Co-Founder, Beemok
Co-Founder, Beemok
Mr. Navarro holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Rhode Island (1984). His early career included roles in mortgage trading at Goldman Sachs, and as Co-Head of Mortgage Sales and Trading at Citicorp.
One of eight children of legendary college football coach Frank Navarro, Mr. Navarro and his wife Kelly have four adult children and reside in Charleston, South Carolina
Co-Founder, Beemok
Co-Founder, Beemok
Kelly Navarro is Co-Founder of Beemok and serves as VP of Strategy and Design. In this role, Mrs. Navarro works in partnership with the various Beemok business leaders to help create spaces that combine beauty with functionality. She has enjoyed serving as a contributing team member in the development of Credit One Stadium, Sorelle restaurant, The Cooper Hotel, the Cincinnati Open venue, and the forthcoming Charleston Place renovation. Mrs. Navarro also regularly helps with strategy and execution for Meeting Street Schools.
Mrs. Navarro holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Virginia (1984), and worked in real estate finance for ten years before assuming her favorite role of full-time mom.
Mr. and Mrs. Navarro have four adult children and reside in Charleston.
Chief Investment Officer, Beemok
Chief Investment Officer, Beemok
Kurt Palmer is the Chief Investment Officer of Beemok Capital. In his role, Mr. Palmer oversees a team of investment professionals who source, execute, and manage a diverse portfolio of private and publicly traded investments. With a broad mandate to invest across industries and capital structures, the Beemok investment team has executed numerous transactions, including joint ventures, strategic investments in private asset managers, acquisitions, continuation vehicles, and direct investments in private companies, to support the growth of Beemok’s philanthropies and other businesses.
Before joining Beemok Capital in 2018, Mr. Palmer was a Senior Portfolio Manager at Magnetar Capital, a $15 billion hedge fund where he was also a member of the firm’s Investment Committee and a rotational member of the Management Committee. During his 12 years at the firm, he oversaw the creation and management of several strategies, including dedicated funds for mortgage securities and aviation opportunities.
Prior to Magnetar, Mr. Palmer spent 5 years at Deutsche Bank Securities, where he was a founding team member of the firm’s Special Situations Group.
He received a B.A. in Economics from Williams College. While at Williams, Mr. Palmer was a member of the tennis team. He lives in downtown Charleston, SC with his wife and two daughters.
Community Involvement
Chief Operating Officer, Beemok
Chief Operating Officer, Beemok
Ford Perry joined Beemok as Chief Operating Officer in 2019, overseeing a diverse portfolio of projects spanning sports and entertainment, hospitality, philanthropy, investments, and strategic office direction.
Previously, he spent over 20 years in corporate investment banking at Wells Fargo, where he served as a Managing Director for his last decade. In this role, he led high-performing teams executing capital markets transactions across M&A, equity, asset-backed finance, and fixed income products for clients.
Mr. Perry holds a B.A. and MBA from Duke University.
He resides in Charleston, SC, with his family, including his wife Jeanene and their two children.
Community Involvement
Chief Financial Officer, Beemok
Chief Financial Officer, Beemok
As Chief Financial Officer of Beemok, Abby Knab develops financial strategies to implement the business, investment, and philanthropic initiatives of the Navarro family and manages financial health for long-term legacy objectives of the family enterprise. Mrs. Knab ensures disciplined financial governance across operations through timely and transparent financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting, cash flow planning, optimization of short-term liquidity returns, capital structuring, tax strategy, and risk management.
Prior to her position at Beemok, she spent 15+ years serving in financial roles with a proclivity towards driving after-tax returns in private equity funds and portfolio companies in a broad range of industries, including banking and financial services, music and entertainment, as well as real estate, health care, and agriculture.
Mrs. Knab earned a B.B.A. in Accounting and a Master of Accountancy (Taxation) from the University of Georgia. She is a CPA licensed in the states of Georgia and South Carolina and she previously volunteered in a variety of board and leadership positions for the Georgia Society and North Carolina Association of CPAs, as well as the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce.
Mrs. Knab enjoys summer Sundays doing crossword puzzles at the beach with her family and winter ski trips to the mountains of Colorado.
