Chairman of the Board

Benny Cunningham is an automotive veteran with over four decades of experience across the parts and service sectors of the industry. Owner of Cunningham Brothers Auto Parts since 1981, Benny has worked on building a nationwide recycler core program to service ever-challenging manufacturing needs. He spearheaded the move to incorporate VIN mapping with full integration on all IT platforms within the industry. He served as President of the PRP Mid Atlantic group from 1999-2010 and as a board member for PRP and URG. Under his leadership, Cunningham Brothers was named three-time winner of Supplier of the Year by General Motors.

Chief Executive Officer

Rob Vollero is Co-Founder of Highground Holdings, which operates as a merchant bank focused on private companies. Highground takes an opportunistic approach in high-growth, disruptive technologies, special situations and undervalued cash generators across various sectors, including commodities, technology and consumer goods.  

With over 20 years of experience investing in both public and private equity markets, Rob has extensive knowledge in evaluating, owning, and managing businesses with proven track records and high potential. With his longtime business partner, Gentry Beach, Rob founded and managed Vollero Beach Capital Partners, a global hedge fund based in New York and Dallas. Prior to Vollero Beach, Rob was a Portfolio Manager at Touradji Capital and helped manage portfolios at Solstice Equity and the BBT Funds. Rob began his career as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley. A former collegiate golfer, Rob still competes in amateur golf tournaments around the U.S. Rob is a Magna Cum Laude Graduate of Yale University and lives in New York with his wife and two children. 

Executive Chairman

Gentry Beach has more than 23 years of experience identifying and unlocking value within companies. As Co-Founder of Highground Holding, Gentry has an exceptional ability to discover market opportunities. With his longtime business partner, Rob Vollero, Gentry founded and managed Vollero Beach Capital Partners, a global hedge fund based in New York and Dallas. Prior to Vollero Beach, Gentry was a Portfolio Manager at Touradji Capital and helped manage portfolios at Solstice Equity and the BBT Funds. He began his career as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley. Gentry earned a BS in Economics with a concentration in Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He lives in Tyler, Texas, with his wife of 23 years and their five children.

President

Wade Hilburn has over 25 years of experience in the OEM automotive remanufacturing sector, with a notable 12-year tenure in Business Development for the largest OEM Tier 1 engine remanufacturer in the U.S. He began his career in procurement, and in 2004, launched a private label brand and pioneered the first direct sales program for remanufactured engines, transmissions and transfer cases. This innovative approach utilized the auto recycler network as a sales and distribution channel, a strategy he dubbed "Lean Selling." Presently, this program generates an impressive $120 million in annual revenue. With KarKey, Wade is leveraging his manufacturing expertise in reconditioning and remanufacturing recycled OEM parts for the collisionrepair industry. Wade lives in Dallas with his wife, and has three grown children and one grandchild.