Jeff Beard received his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering and materials science at Duke University. After graduating, he worked in manufacturing at General Electric for two years. He then attended Darden Business School at the University of Virginia so he could channel his knack for math and engineering into the area of finance.
In the years since, Jeff has worked for several notable organizations, including American Airlines, General Electric (again), The Stanley Works and recently was with a private-equity backed company called Young America in Minnesota.
When talking to Jeff, it’s easy to see why his mindset fits perfectly into his role of managing PlattForm’s financial resources: Somebody once told me, “Keep yourself grounded in reality and be self-aware of what your situation really is. Difficult problems need to addressed head-on - if it was easy they wouldn’t call it work”.
On a personal level, Jeff has attended several cooking schools and enjoys preparing everything from Asian-fusion foods to recipes from the hills of Kentucky/Tennessee, where his family roots stem. He has also traveled all over the world, spending a lot of time in Asia, India, Latin America and Europe.
Aside from his skills in business and finance, Jeff’s humility and willingness to adapt stand out as qualities that will help continue his success: "I make mistakes - and you have to be able to admit to yourself when you’ve made a mistake and change direction. The worst thing you can do is to keep going down a bad road and ignore the warning signals that are glaring you in the face."