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TRUSTED ADVISORS
We act as trusted advisors for owners of privately held companies and work alongside them to overcome their biggest challenges and capitalize on their biggest opportunities.
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JEFF STOCKS
As the former CEO of Manpower Group in Raleigh, an active investor in numerous privately held companies across North Carolina, and trusted advisor to multiple CEOs here in the Triangle, Jeff has over 40 years of direct, hands-on experience across all stages of the business lifecycle. He has launched, scaled, raised capital for, and sold numerous companies, and is passionate about helping others succeed in their entrepreneurial endeavors.
Jeff tried to retire in 2007 after selling Manpower Group, but he loved the game of business too much and had to jump back in. He did so in 2010 by launching The Nautical Group, a boutique executive search firm that helps privately held companies build their leadership teams. Over his career, Jeff has developed an unequaled depth of business knowledge and relationships and decided to leverage these assets to launch Nautical Advisory Services as a sister company to The Nautical Group in 2022.
At its core, Nautical Advisory Services stems from the same philosophy as The Nautical Group: pay it forward to foster long-term client relationships, act as a trusted advisor and confidant to business leaders to fully understand their needs and help them through tough situations, and deliver on your promises.
Jeff is a community leader who takes pride in consistently giving back. He values corporate citizenship, philanthropy, and family. He currently chairs several influential business community boards including Wells Fargo Advisors. He has served on the board for the YMCA of the Triangle, WakeMed Hospital foundation, the NCSU Poole College of Management, the UNCW Board of Visitors, the Research Triangle Regional Partnership, and St. Mary's School.
MATT COX
Matt is a US Naval Academy graduate who spent his formative years developing his leadership skills, disciplined approach, and work ethic as an officer in the Navy. He completed the Navy’s nuclear engineering training program and served for four years aboard the USS Alaska, a US submarine. On the sub, Matt was known for excelling when things got hectic (which they often did) with his ability to bring order and organization to chaotic situations.
With his background in engineering, Matt is a natural problem-solver who enjoys designing practical processes and systems. Nothing makes him feel more alive than collaborating with a small team to think through solutions to a thorny issue, develop a plan, then help execute to get results. In these settings, his upbeat energy is contagious. Matt is also a natural competitor (served as Captain of the Navy boxing team) – when he joins a team, he plays to win.
After completing his Naval service, Matt moved to Raleigh-Durham to join his wife, Liz, who trained at UNC and practices psychiatry. In the commercial sector, Matt has excelled as a business development executive, helping small businesses grow and maximize their enterprise value. From 2015-2018, he helped launch RelyMD, a Raleigh-based healthcare technology company. Subsequently, he joined Global Data Consortium, a high-growth software company as VP Business Development where he helped grow top-line revenue 10x over three years before exiting. He has also worked directly with business owners to streamline operations, accelerate their growth, and transition their organizations.
Matt lives for growth—both personal and professional. He loves connecting with interesting people and has a knack for making good things happen. He loves working with privately held, entrepreneurial business owners because they are able to decide and act quickly and possess a “get things done” mentality.
CRAIG ADAMS
With over three decades of experience in the practice of public accounting as well as two years in the industry with a large, publicly traded company, Craig brings a wealth of knowledge to the clients of Nautical Advisory Services on the finance front. His vast experience includes accounting, tax, bankruptcy, attest, litigation support, and advisory management with industry concentrations in construction and service companies. Craig worked to build a thriving CPA practice and sold to a top 10 CPA firm in 2016. Over the last decade, Craig has been a practicing CPA, assisting clients with succession planning, buying, and selling their businesses.
Craig is proud to be an original investor and adviser to the North Carolina Information Data (NCID), an online criminal civil records company, from the start-up phase to the successful sale of the business. Professionally, Craig serves as a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants. He is also honored to have served as a Board Member of the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants (1994-1996), an Executive Committee Member at the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants (1996), President of the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants Triangle Chapter (1989), Past Chairman of the Continuing Professional Education Advisory Committee for the North Carolina State Board of Certified Public Accountants, and Past Instructor at the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants. Craig has also been admitted as an expert witness in state court and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Craig has held both the Series 6 and Series 66 security licenses.
In his free time, Craig enjoys giving back to his community having served as a Board Member and past President of the Athletics Booster Club for St. David’s School, a past Board Member at the Ruth Sheets Adult Day Care Center, a past member of the Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at North Carolina State University, and the Treasurer and Deacon at Capital Community Church.
Craig is a graduate of North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Accounting. He lives in Raleigh with his family.
ROBERT OWEN
Robert has over 25 years of experience in providing mergers and acquisitions services to middle-market companies. Prior to joining Nautical, Robert was a partner with Tucker, Midis & Owen (“TMO”), an Atlanta-based M&A boutique that provided full-service, senior-level investment banking to private and publicly-held, middle-market companies. He has experience in a wide range of industries including, but not limited to, Building Products & Materials, Distribution, Manufacturing, Paper & Packaging, and Transportation & Logistics.
While at TMO, Robert co-founded Boone Logistics Services (“BLS”), a leading provider of trailer spotting, logistics, and yard management services to manufacturing, distribution, and retail companies across the United States. Robert served many active roles in BLS including as an Advisor, Board Member, and the original Chief Financial Officer. BLS was sold in 2024 to Lazer Logistics, a portfolio company of private equity group EQT Partners.
Robert started his career after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a Commercial Relationship Manager for NationsBank (now Bank of America) spending most of his tenure in Greensboro, NC. After graduating from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, Robert was an Associate for Harris Williams & Co. in Richmond, VA. He subsequently had the opportunity to work with two private equity groups including Westhampton Partners, a family office based in Atlanta and Richmond, and Peachtree Equity Partners, a non-control investment firm based in Atlanta.
Robert lives with his wife and three children in Chapel Hill where he is currently an Elder and adult Sunday School teacher at University Presbyterian Church. In his free time, he enjoys playing golf, fishing and watching the Atlanta Braves and UNC sports teams.