Meet the team
John Holsapple is CEO and co-founder of Hickory, where his goal is simple: to create and support businesses that thrive for generations. As CEO, he focuses on building rockstar organizations with strong teams, loyal customers, clean financials, and systems that work.
John’s career building enduring companies began in Beijing, where he built a business English school and a cross-border consulting practice from the ground up. Those early years continue to influence his perspective on leadership, strategies to enrich the Hickory family of brands, and how to support the people on the front lines of service.
John Holsapple, CEO
Greg Shapiro has spent his career at the intersection of people, technology, and real-world impact. As President and COO of Hickory, he works to ensure that Hickory brands thrive with the right technology, processes, and cultural DNA. Greg led the early application of Hickory’s customized AI tools, leveraging his prior experience developing fundraising and social-organizing software, as well as economic analysis and visualization tools used by governments and global institutions.
Prior to co-founding Hickory, Greg partnered with Hickory CEO John Holsapple to launch a business English school in Beijing and a cross-border consulting practice. When not at work, Greg enjoys running ultramarathons and boating with his wife and daughter.
Greg Shapiro, President
John Lee, CTO
As Chief Technology Officer, John Lee leads technology and AI at Hickory, where he helps build simple, practical tools that make life easier for teams across the business. He specializes in turning data into clear insights and workflows that help business owners outperform strategic targets and enhance the customer experience. As a transformational leader, John is passionate about using technology to help owners build enduring companies while supporting the people on the front lines of service.
Zach Cooper-Vastola is Chief Investment Officer at Hickory, where he plays a central role in strategic acquisitions and the deployment of operational processes across an expanding family of brands. After overseeing day-to-day operations for multiple brands, Zach leads the company’s M&A efforts, applying an operator’s perspective to evaluating and integrating new partners. Across the Hickory family of brands, he also helps reduce operating costs by minimizing third-party vendor reliance and building scalable in-house teams.
Zach Cooper-Vastola, CIO
Derek Wenger, CSO &
Head of Transformation
Derek Wenger is Chief Strategy Officer & Head of Transformation at Hickory, where he works across people, operations, and technology to build enduring business models for organic growth and strategic acquisitions. He also serves as trusted advisor to Hickory-affiliated business owners, helping them achieve ambitious growth targets, stabilize operations, and elevate workplace culture and performance.
Before joining Hickory, Derek spent more than a decade leading transformation and growth initiatives at Kearney Consulting and Anheuser-Busch, where he consistently improved employee engagement, service level, and financial performance while also guiding complex business and system integrations.
Carl Baker, CFO
Carl Baker is Chief Financial Officer at Hickory, where he works to ensure the company’s family of brands operate with financial clarity, strong controls, and decision-ready information. He focuses on creating financial transparency through timely, accurate financials and forecasts for both internal leaders and external stakeholders, enabling confident decisions and disciplined growth.
Carl has spent his career building financial foundations that support growth, scale, and operational excellence. Prior to joining Hickory, he led finance and accounting across multi-entity, high-growth organizations, including acquisitions, integrations, and team transformations.