About

Mr. Pavone is a Scottsdale, Arizona-based investment banker specializing in transactions from $30 million to $200 million. With a mission of creating wealth for clients, Mr. Pavone draws on more than 30 years’ experience advising clients on complex transactions on a national scale. A lifelong entrepreneur, he is the owner of Commercial Plus, a commercial real estate brokerage and advisory firm for general business, gas station, c-store, and car wash transactions. He is also a founding partner at Amplify Car Wash Advisors, an M&A and capital advisory firm helping car wash chain owners sell, partner, or grow their business. Under his leadership, the firms have successfully completed more than $5 billion in transactions. Prior to Commercial Plus, he was the Co-Founder of Law.com and Founder of Medical.com and National Law Resource.

Chris Jenks joined Amplify Car Wash Advisors as chief operating officer in 2022 bringing a strong background in investment management. With more than 16 years of experience in quantitative investing, he served as director of quantitative equities at BMO Global Asset Management where he was part of an investment team responsible for more than $16 billion in assets under management. While there, Chris developed an interest in the car wash industry due to the emerging applications of data and analytics. Chris is also the owner of Driven Car Wash, a growing express car wash chain in the Chicagoland area. Prior to BMO Global, Chris served as director of research at Embree Financial Group and as vice president and senior investment strategist at Northern Trust Global Investments. Chris holds a Bachelor of Science in finance and marketing from DePaul University and is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) charterholder and a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Chicago.

Lanese Barnett brings more than a decade of experience in the car wash industry specializing in brand management, marketing, and corporate communication. Previously working on the operator side, Barnett has a deep knowledge of what it takes to run a successful multi-site car wash operation. “The car wash industry is dynamic and evolving at a rapid pace. This is an exciting time to be involved and help car wash owners continue to grow.” She is a current director on the Southwest Car Wash Association Board. Prior to joining the car wash industry, she was an account executive at a marketing communications agency in Dallas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in communication studies from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.

Paul joined Amplify as Head of Capital Solutions in November 2022 after spending the past 15 years in investment banking and private equity. Paul was most recently a Director on the KKR Private Equity team as a member of the Consumer industry team. Prior to that he was a member of the KKR Capital Markets team supporting KKR and third-party investors on capital markets solutions. He played a role in KKR’s investments in First Data, Dollar General, Academy Sports + Outdoors, The Bay Club, Fleet Farm, National Vision, 1-800 Contacts, among others. Prior to joining KKR in 2011, he was with Deutsche Bank Securities in the industrials and transportation investment banking group, where he was involved in a number of corporate advisory, debt and equity transactions. Paul earned a Bachelor of Science from Indiana University.

Harris joined the Commercial Plus/Amplify Car Wash Advisors team in 2017, having previously completed successful mergers and acquisitions analyst internships with Amplify Car Wash Advisors, and Dinan and Company. Harris’s experience encompasses private investment banking, as well as transaction exposure spanning a variety of sectors, including consumer, aerospace and defense, and general industrials among others. Harris earned a Bachelor of Science in finance from Arizona State University.

Stanley Cai joined Amplify full-time in 2022 after the completion of a year- round internship with the firm. Prior to Amplify, Stanley worked on acquisitions in the self-storage space. Additionally, he is well-versed in macroeconomic analysis with a concentration on global and domestic trade. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

Chris Niro joins Amplify Car Wash Advisors as vice president of business and legal affairs. As an intellectual property and business attorney, Chris brings a strong background in complex commercial transactions, corporate formation and governance, and brand development (intellectual property) experience to the team. He has worked with clients across multiple industries in connection with commercial transactions, intellectual property development, and corporate management, including his work with individuals and entrepreneurs, and mid- market companies. Chris has appeared in federal and state courts around the country in commercial and intellectual property matters and has been recognized as a Rising Star in Intellectual Property Litigation by Illinois Super Lawyers. Chris is a graduate of DePaul University College of Law and is admitted to practice in Illinois, before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and 7th Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Christopher has represented clients nationwide in federal courts.

Jessica comes to us from the hospitality industry where she gained a reputation for managing profitable and successful launches of new restaurant concepts nationwide. A Chicago native, Jessica’s hospitality career took her from coast to coast, finally settling in Scottsdale, Arizona. As administrative director for Amplify Car Wash Advisors, Jessica manages the operations of the firm. She is responsible for managing personnel, business efficiency, budget oversight, logistics, and implementing firm policies and regulations. The local community also benefits from Jessica’s leadership. Partnering with many local charities, she helps raise funds for organizations such as The Phoenix Boys and Girls Club and The Phoenix Children’s Hospital. In her spare time, Jessica enjoys spending time with her fiancé, family, and friends.

James joined Amplify as Head of Investment Banking in July 2023 after spending 15 years providing M&A and investment banking services to companies in the Consumer and Transportation industries. James brings a long track record of delivering successful outcomes for strategic and financial sponsor clients through a combination of extensive deal execution experience, strong client relationships and creative thought leadership. Most recently James was a Director in BNP Paribas’s Consumer Investment Banking team in New York, where he primarily focused on domestic and cross-border M&A transactions across a range of verticals and deal sizes. Prior to joining BNP Paribas in 2013, James was a member of Deutsche Bank’s Global Industrials Group in New York, where he executed a variety of M&A and debt and equity capital markets transactions in the Automotive and Aviation sectors. Before starting his career on Wall Street, James spent 5 years in a variety of roles at the Northern Trust Company in Chicago. [Based in Westport, CT,] James earned his Bachelor of Arts from Franklin & Marshall College and his MBA from NYU Stern.