John May, College of Business alumnus, business leader, philanthropist

Sometimes life surprisingly exceeds expectations. Other times, those expectations are not as big a surprise as once thought. “ECU teaches you to dream big, but it also gives you the work ethic and determination to turn those dreams into reality,” John May (BSBA ’93) said. “There’s something very special about that.”

May, a Greenville native, said he “loved all things Pirates” growing up. In fact, he went to Wahl-Coates Elementary School on 5th Street, just a few blocks east of East Carolina University’s campus. While he had other higher ed opportunities, May felt strongly that ECU was his place – specifically the College of Business.

“I knew from a young age I wanted to go into business,” May said. “Before I graduated from high school, I had set a goal of one day running a $1 billion company. At the time, I thought that was the epitome of success.”

A couple of decades later, that goal/dream became reality. May has either run or owned several multi-billion-dollar businesses. But just as importantly, through all his success, he has found a new perspective.

“I’ve learned that business – and success – ultimately comes down to your loved ones, the people working alongside you in the trenches, the mentors and influences who help shape you and the people who depend on you for their livelihoods,” May said. “At the end of the day, it’s all about the people you surround yourself with.”

It’s within that greater sense of self that May has actively engaged with ECU on multiple levels — on the ECU Foundation Board of Directors and its Executive Committee, as Chair of the Investment Committee and as the keynote speaker at the COB’s annual Leadership Conference several years ago.

“I give a lot of the credit to Vice Chancellor [for University Advancement] Christopher Dyba,” May noted. “I had been away from North Carolina for nearly two decades, but when Chris flew out to meet me, we immediately hit it off. That meeting brought back all the emotions and memories of growing up in Greenville and attending my hometown university. It was really the moment when I made a commitment to find meaningful ways to give back to the school and the community that had given me so much.”

May’s full-circle moment came in May 2025 when he delivered the commencement speech for ECU’s graduating class. He stood on the stage on Bagwell Field in the middle of Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, a place where he sold peanuts as a 10-year-old during Pirate football games.

“It was an incredibly meaningful and humbling moment,” May said. “I never could have imagined that one day I would be standing on that same field delivering a commencement address. For me, it represented much more than professional success. It was a reminder of where I came from, the people and community that shaped me, and how much ECU has been an important part of my life.”

Today, May is the founder and managing partner of CORE Industrial Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm focused on North American lower middle market manufacturing, industrial technology and industrial service businesses with approximately $2B in assets under management. He is responsible for all of CORE’s activities, including sourcing new investment opportunities, valuation, transaction structuring, acquisition financing and fundraising. He also serves on the boards of all CORE’s portfolio companies.

As of now, he has had one Pirate interning for him, “But hopefully many more as Dean [Mike] Harris continues the great work he’s doing at the College of Business,” May added. May graduated with honors from ECU in 1993, earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a double concentration in management and management information systems.

“Attending ECU taught me the value of hard work, perseverance and a belief you can accomplish goals that may seem out of reach,” May added. “I will forever be grateful for my ECU education and the early life lessons it taught me. Go Pirates!”