Our incredible team delivers unparalleled financial acumen and strategic insights.

Meet our dedicated team, whose extensive experience and expertise in financial services drive our success. We pride ourselves on our diverse strengths, unique talents, and unwavering ambition to forge genuine connections with clients and communities, ensuring exceptional investment outcomes.

Charles J. Moore

Founder & President

John M. Baker

Partner, Director Of Research

Richard Hein

Partner, Chief Sourcing Officer

William Moore

Senior Associate, Fintech Funds

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Charles J. Moore

Founder and President, 1st & Main Growth Partners

Charles J. Moore is the founder and President of 1st & Main Growth Partners. He is a highly sophisticated investment manager who has deployed $6B in capital across 11 funds and is a leading investor in US-based financial services companies.

Early Life: Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Charles comes from a long line of entrepreneurs on both sides of his family. His interest in sales, marketing strategy, and business management was sparked early on, leading to a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Charles also excelled in tennis, representing the United States in international tournaments and receiving the highest athletic honor from Oxford University.

Mid Career: After graduating from Oxford, Charles returned to Chicago to join the Northern Trust Corporation as an investment analyst and co-manager of a private equity fund. He completed his MBA in Finance at the University of Chicago School of Business, where he graduated second in his class and was recognized for his achievements in accounting. He then spent eight years as a trader specializing in options at the American Stock Exchange and the Chicago Board Options Exchange.

Present Day: Today, Charles leads 1st & Main�s investment strategy with the support of his team of eight investment managers. As head of investments for his twelfth Fund, Charles oversees the team in identifying and executing opportunities, ensuring that portfolio construction aligns with the fund�s strategic risk profile. His performance is driven by a passion for building businesses, discovering new opportunities, and capitalizing on macro trends. The current fund aims to strategically purchase inefficiently priced small financial service firms and sell them to strategic buyers.

Charles is married with two children, the youngest of whom is a Senior Associate at 1st & Main specializing in financial technology investments. Charles is also an avid book collector, owning an early edition of Adam Smith�s "The Wealth of Nations" and other significant business-related works. He is passionate about giving back to Chicago, having served in various leadership roles in local organizations, including the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the Economic Club of Chicago.

John M. Baker

Partner and Director of Research, 1st & Main Growth Partners

John M. Baker is a Partner and Director of Research at 1st & Main Growth Partners. He supports the firm�s portfolio investments with in-depth market research and careful analysis of bank operations and performance. He has expertise in commercial lending and corporate tax and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Career Overview: With over four decades of experience, John has analyzed banks at every level. Before joining 1st & Main, he worked as a bank auditor and tax consultant at Arthur Andersen & Co., and as a commercial and industrial lender at American National Bank, specializing in small business loans. He also spent two years as a floor trader at the Chicago Board Options Exchange.

Role at 1st & Main: John has served as the Director of Research at 1st & Main for 38 years, analyzing data on thousands of banks and lending institutions to understand emerging trends and carefully select investment opportunities. He leads a team of four bank analysts and has developed thousands of investment models for the firm�s portfolio companies. John's deep industry networks and decades of investing experience enable him to design strategies that maximize long-term operating performance and strategic growth.

John has cataloged every disclosed M&A transaction since 1990 that falls within 1st & Main�s sphere of interest, using this database to accurately predict the trajectory of portfolio companies.

Education and Personal Interests: John holds a Master of Accountancy from the University of Iowa and a BA from St. Olaf College. His avocational interests include nineteenth and twentieth-century history, debating, and sailing. During the winter months, he enjoys ice sailing with a modified boat on frozen lakes. John is married with two children � a son in business and a daughter who works in intelligence consulting.

Richard Hein

Partner and Chief Sourcing Officer, 1st & Main Growth Partners

As a Partner and Chief Sourcing Officer at 1st & Main Growth Partners, Richard Hein ("Rick") identifies and executes attractive investment opportunities in growth-oriented financial services companies.

Career Overview: Prior to joining 1st & Main, Rick was the financial controller at Michigan Avenue National Bank of Chicago (MANB), where he managed investment portfolios, accounting, reporting, and operational systems. When MANB was acquired by a larger holding company, Rick played a key role in the integration and consolidation process. He then joined 1st & Main to lead the investment of its first Fund.

Experience and Expertise: Over the last 37 years, Rick has been involved in more than three thousand investments. He has built an extensive network of bank managers and investment bankers in the financial services space, providing a constant source of new and exciting opportunities. Rick researches each investment in great detail, focusing on the balance of assets and liabilities, and assessing the potential impact on profitability, risk exposure, and stability over the investment period.

Rick is an expert at valuing small banks and is always searching for a valuation advantage by identifying companies that are overlooked or undervalued by other investors. This undervaluation presents an investment opportunity, especially for banks that are strategically managed and positioned for growth. His decades of experience navigating market changes and regulatory shifts allow him to anticipate and profit from strategic moves.

Education and Personal Interests: Rick holds a BA in Accounting and an MBA from DePaul University and is a Certified Public Accountant. In his free time, he enjoys playing golf and spending time with his family.

William W. Moore

Partner and Head of Investor Relations, 1st & Main Growth Partners

William W. Moore ("Will") is the Partner and Head of Investor Relations for 1st & Main�s upcoming Fund XII. In this role, he supports fundraising efforts and ensures effective financial communication between investors and portfolio companies.

Career: Will is currently the Investment Manager of 1st & Main�s fintech-focused Fund XI, where he sources and executes investments, supports due diligence efforts, monitors portfolio companies, and reports to investors. Fund XI has successfully invested in 14 early-stage fintech companies that use automation to solve financial services challenges.

Prior to joining 1st & Main, Will was part of the Corporate Development & Strategy team at Madison Square Garden Company (MSG). There, he played a key role in executing several high-profile M&A transactions, including acquisitions of a music festival, an electronic sports company, and a radio network. He was also instrumental in the development of the Las Vegas entertainment venue MSG Sphere.

Earlier in his career, Will worked as an investment banking analyst at Wells Fargo on the Consumer, Healthcare, and Gaming coverage team. He holds a BA in Economics from Yale University, where he played varsity football.

Personal Interests: Will is an avid Chicago sports fan, a golf enthusiast, and is actively involved in Breakthrough T1D, a global type 1 diabetes research and advocacy organization.

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