Jack C. Massey College of Business finance alumnus Jesse Weaver (‘03) is Chief Financial Officer of Holley Performance Products, a publicly traded leader in automotive aftermarket performance solutions.
The Henderson, Kentucky native recently visited Belmont’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi honor society to share his career journey and offer advice to members of the honors organization as a finance industry expert.
When asked to describe his journey Weaver quoted Steve Jobs saying, “the dots connect in reverse.”
An Origin Story: Investment Banking and Beyond
Music attracted Weaver to Belmont as a freshman. Yet after he spent a summer in Los Angeles sharing 600 square feet with three of his closest friends, he decided that the struggling artist lifestyle wasn’t for him. “I needed to change gears,” he said.
Raised by a financial advisor, Weaver decided to trade in his six-string for a calculator and study finance in Belmont’s Massey College of Business. As a finance major, he made strong connections with the Massey faculty — specifically professor of finance Dr. John Gonas, who Weaver credits for setting him on the path toward investment banking which led to his current CFO role.
“John Gonas is responsible for everything that happens from there on out,” Weaver said.
During his senior year, Dr. Gonas told Weaver about an opportunity to interview for an internship as a research analyst at a local investment bank. Although his sights were set on financial advising and he was unfamiliar with the research analyst position, Weaver trusted his professor’s recommendation.
“I got the job as an intern and later, I got hired full-time to be a research associate,” Weaver said. “One week after I started, my one boss — the only reason this job existed — quit. I had no outlet for what I was going to do next.”
As it turns out, investment banking was across the hall, so Weaver, equipped with the education and confidence that comes with a Massey finance degree, walked over and introduced himself to the investment banking team at Morgan Joseph TriArtisan Group.
“I said, ‘Guys, you've never heard of me, but give me a shot.’”
After being put through the wringer in his interview, Weaver stood out from his counterparts.
“Thankfully, because of the finance degree that I had, and just the economics degrees that all the other folks had, I was able to answer the questions that they were asking rapid fire that were pertinent to finance and they gave me the job.”
“It's really shocking,” Weaver continued. “If John never made that phone call to get me that internship, I don't know where I'd be.”
CFO-bound: Connecting the Dots
Though scattered, the dots continued to connect as Weaver worked for two years in investment banking, learning the ins and outs of corporate finance in what he calls a crucible experience.
“I really enjoyed it,” he said. “I met a lot of entrepreneurs, got the chance to sit with different management teams at a very junior level, and just learn finance, real world, firsthand.”
After trying his hand as an entrepreneur in the wine market, Weaver’s GMAT scores got him accepted into the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago.
After business school, Weaver started his professional career in business analytics for YUM Brands, the multinational fast-food corporation that operates franchises like Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC.
“The great thing about YUM is that it was big on giving people a chance to grow, grow fast, and do things they absolutely were not ready for,” Weaver said. “If anyone is scared of entering the workforce and not knowing what the job is or what you're going to do, the reality is you shouldn't be afraid of that, because you're going to figure it out.”
As he shared insights for success in the corporate finance world, Weaver engaged students with personal stories and answered questions about company culture, how to uncover red flags in an interview and useful skills for the corporate sector, among of other topics.
In the high-ranking position of CFO, Weaver has a newfound understanding of the importance of dynamic leadership.
“I thought that as the CFO I would fly at a much higher level,” he said. I've found that I've got to be able to fly both at the high level and the super detailed level. And understand when I need to flex which muscle.”
Belmont’s finance program distinguishes itself with components uniquely tailored to the finance profession, allowing students to dive into specific areas of accounting and financial management. Massey’s emphasis on finance gave Weaver the educational advantage needed to secure his first position in investment banking, which eventually resulted in him successfully leading a multifaceted team as CFO.