Community Involvement
General Counsel, Beemok
General Counsel, Beemok
Isaac Gruber serves as General Counsel of Beemok, where he leads all legal and risk management functions for the firm and its affiliated entities.
He began his legal career at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in New York, representing public companies and leading private equity sponsors — along with their portfolio companies — in mergers and acquisitions and financing transactions. Before joining Beemok, Mr. Gruber was General Counsel at a New York-based investment management firm.
Mr. Gruber holds a B.A. in History from Emory University and earned his J.D. with honors from the University of Chicago Law School.
Mr. Gruber lives in Charleston, SC with his wife, Ilana, and their two young sons.
Head of External Affairs, Beemok
Head of External Affairs, Beemok
Chris Allen serves as Head of External Affairs at Beemok, where he supports leadership on strategic projects, logistical operations, external communications, and civic engagement.
Mr. Allen has worked alongside Beemok’s founder, Ben Navarro, since 2012, beginning in the Office of the CEO at Sherman Capital. His continuity across both entities reflects a longstanding role as a key advisor and operator—someone relied upon to anticipate needs and help move important efforts forward with clarity and discretion.
Before joining Sherman, Mr. Allen served as National Political Director for former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr.’s presidential campaign, worked in the Office of the CEO at Greystar Real Estate Partners, and served as Personal Aide to the Governor of South Carolina.
Mr. Allen holds a B.A. in Political Science from Clemson University.
He serves on the board of Meeting Street Schools, where he played a key role in helping establish its pioneering public-private partnership model.
A longtime resident of Sullivan’s Island, SC, Mr. Allen enjoys traveling to the Swiss Alps, walking his Gordon Setter, Archie, on the beach, and challenging himself to master complex culinary techniques (and simple ones like not crying when slicing onions).
President, Beemok Education
President, Beemok Education
Josh Bell leads Beemok Education, a collective of education-focused non-profit organizations seeking to create opportunities and change students’ lives. In this role, he leads the strategic direction of Meeting Street Schools, the Meeting Street Scholarship Fund and the Excellence in Teaching Awards. He stepped into this position in February 2024 after serving for three years as executive director of the Meeting Street Scholarship Fund, which helps high-achieving, under-resourced students afford a college education.
Mr. Bell has worked in education for nearly two decades. He began his career as a middle school history teacher before serving as the founding executive director of Teach for America – South Carolina. In that role, he recruited and supported hundreds of teachers serving in high-needs schools statewide.
Mr. Bell earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Clemson University and lives in Charleston with his wife and three children.
Mr. Bell is an active member of F3, a workout group, and he enjoys coaching his kids’ sports teams. He and his family attend Grace Church Cathedral.
Community Involvement
President, Beemok Sports & Entertainment
President, Beemok Sports & Entertainment
Bob Moran serves as President of Beemok Sports & Entertainment, where he leads a portfolio of premier tennis and event properties including the Credit One Charleston Open, Credit One Stadium, the Cincinnati Open and LTP. With more than 25 years of experience in the sports and entertainment industry, Mr. Moran is widely recognized as a strategic and passionate leader, deeply committed to the growth of tennis at all levels.
He currently serves on the Boards of both the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the WTA Foundation and represents the Americas on the WTA Tournament Council as well as the ATP Tournament Advisory Council.
Under Mr. Moran’s leadership, the Credit One Charleston Open has been named WTA 500 Tournament of the Year for three consecutive years. He oversaw the complete rebuilding of Credit One Stadium, transforming it into a world-class venue, and is now working with the team on a $260 million renovation of the Linder Family Tennis Center, home of the Cincinnati Open.
Mr. Moran earned a B.S. in Sports Management from Elon University.
Mr. Moran splits his time in Daniel Island, SC and Mason, OH. He enjoys golf and tennis as well as attending live events with his girlfriend, Kim, and her two children, who are both active in the local sports community.
Community Involvement
President, BHC
President, BHC
Casey Lavin oversees all aspects of the Beemok Hospitality Collection (BHC), including The Charleston Place, The Cooper Hotel, Sorelle, American Gardens, and The Riviera Theater. He joined Beemok in 2021 with the founding of BHC.
