John is the Principal & Founder of Ballast Point Capital.  He has over 45 years of experience in Operational Management, Manufacturing, Real Estate Investments, Equities and Mergers & Acquisitions.

John began his career at 16 years of age working in a chemical manufacturing plant started by his father, Theochem Laboratories Inc.  At the age of 30, he assumed the office of President, and soon thereafter, was named Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. 

At the age of 18, John invested in his first commercial real estate investment property.  He has successfully completed hundreds of real estate investments over the course of his career and has worked in land acquisition, development and leasing of commercial real estate throughout the southeastern United States, while simultaneously acting as CEO of his manufacturing facilities. 

John grew up in Tampa, Florida and graduated from The University of South Florida with a BS in Statistics.  He formed Ballast Point Capital on his core beliefs in value, ethics, hard work and results.  John and his wife Elisabeth commit both time and resources to many local and national philanthropic and religious organizations.

Michael Maniscalco currently serves as Managing Director, Chief Financial Officer & Chief Investment Officer at Ballast Point Capital. Since inception, he has been primarily responsible for the overall strategic direction of the family’s investment management, financial, and operating activities. His role spans asset allocation, investment strategy, portfolio construction and optimization, risk management, and long-term value creation, ensuring that the family’s capital is preserved, compounded, and strategically deployed across multiple asset classes.

Michael is a seasoned financial and investment management executive with over 24 years of experience delivering performance and value creation across a wide spectrum of asset classes and industry sectors. With extensive expertise in finance, investment management, operations, and tax advisory, he has executed transactions across middle-market private equity, real estate, alternatives, and public markets. He is recognized for identifying strategic growth opportunities, assessing risk, improving profitability, and optimizing returns, all while maintaining a disciplined family office framework of stewardship and long-term capital growth.

Prior to Ballast Point Capital, Michael was the Vice President of Finance and Accounting at Kenyon Energy/Bay4 Energy Services, a full-service asset management and investment company focused on solar energy projects across the United States. Before that, he was Chief Financial Officer of Carbon Composites, a Boston-based manufacturer and distributor of carbon fiber components, where he scaled revenues to nearly $40 million at its peak. Michael has also served as a senior-level Finance and Accounting Consultant to a high-growth private family office in Palm Beach, Florida with over $1 billion in assets under management, providing him with deep insight into the operational and strategic demands of single family office investing.

Earlier in his career, he held senior finance and tax management roles at SHE America, the U.S. subsidiary of Shin-Etsu Chemical Company, a $10 billion publicly traded Japanese manufacturer of semiconductor silicon wafers and PVC chemicals. He began his career as a Senior Corporate Accountant with Deloitte before joining Fairway America, a middle-market real estate private equity investment management firm, as a corporate-level Controller.

Michael holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Political Science from Boston University, as well as a Juris Doctorate with a Certificate in Taxation from the Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark, where he was recognized as a Dean’s Scholar. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Stephanie Theofilos serves as General Counsel for Ballast Point Capital.  Stephanie’s expertise spans real estate transactions, financing, policy, tax, and regulatory matters. Stephanie has a broad range of legal experience in both business transactions and commercial litigation.  Over the past nine years, she has handled matters ranging from complex real estate and finance transactions, to lease negotiations, M&A activities, and construction litigation.  Her early career began in Miami where she worked at a boutique firm specializing in complex music business transactions representing artists, record labels, and publishers in the Latin American market.  Stephanie is an active member of both the Florida and California Bar Associations. 

She attended New York University, where she graduated with honors, and the University of Miami School of Law, where she graduated with her Juris Doctor, Cum Laude, and Master of Arts in Music Business.

Speros currently serves as Managing Director, Real Estate at Ballast Point Capital. In this role, he oversees the family’s real estate investment strategy, including acquisitions, development, and portfolio management across multiple asset classes. His responsibilities include sourcing and executing direct real estate investments, evaluating sale-leaseback and structured transactions, managing tenant and broker relationships, and overseeing long-term value creation and asset preservation within the family’s real estate holdings. Speros also plays an active role in integrating real estate investments with the broader asset allocation and wealth generation objectives of the family office.

