Bio

Prior to founding Kern Whelan, Jay spent over a decade building a successful track record in private equity investing as Managing Director of Reynolds, DeWitt & Co. in Cincinnati, where he led all acquisitions and venture financings. Among Reynolds, DeWitt’s more notable holdings are the St. Louis Cardinals, acquired in 1996 from Anheuser Busch by a group led by Bill DeWitt, Co-Chairman of Reynolds, DeWitt, and Reynolds Plantation, a 10,000 acre golfing community and resort developed by Mercer Reynolds, also Co-Chairman. During his time sourcing, structuring and financing investment transactions while at Reynolds, DeWitt, Jay served as Chairman of the Board of Tech Lighting from 1998 to 2004 and led the firm’s equity investment in and purchase of this Chicago based manufacturer of architectural lighting systems. Jay received a JD and MBA with Honors from the University of Chicago and his BA cum laude from Princeton University.