Robert Holmes
CEO and President
Rob Holmes is the CEO of Sweetwater Holdings, LP and manages the General Partner of the ownership group, responsible for operating performance and corporate development of the company. He is also the founder of Black Knight Partners, LP, a Dallas-based private investment firm. Rob has extensive experience conducting business in Islamic countries and emerging nations. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and London School of Economics. Upon leaving active duty, Holmes earned his MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Mike Wallace
Vice President of Operations
Mr. Wallace’s experience has included the management of daily operations for multiple organizations, including international organizations with over 900 individuals. He has managed numerous construction and renovation projects in foreign countries. In government-sponsored initiatives in Iraq, he worked with local contractors to construct schools, water, and power projects. Mr. Walllace has also worked in Business Development and Operations in several fields, to include Medical and Medical Device and Laboratory sales, Healthcare IT, IT Outsourcing, Heathcare IT consulting and development, Commercial construction fincance and building supply finance. Additionally, he has co-founded two startup companies, the last being a renewable energy company based in Fort Worth, TX.
Mr. Wallace is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with over 20 years of military experience, including the management of both small and large units. Additionally, he is currently serving as executive officer for a Texas Army National Guard Infantry Battalion.
Usman Azhar
Director of Planning
Mr. Azhar is fluent in English, Urdu and Hindi and has experience in corporate finance with Deloitte Consulting, Price Waterhouse/Coopers and the Government of the United States. Reared in an agricultural family in the Punjab Province, Mr. Azhar earned his undergraduate degree in Science at William and Mary and a Masters in Business from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School.
Drue Bynum
Managing Director of Central Asia
After a successful career in the U.S. Army, Drue held management and engineering positions with large companies such as Texas Instruments and Peterbilt Motors. Drue has been with Sweetwater Holdings since its inception. Drue owns part of a family farming and ranching business. From his agricultural background, he brings extensive experience in grazing, crop rotation, animal husbandry and agriculture management.
Drue is a 1991 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Drue is married to his wife Nora and has three children, Halle, Cooper and Cole.
Adeel Shah
Managing Director of the Middle East
In addition to Mr. Shah's role as managing director, he serves on the board of directors for Frontier Agri-Solutions & Training-Pakistan, LLC. as the head of strategic planning and member of the finance committee for international projects. Mr. Shah has also served as the chairman and CEO of TelniaSoft, Inc. since its inception. Mr. Shah’s distinguished career as an entrepreneur and unique understanding of cultural nuances in both the United States and South Asia has earned him positions on the board of HUB Boarding School in Pakistan and as the director of the board of advisory of Central United Bank.
Mr. Shah's educational background includes a Masters in international public policy from SAIS-University of Johns Hopkins and an MBA from Carey Business School of University of Johns Hopkins. He serves on various corporate and NGO boards. He is a founding president of US-Pakistan Business Council, an affiliate of US Chamber of Commerce Washington DC, and currently is the vice chairman of the Council. The council is recognized by senior officials of both US and Pakistan governments. Adeel has both participated in and/or led several business delegations to countries such as Thailand, Hungry, South Korea, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, UK, Romania, and UAE. He frequently writes articles about business and geo-political issues for major newspapers and is sought for interviews by major networks including PTV, BBC, and CNN.
Dr. Jeffrey Jia
Managing Director East Asia
Dr. Jia was born and raised in China. Over the course of his career, Dr. Jia has spent considerable time in both China and the United States and has also been a consultant to various foreign companies operating in China, where he has built a substantial network.
Prior to Sweetwater Holdings, Dr. Jia became a partner in the first KFC franchisee in China, with stores located in Yangzhou. This partnership grew to become the largest KFC franchisee in China before exiting the investment in early 2008.
Prior to his involvement with KFC in 1999, Dr. Jia was General Manager of MetroMedia International Group China JV, where he successfully negotiated the sale of MetroMedia's Chinese assets to the Chinese government. Additionally, Dr. Jia was a Director for the Health Research Institute for the State of Connecticut, an Assistant Professor at Cornell University, and also served as a Secretary for the Governor of the Gansu Province in China.
Dr. Jia earned his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Economics from Lanzhou University in China in 1982. In 1985, Dr. Jia became one of fifty Chinese Nationals to earn a United Nations Post-Graduate Fellowship, subsequently earning his PhD in Sociology at the University of Texas at Austin.
