Our Team

Vested for Growth believes that great results follow great people. So in addition to full time staff, VFG utilizes an investment committee that helps evaluate opportunities, increase value-add, and opens doors for portfolio companies. Representing a diverse set of industries and knowledge sets, VFG has the breadth and depth of knowledge to work with companies in any sector. Contact us to learn more.

John Hamilton
Managing Director
John Hamilton leads Vested For Growth with over 25 years of executive and managerial experience in the areas of business investing, workforce development, affordable housing, and energy conservation that covers all three sectors - for profit, non profit and government. He has successfully placed over $10 million in growth capital for existing NH businesses for their acquisition, turnaround or new product introduction strategies. John previously was the founder of Concord Area Trust for Community Housing (CATCH), a private organization that develops affordable housing. Under his leadership, CATCH won the 1996 Walter J. Dunfey Award for Excellence in Management for its "entrepreneurial spirit and careful attention to all aspects of management". After 9 years at CATCH he served as President of the NH Job Training Council and later became the founding President of the Workforce Opportunity Council which was designed to create a more responsive workforce development system and reengineer the delivery of the state's job training services. Since 2002, he has come back to the Community Loan Fund to launch VFG. In 2002 and 2003, John was a Baldrige Examiner for the Granite State Quality Award.

James Key-Wallace
Senior Investor
James Key-Wallace is Vested For Growth's Senior Investor. He has placed millions of dollars in investment capital employing a variety of structures from subordinated debt to royalty financing to hybrid structures with and without warrants. Areas of focus include capitalization strategies, financial management, marketing, and employee development.

Prior to joining the organization he served as the Vice President of the Monadnock Economic Development Corporation in Keene NH, and spent three years as a Marketing Manager with Staff Development for Educators in Peterborough. He was also on the board of the Monadnock Area Transitional Shelter, a non-profit dedicated to the housing and economic needs of the region's homeless population.

James earned his Business Administration and Computer Science degrees from St. Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and his Master's of Community Economic Development from Southern New Hampshire University.

VFG Investment Committee:

Jack Donovan Executive Director
New Hampshire Business Finance Authority
Concord
"As an investor, it really comes down to betting on people - and not just the entrepreneur but on the whole group of people that make up the business. Vested for Growth's focus on helping entrepreneurs to find ways to motivate their employees and enlist them in reaching the company's goals, makes strong financial sense. I see many opportunities for small businesses to benefit from the capital and support provided by Vested for Growth."

Juliana Eades President
New Hampshire Community Loan Fund
Concord
"Vested for Growth offers the best for owners and employees. It will help capture capitalism's ability to increase wealth and spread the benefits down deeper into the business so more employees participate in the profits. This approach to organizational development is also helping the Loan Fund to boost our performance and develop our employees."

Andrea Johnstone Shareholder
Bernstein Shur
Manchester
"For me the VFG Committee is a mini business school that has expanded my practical business learning and professional horizons. Vested for Growth is vital. It serves as a source of capital for growing businesses and reinforces the concept of employee participation in New Hampshire businesses."

Ted Krantz COO
Airmar Technology
Milford
"Credit has never been more difficult to obtain for small businesses in NH, which makes Vested For Growth more relevant than ever, in supporting businesses and the resulting job growth from their success."

Dennis Lagueux Vice President
TD Bank, Inc.
Bedford
"As a native of New Hampshire, I care about the kinds of businesses that we attract to the state. From my 25+ years in banking, I believe Vested for Growth's focus on the long-term will attract small businesses that stay and grow in New Hampshire and offer good quality, sustainable jobs. On a personal level, participating on the VFG Committee has rekindled my optimism. I have visited some of the businesses that share Vested for Growth's philosophy, and am now a believer in the power and market-value of this approach."

Alan Reische Partner
Sheehan Phinney Bass & Green
Manchester
"Vested for Growth understands that many small businesses face a critical capital gap that constrains their growth. It also understands that a small business entrepreneur's most important currency is their business philosophy and values. Vested for Growth offers a potent synthesis of both of these concepts. I find the VFG Committee refreshing because it broadens my vista and reminds me of the other values that are an integral part of the traditional New Hampshire business."

Jeffrey Sohl Director
Center for Venture Research Professor
Whittemore School of Business and Economics
University of New Hampshire
Durham
"Vested for Growth brings together capital and a management philosophy - two critical factors for the growth-oriented entrepreneurial venture. This builds the foundation for a sustainable venture that adds to the economic development of the state. Being part of the VFG Committee, I have a chance to help New Hampshire companies achieve success without sacrificing New Hampshire's unique quality of life."