Jack Ellenberg

About Jack Ellenberg

Senior leaders making international expansion and capital investment decisions are rarely short of ambition. The real challenge lies in making confident choices early. Choices around market entry, capital commitment, operating models, and policy exposure are critical, as the cost of a mistake is high and difficult to unwind.My role is to support CEOs, CFOs, and executive leadership teams as a senior strategic advisor, working alongside them at the decision-making table rather than outside it. The focus is not on delivering projects or reports, but on helping leadership teams navigate complexity before decisions harden into structure, investment, or risk. That means pressure-testing assumptions, clarifying trade-offs, and ensuring decisions are made with a clear view of regulatory, policy, and long-term operating realities.Much of my advisory work sits at the intersection of strategy, government affairs, and capital planning. This includes advising global organizations on North American market entry, investment decisions, site and operating model considerations, and the practical implications of federal and state-level policy environments. This perspective reduces uncertainty early and allows leadership teams to focus on building sustainable growth rather than reacting to avoidable surprises.The foundation for this work comes from senior leadership experience across government, infrastructure, and innovation-driven institutions, combined with hands-on advisory work for international organizations expanding into North America. My background includes cabinet-level roles supporting multiple U.S. governors, executive leadership at a top North American port, and senior responsibility within an R1 research institution focused on advanced industry and innovation. Alongside this, my advisory work has supported internationally recognized companies such as BMW, Boeing, Bosch, ZF, and Mercedes-Benz, where credibility, discretion, and an ability to “speak the language” of both industry and government are essential.The common thread across this experience is trust, earned by understanding the realities leaders face and translating complexity into clear, executive-level judgment. My value lies in helping leadership teams make the right decisions early, so international growth in North America is built on confidence, clarity, and long-term resilience rather than correction.

Experience

1. Managing Director

   Maxis Advisors

   Aug 2023 — Present · Columbia, SC, US

   My current work at Maxis Advisors is built on senior decision-making experience where capital, policy, location, and growth choices shape organizational success. The focus is on ensuring leadership teams make confident expansion and investment decisions before those choices are locked in and costly to reverse, prioritizing clarity of judgment over transactional execution.Maxis Advisors helps companies through strategic incentives negotiation, location analysis, site selection, labor analytics, real estate advisory, and performance measures. This is grounded in understanding how public policy and economic frameworks interact with private-sector growth.The credibility I bring to this advisory work is grounded in roles where decisions were accountable and high-stakes: Cabinet-level leadership advising multiple U.S. governors on economic development, investment strategy, and policy direction, shaping environments where public and private interests intersected. Executive leadership at a top North American port authority, focusing on infrastructure, trade-dependent growth, and economic outcomes. Senior leadership at an R1 research institution with responsibility for advanced industry, innovation programs, and cross-sector initiatives.These experiences required judgment across industry, government and capital markets.This foundation has informed advisory work with organizations such as BMW, Boeing, Bosch, ZF, Daimler, Lockheed Martin, Siemens and Honda. This demanded discretion, credibility and the ability to operate at the executive and institutional level.This allows Maxis Advisors to provide insight ahead of capital commitment in environments where policy, incentives, labor dynamics, site positioning and regulatory performance measures affect long-term outcomes.This underpins my advisory work: helping leadership make the right decisions early and elevating strategic priorities in dialogue with government, industry and investment stakeholders.

Education

• Clemson University

  BA, History

• Clemson University

  MA, History

Skills

• Sales
• Leadership
• Public Speaking
• Team Building
• Organizational Development
• Public Relations
• Business Strategy
• Program Management
• Strategy
• Logistics
• New Business Development
• Recruiting
• International Trade
• Economic Development
• Strategic Planning
• Leadership Development
• Government
• Project Management
• Customer Service
• Contract Negotiation
• Start-Ups
• Business Planning
• Operations Management
• Business Development
• Negotiation
• Freight
• Risk Management
• Budgets