Speros is additionally involved in all transaction processes across the office’s diversified investment platform, contributing to business development efforts spanning private and public equities, alternatives, and strategic acquisitions. He originally joined Ballast Point Capital as an investment analyst, where he was responsible for sourcing, analyzing, and conducting due diligence on acquisition and investment opportunities, as well as reporting on market trends and economic conditions.

Prior to joining Ballast Point Capital, Speros began his professional career in the banking sector as a credit underwriter within the commercial and industrial division at Valley National Bank. His work included structuring working capital lines of credit, capital financing for CapEx, and owner-occupied real estate, as well as acquisition and merger financing with a concentration in the restaurant/hospitality, healthcare, and assisted living sectors, in addition to service-industry roll-ups.

Speros holds a B.S.B.A. in Economics, with minors in Mathematics and Finance, from the University of Miami.

Liz has over 35 years of business development and operations experience. She began her career as an entrepreneur forming ChemTel Inc, an emergency response service provider, and growing it into an industry leader with over 6000 subscribers and being federally recognized as an authorized provider for hazardous goods transportation. Liz also has extensive experience in real estate specific design and staging.

Liz grew up in Tampa, FL and graduated from the University of Florida, magna cum laude.

Kyle McAvoy currently serves as Director, Alternative Investments & Strategic Relations at Ballast Point Capital. In this role, he leads the family office’s alternative investment outreach, focusing on sourcing and evaluating opportunities across private equity, private credit, venture capital, and other alternative strategies. Kyle is also responsible for building and expanding strategic relationships with other family offices, investment firms, and advisors aligned with the family’s investment objectives, enhancing co-investment opportunities and strengthening the office’s long-term network.

Prior to joining Ballast Point Capital, Kyle spent his career at Raymond James Affordable Housing Investments, the largest syndicator of affordable housing by volume in the United States. Over the course of his tenure, he advanced from Staff Accountant to Senior Accountant and ultimately Manager of Financial Reporting, where he oversaw investor reporting for more than 30 funds totaling $3 billion in assets.

Kyle holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Accounting from the University of South Florida, where he earned placement on the Dean’s List, and he is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Joaquin González is the Controller at Ballast Point Capital, where he manages the firm’s financial operations, reporting, and internal controls. With over 30 years of experience in accounting, auditing, and financial management, Joaquin brings a deep understanding of both public and private sector finance across the United States and the Dominican Republic.

Before joining Ballast Point in 2022, Joaquin held senior roles including Director of Auditing Units and Sub-Director of Auditing at the Comptroller General of the Dominican Republic, as well as leadership positions in the private sector with Swissport Dominicana, JJ Roca S.A., and Metrogas C.por A. He also operated an independent CPA practice, advising clients on audit readiness, financial controls, and compliance.

Joaquin began his career at Price Waterhouse and has built a reputation for financial accuracy, operational efficiency, and integrity. He holds a degree in Accounting and Auditing from Universidad Dominicana O&M and is a Certified Public Accountant in the Dominican Republic.

Based in Tampa, Joaquin plays a key role in supporting Ballast Point’s financial discipline and long-term strategic goals.

Zach serves as a Financial Analyst at Ballast Point Capital, where he supports investment decisions through rigorous valuation analysis, financial modeling, and data-driven insights. He holds a B.S. in Economics from Florida State University and is currently completing his M.S. in Financial Analytics at the University of South Florida’s Muma College of Business.

With a strong foundation in econometrics, corporate finance, and investment strategy, Zach brings a quantitative lens to his work, leveraging tools like Python, Excel, and advanced modeling techniques. His academic and professional training spans economic theory, public policy, and financial statement analysis, enabling him to contribute meaningfully across deal evaluation, portfolio analytics, and strategic planning.

Michael Zimmerer is a Financial Analyst and Real Estate Intern at Ballast Point Capital, where he assists in underwriting investment opportunities, performing financial modeling, and conducting real estate market research. His attention to detail and strong analytical foundation make him an integral part of BPC’s due diligence and investment evaluation process.

Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Michael is a senior at the University of South Florida, where he studies Finance with a minor in Real Estate. He attends USF on an academic scholarship and is actively involved in expanding his professional and academic experience in the investment and real estate sectors.