BIP Wealth Family,
As many of you know, our very own, Jim Poole, has been suffering from ALS over the last couple of years after being diagnosed in June 2021. It is with a heavy heart to let you know that Jim passed away last night.
His wife Kim was right next to him, holding him in her arms. She said he’s already organized a baseball game in heaven, so I can only imagine all the great players on both sides.
For those of you who didn’t have the pleasure of meeting or knowing Jim, he was one of the original investors in Buckhead Investment Partners, which became what you know today as BIP Wealth. He believed in the vision Mark Buffington and I shared and has continued to support us in so many ways over the years.
Jim came to work at BIP Wealth as a Portfolio Manager 14+ years ago with the idea to create a Baseball Division to reach current and former players like himself and their families. Over that time, he’s grown our Baseball Division to what it is today. Not only has he impacted the 100+ clients in our Baseball Division, but there’s another 150+ clients that showed up for the tailgate event we hosted last year, “ALS Night honoring Jim Poole” at the Georgia Tech baseball game.
His alma mater, Georgia Tech, wrote a beautiful tribute to Jim today on their website. You can read their post by clicking on the link below.
Kim and the rest of the Poole family appreciate all of the prayers and support over the last 2+ years, but we can’t stop now. Please continue to pray for the Poole family. Pray for peace, and pray for impact, as they continue to raise awareness about ALS.
If you would like to make a donation in Jim’s memory, Kim asked that contributions be made to the James R. “Jim” Poole Athletic Scholarship Endowment Fund. No amount is too small.
If you want to donate to ALS research, ALS Cure Project and ALS.org of GA are the two organizations that Jim and Kim were most closely aligned.
One more thing…several of us got to visit Jim in Hospice yesterday, which was great to see him before his passing. When I walked into the room, he was sporting a bright red, white, and blue PHILLIES shirt. As many of you know, Jim was a die-hard Philadelphia Phillies’ fan, so in Jim’s honor, even though it pains me to say, “Go Phillies!”
[The Braves play the Phillies tonight in the playoffs, so this game will have special meaning thinking about Jim.]
Thank you for being a part of our BIP Wealth family,
—Bill Harris, Co-Founder + CEO, BIP Wealth
We’ve also included below a note written by Mark Buffington, CEO of BIP Capital and Managing Partner of BIP Ventures. Both Mark and I were very close to Jim and will continue to think of ways we can honor Jim moving forward…
This morning, I received the sad news that Jim Poole passed away.
For those who don’t know, Jim was one of the first to invest in Bill Harris and me in 2007 when we started Buckhead Investment Partners (now BIP Wealth). He was one of 10 people who believed in our vision and wrote a check to help us get started.
Jim wasn’t just an investor; he was deeply involved in BIP’s success from the outset.
- He served as a portfolio manager for BIP Wealth for many years.
- He approached Bill and me about building and leading BIP Wealth’s Baseball Division. Today that is one of the fastest-growing teams at BIP Wealth.
- He brought countless clients to BIP Wealth and BIP Capital.
- He participated in almost every private equity or private debt deal that BIP Capital has ever done.
- He referred his son — Austin — to me for a potential internship role while still in college. After a brief stint at another firm, Austin joined BIP Capital in 2017. Today, Austin is the youngest General Partner in BIP Capital’s history and one of our budding stars.
- Most importantly, Jim was a living example of everything we strive to be — a combination of high integrity, deep acumen, and kindness.
I will miss Jim. I have missed him over the last year as the effects of ALS limited his ability to interact. But I am somewhat comforted by the fact that he is no longer suffering.
To me, Jim Poole will always be royalty at BIP. He took a chance on us and then nurtured our success. We should all try to emulate the example he set.
Godspeed, Jim.
And to the Poole family, my sincerest condolences.
Mark Buffington
CEO, BIP Capital
Managing Partner, BIP Ventures