Wayne Vacek is a Managing Director for the Consumer Group with Founders Advisors based in the firm’s Dallas office. Wayne has 25 years of experience in Corporate Development and Strategic Planning in the retail and consumer space.
Throughout his career, Wayne has served in multiple leadership roles for some of the world’s top companies, including JCPenney, Tempur-Pedic, FedEx and Bain & Company. Most recently, he served as Head of Strategy for Lowes.com. Prior to this, he was the Chief Strategy Officer for Varsity Brands.
Wayne has consistently delivered breakthrough growth in varied and challenging environments. Major Corporate Development and Transformational projects in which he’s played a key role include:
Mr. Vacek received his MBA at Harvard Business School and holds a Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering with Biomedical Specialization, Cum Laude. In addition, he was a 4-year letterman for SMU Men’s Swimming & Diving team and served as team captain his senior year.
Mr. Vacek has been married for 24 years to his wife Melissa and they have five children from the ages of 22 to 5 (Garrison, Haley, Madison, Lawson and Kayson). Wayne and Melissa are actively involved at Genesis Metro Church in Frisco, TX. In addition, they have served as foster parents in their local community. Mr. Vacek has served for both the Dallas and Charlotte Salvation Army ARC chapters over the last 6 years with increasing areas of responsibility, including serving as Chairman of the Dallas ARC.