James W. Van Buren
Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Businesses: PennStress (President & CEO) & GT Entrepreneurs, LLC (Managing Director)
Jamie spent 20+ years in management and operations in the construction materials and heavy highway construction industry. His skills and expertise are in business strategy, acquisitions, execution, process improvement, mentoring young talent and political affairs.
In 2014 Jamie ran a search and acquired PennStress, a precast & prestress manufacturer of architectural and structural concrete products in Roaring Spring, PA. In 2017 Jamie, with his son Brenden and Gabriel Chick, both Tepper M.B.A. 2017, founded GT Entrepreneurs (GTE). GTE is a fundless sponsor private equity company located at CMU’s Tepper School of Business.
GTE specializes in entrepreneurship through acquisition by helping entrepreneurial minded individuals search for, acquire and then run existing lower middle market businesses. Consequently, GTE has an expanding portfolio of companies in very diverse industries: fence construction, hair salons, truck & auto body paint and repair and Industrial HVAC cleaning. Additionally, Jamie sits on the boards of several companies and numerous associations and not-for-profit entities.
Jamie has a B.S. in Environmental Biology from Juniata College and an M.B.A from St. Francis University. His interests include skiing, golf, endurance sports and landscape photography.
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