Wayne Garnes

Wayne Garnes is a Managing Partner at INSPIRE1 where he leads the consulting group.  He has over 35 years of leadership experience spanning Private Equity, Consulting, Entrepreneurship, Operations, and Brand Management. He has built, led, and advised organizations across multiples industries, helping companies drive growth, strengthen operations, and improve profitability.

As an entrepreneur Wayne has owned several businesses including a FedEx delivery business serving the entire Western New Jersey market area, growing the operation from 14 to 50 delivery vehicles and from 15 to 60 employees in four years. He also built and operated a network of gas station and convenience stores across Washington, DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Growing the business from 3 to 28 stations and over 200 employees in four years. 

He also served as Vice President at Auntie Anne’s, Inc., where he led the product sales division.  Earlier in his career, Wayne created the business model and served as President of The O’Neal Group, working with Shaquille O’Neal to spearhead his investments in a myriad of ventures including real estate and franchise businesses.

Wayne began his career at Wells Fargo Bank (previously First Fidelity Bank) and Standard & Poor’s, and later served as Principal/Vice President at LM Capital, a middle-market private equity firm. Wayne is certified in Hogan Personality Assessments & holds a B.S. in Accounting from Rutgers University and an MBA in Finance from the Seton Hall University Stillman School of Business.