Mr. Lavin began his career as a teenager working in restaurant kitchens in his hometown in Virginia. After attending college in Switzerland, he joined a leadership training program with the Ritz-Carlton Company before joining the Kiawah Island leadership team to open The Sanctuary. His career has taken him to senior leadership roles with The Greenbrier in West Virginia, The Sea Island Company in Georgia, and Montage International at Palmetto Bluff, SC.
He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Charleston Regional Development Association, the American Hotel and Lodging Association – Resort Committee, and the Board of Governors for Explore Charleston.
Mr. Lavin earned his degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management at Cesar Ritz Colleges in Switzerland.
Mr. Lavin resides in Charleston, SC, with his wife and young daughter. He enjoys traveling, reading, and remaining active outdoors, particularly running and watersports. Casey is active within YPO, and he and his family attend Grace Church Cathedral in downtown Charleston.
Community Involvement
Director of Programming, Synchronicity
Director of Programming, Synchronicity
Brian Durbin leads Synchronicity, a one-of-a-kind wellness center located in Mount Pleasant, SC, focused on empowering people to build, maintain, and grow a foundation of wellbeing practices that help them think, feel, and operate at their best in a challenging, ever-changing world. Mr. Durbin has worked on program development and design for three Beemok wellness initiatives including Synchronicity, Modern Minds and Intentionality, a novel class taught by Ben Navarro at the College of Charleston.
With over 25 years of experience in the wellness industry, Mr. Durbin started his career in cardiac rehabilitation before moving to advanced strength and conditioning as part of the Fitness Together Franchise Corporation. For the last 12 years he has focused on health and wellness coaching while developing innovative programming around the mind-body connection.
Mr. Durbin is active in the local wellness community and is a Board Member of Modern Minds.
Mr. Durbin earned a B.A. in Exercise Science and a master’s in Education with a specialization in Biomechanics from Bowling Green State University.
Mr. Durbin resides in Mount Pleasant, SC with his beautiful wife and two amazing daughters along with their two dogs. He is an avid runner, reader, biohacker, outdoor enthusiast and armchair philosopher.
Community Involvement
Director, Union Pier
Director, Union Pier
Miller Harper leads the redevelopment of Union Pier for Beemok. He oversees the planning, design, and eventual development of this 65-acre former port property in downtown Charleston. Prior to joining Beemok, he managed the Charleston office for a national real estate development company.
Mr. Harper began his career working in resort real estate development in Beaver Creek, Colorado, before moving back to Charleston in 2011. Since moving back to South Carolina, he has helped to lead the development of multiple communities in the Charleston region valued at over $700M.
He is a Member of the Governance Committee for the South Carolina District of the Urban Land Institute.
Mr. Harper earned a B.A. in Finance from Wofford College.
He resides in Mount Pleasant, SC with his wife and two daughters. His other passions include F3, surfing, kitesurfing, and snow skiing.
President & CEO, Credit One Bank
President & CEO, Credit One Bank
Robert DeJong is the President and CEO of Credit One Bank, the nation’s largest privately held issuer of non-prime credit cards and the seventh largest Visa/Mastercard credit card issuer in the U.S. He joined the Bank in 1999 as Chief Financial Officer, was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2000, and assumed his current role later that year.
Under Mr. DeJong’s leadership, Credit One Bank has achieved industry-leading growth in both loan originations and active accounts, becoming a major force in the credit card industry. In addition to his role at Credit One Bank, Mr. DeJong serves on the Board of Directors for Sherman Financial, Credit One Bank, and Credit One Finance. He also helped establish Bamboo Limited, a U.K.-based consumer finance company, where he continues to serve as a board member.
Prior to joining Credit One Bank, Mr. DeJong was Co-Founder and Managing Director of Unicon Financial Services, where he spent over a decade leading international operations for global banking clients. Earlier in his career, he served as an Associate National Bank Examiner with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
Mr. DeJong holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance from the University of Colorado Boulder and is active in serving and supporting the Las Vegas community, his home for nearly 30 years. He has been an active board member of the Las Vegas Rescue Mission for many years, a nonprofit near and dear to his heart.
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