Professional Bio

Jonathan H. Lack is a seasoned business strategist, consultant, and entrepreneur with over 35 years of experience in finance, healthcare, real estate, technology, and more. His career highlights include early roles with MCI International and as part of the founding senior management at CompuBank, NA—the first virtual national bank, backed by GE, Goldman Sachs, Marsh McLennan, and SoftBank—ranked #1 by The Wall Street Journal's SmartMoney for setting new standards in digital banking. Through ROI Ventures, LLC, Jonathan delivers strategic planning and fractional COO services, helping high-performing and turnaround-focused teams streamline processes, improve efficiency, and achieve sustainable growth.

Combining a blue-collar work ethic with a white-collar education, Jonathan’s approach blends real-world understanding with high-level strategy. This stems from his family legacy. His grandfather, Abe Lack, founded Lack's Inc. in Houston, Texas, in 1932. Jonathan and his five siblings worked in the family business until its closure in the mid-1980s, instilling a strong work ethic and practical insights that shape his leadership today. His brother, Stephen, later transformed the business into a single-family office and eventually a multi-family office, Galapagos Partners, LP, acquired by CORIENT. At Galapagos Partners, Jonathan focused on strategic partnerships and special projects, including efforts to help clients with operating businesses improve efficiency and streamline operations.

Jonathan’s ability to quickly grasp company culture and team dynamics is also grounded in his experience working in a cross-cultural Israeli-Palestinian cooperative project. During this two-year initiative, he was trained in conflict resolution and led cultural, educational, and sports programs among Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel. This background has equipped him with the skills to navigate complex interpersonal and organizational dynamics—a critical asset in his role as a fractional COO. His adaptable leadership philosophy empowers teams to navigate change effectively, which clients find essential for sustained growth.

Founded by Jonathan in 1994, ROI Ventures, LLC (originally Research Online International, Inc.) began as a digital market research firm and evolved into a consulting firm offering strategic planning, fractional COO, and marketing services across diverse sectors. Drawing on extensive experience with startups, turnarounds, and high-growth companies, Jonathan has helped clients across the U.S. improve operational efficiency and achieve measurable growth. His innovative, tailored strategies have guided firms from struggling to manageable sustainable growth. Jonathan has also authored three business books— Plan To Turn Your Company Around in 90 Days, You Can't Scale Chaos and The Real Estate Team Playbook—which reflect his expertise in strategic clarity and operational efficiency.

Jonathan holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, an MA in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a BA in Middle East Studies from UC Berkeley. Clients value his sophisticated yet pragmatic approach and focus on increasing top-line growth and bottom-line results.