George M. Shea

George M. Shea, a FOCUS Senior Advisor, has over 30 years of broad industry experience in acquisitions and divestitures, corporate finance, business development, strategic planning, marketing, sales and operations for public and private companies. Utilizing a unique combination of operating management expertise and major M&A, financing and business development experience, he has acted as a principal or facilitator in over 100 transactions.

Prior to joining FOCUS, for the past 14 years, George ran a boutique investment bank, Ambassador Capital Corporation, of Atlanta and Jacksonville, where he acted as a finder and consultant in new business development activities for software, payment systems, IT services, healthcare and telecommunications companies. Services included mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, capital sourcing, marketing and strategic planning, valuation, post-merger integration and creation and management of new distribution channels.

George arranged the largest single infusion of equity capital ($25 Million) into an early stage technology-based company in Georgia’s history, a transaction later named “Venture Capital Deal of the Year.”

Previous assignments include head of acquisitions and business development for a major public payment systems and IT services company where he sourced and implemented nine acquisitions over a four-year period, quadrupling the company’s revenues with no earnings dilution.

George also was President and CEO of InfoSafe Corporation, a telecommunications and software company, and was Digital Equipment Corporation’s first Industry Marketing Director, responsible for five organizations aggregating over $500 Million annually in revenue.

A graduate of Colby College (honors – Independent Studies), George Washington University and the Stanford Executive MBA Program, George currently serves on the Board of the USO (United Services Organization), the Amelia Arts Academy and the Amelia Island Association. He also has served on the Board of a number of technology growth companies and industry trade associations and holds Series 7, 63, and 79 licenses.

George is originally from Boston but has called Amelia Island home for the past 26 years. He and his wife have three children and two Ragdoll cats. Outside of work, George enjoys traveling, especially on European cruises, and has been singing since the age of 11 as both a soloist and a member of several musical groups.