually settling into the ecommerce industry.

Alfonso is also an accomplished photographer, creative director, and designer. His wealth of experience with ecommerce businesses combined with his creative abilities contribute to his unique perspective and the ability to produce innovative solutions.

Chreal has over a decade of experience in operational administration, and 6 years experience as an Executive Assistant. Prior to joining The J, Chreal was the Director of Administration for RTIC Custom Shop, where she managed daily operations, while leading consumer and employee relations. Chreal was also the Lead Catering Manager and Office Administrator for Gringo’s Mexican Kitchen – Cypress, where she directed public and privately catered events, daily operations, reporting, and employee training.

Her duties at The J include executive and operational administration, accounts payable, vendor management, payroll and benefits coordination, record retention, as well as management of day-to-day operations and budgets. Chreal also serves as the point of contact among the firm’s executives, employees, clients, and other external partners.

Outside of the The J, Chreal enjoys spending quality time with her family, traveling, and soaking up the sun!