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Founder and product builder with a track record taking startups from idea to launch to…
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942 followers
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Justin Gaither liked thisJustin Gaither liked thisI had the privilege of spending time with Northwestern Mutual's CEO, Tim Gerend, who was recently ranked the #7 CEO in America by Glassdoor! It was an inspiring experience to hear his vision for the future and to share the moment alongside my dad, Walter Putnam. I am grateful to be part of this company!
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Justin Gaither liked thisThis is a pretty cool opportunity with a solid company and an exceptional team, right here in #charlotte. - Target market is Short Term Rentals - Leadership: Emir Dukic & Trent Hawthorne => tough, smart, and experienced - Team: the amazing Sydney Smith => resourceful, smart, and a constant source of positive energy - Board: My partner and pal Don Rainey => wise, connected, strategic, and hilarious If you've ever said "I want to learn in an entrepreneurial environment", this job deserves a look. Ground floor, high engagement opportunity with a solid team at a growing company.Justin Gaither liked thisI’m hiring a young and hungry team member to help drive growth at Rabbu. While I may be a bit biased, I believe it’s one of the best early career roles in Charlotte right now for anyone interested in entrepreneurship. Here is why: When Trent Hawthorne, 👨💻 James S. and I started Rabbu eight years ago, we had all the usual startup dreams. By any measure, we're successful today. But the journey hasn't looked anything like we imagined and has been far from linear. Back then, we thought we'd do management first, then layer on SaaS, then run an STR fund helping investors get into the asset class, and arrive exactly where we wanted. Instead we found out our original hypothesis was partly right and partly wrong. We spent 5 years building an STR management business we ended up walking away from. Turns out the data tool we built to grow our management business was the solution that investors and vendors in the market needed to grow their portfolios. Eight years, plenty of mistakes, and a lot of hard work later, we've found our sweet spot. We have a business that is stable and reliable. We have partners, users and investors who support us and make us better. And we're building a team that can take us to the next level. Earlier this year we hired a young woman named Sydney Smith. She started on the front lines making calls and has already grown into managing one of our most important functions. She's been absolutely crushing it. Now we're ready to add another person. This is someone who will help drive growth. They will work right beside me. I'm not going to hand them a playbook. I'm going to build one with them. The job takes moxie, hustle, and grit. You'll spend real time on the phone. You'll be in the office with me and the rest of the team in Charlotte. You’ll learn how to be uncomfortable and you’ll embrace it. And if you're the right person, I believe it'll be the professional opportunity of a lifetime. If you’re up for the challenge, the job link is in the first comment.
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Justin Gaither liked thisJustin Gaither liked thisIt was an honor to welcome a distinguished delegation of international leaders to CO-LAB at UNC Charlotte Center City as part of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). Representing Belarus, Bolivia, Burundi, Italy, and Kuwait, the delegation visited Charlotte to explore AI innovation and security and learn how our region is supporting entrepreneurs, fostering innovation, and leveraging artificial intelligence to drive economic growth. Thank you to Innovate Charlotte, Meridian International Center, and everyone who helped make this exchange possible! We are proud to be part of the conversation and look forward to continuing to build meaningful connections through innovation! #RevTechLabs #CoLab #Innovation #AI #Charlotte #GlobalInnovation #Entrepreneurship #InternationalCollaboration
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Justin Gaither liked thisJustin Gaither liked thisI’m thrilled to share that my new website is live! I’m deeply grateful for the support that made this possible through an Art + Tech Grant from The Knight Foundation and the amazing team at TMG Marketing Partners that nailed it with the design! The site highlights not only my portfolio, but also the services I offer, including consulting, program creation, curatorial work, workshops, public art projects, and more. If you have a creative project in mind, I’d love to connect and help bring your vision to life! https://sharondowell.com/
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Justin Gaither liked thisJustin Gaither liked thisHey network! I'm offering two ambitious people the chance to work with me 1:1 — for free — in August. If you're feeling unfulfilled in your career, unsure what you’re truly passionate about, or wondering whether you're meant for something more... this is for you. Over the past year, I’ve quietly been building and refining a new career coaching framework — designed to help you reconnect with your natural gifts, break out of burnout and indecision cycles, and finally feel confident in the direction of your work. It’s called the Passion Alignment Pathway. It’s not your average career coaching program. This work combines powerful mindset coaching, career visioning, and energy alignment — including elements of Human Design, a self-awareness tool I use to help clients understand their natural decision-making style, work patterns, and creative strengths. ✨ Here’s what you’ll walk away with: ▫️ Deep clarity on your natural passions and purpose ▫️ A career direction that feels aligned and exciting ▫️ Awareness of how your energy is designed to thrive — and how to stop choking it out ▫️ Tools to build confidence and momentum, even if you’re starting over In exchange for your honest feedback and testimonial, you’ll receive: ✅ 5 free 1:1 coaching sessions ✅ Personalized Human Design insights ✅ Reflection tools to support your growth I’m currently offering only two spots for this beta round in August. If you're ready to finally find fulfillment in your work — and you're open to a slightly unconventional, whole-person approach — send me a DM and I’ll reach out with next steps. Let’s get you on the path to the work you’re made for.
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Justin Gaither liked thisJustin Gaither liked thisI just logged out of my Elastic Path laptop for the last time, just over a half decade since Grant Deken and I founded Unstack (Acquired by Elastic Path). This is truly the end of an era for me, having defined a big part of my identity for the entirety of the 2020s and a full 10% of my life. This New Year will mark a new beginning for me in so many ways. It was thrilling to venture into entrepreneurship again, this time with a great friend by my side through the highs, the lows, and everything in between. Unstack was a labor of love. With a small, but highly talented and dedicated team (all of whom I now consider dear friends), we poured our hearts and souls into the product, and we made something pretty special. Building Unstack (now Elastic Path Studio) has defined this decade for me thus far. As 2024 comes to an end, I find a strange sense of melancholic, yet sanguine closure knowing that I'm leaving my baby behind, but optimistically looking forward to the next big thing. I assume this is what it feels like to send your kid off to college! I want to thank everyone who came on the journey with us and made it possible to build our dream. To all our investors, especially Kunal Tandon, Stew Bradley, George Kassabgi, you have been true partners and great supporters. I wish any startup founders the opportunity to work with investors of your caliber. Thank you for believing in our vision. Riccardo La Rosa, Harry Chemko, Jamus Driscoll, and Bryan House, thank you for believing in Grant & me, the Unstack product, and our team, and for the opportunity to assimilate it into the Elastic Path ecosystem. I think EP has an incredible suite of products, an exceptional team, and a bright future. I'm rooting for you all, and I know 2025 will be a big year for EP! And finally, thanks to the entire team who helped us build Unstack/Studio over the past half decade, as well as the broader product team at Elastic Path, whom I've had the opportunity to work alongside for the last couple years. It's too long of a list to mention everyone here, but you all know who you are, and if I haven't already, I hope to speak to you each personally to thank you. I appreciate all the time we had together, and I hope our paths cross again some day! Thanks for reading. Here's to a Happy New Year, and an exceptional 2025! 💥 That's all for now - stay tuned for updates!
Experience & Education
Volunteer Experience
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Executive Committee, Membership Engagement Co-Chair
Charlotte Chamber of Commerce
- 1 year 11 months
Honors & Awards
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Charlotte Chamber Young Professional Entrepreneur of The Year
Charlotte Chamber of Commerce
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Charlotte Chamber PowerUp Challenge Winner
Charlotte Chamber of Commerce
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eCampus, LLC Selected as NC IDEA Semi-Finalist
NC IDEA
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