James Pappas on “growth activism” and customer-centric strategy

James Pappas discusses his journey from the family restaurant business to consumer and retail finance roles at Goldman Sachs and Bank of America to founding an activist investor firm. However, his firm, JCP Investment Management, differs from most activists in a few ways. He differentiates his approach as “growth activism,” which focuses on sustainable growth opportunities over more typical activist approaches like cost-cutting or corporate break-ups. Crucially, Pappas stresses the importance of customer-centric strategy, clarity on objectives, and optimizing capital structures. He embraces a collaborative approach aimed at long-term guidance and getting the right people in place to foster long-term success. James has sat on nine public company boards, including Jamba Juice, United Natural Foods, US Geothermal and The Pantry, by way of example. Pappas explains how his entrepreneurial background in finance and in the family restaurant business shaped his expertise in operations and capital management.