About John Owens
John Owens is a growth-driven entrepreneur, bank executive, and business builder who has built his career on one core belief: good businesses can always be made better.
His entrepreneurial journey began in 1995 when he founded the Ameritrust Companies — a diversified financial services platform that grew into one of the largest independent mortgage companies in the country. Under John’s leadership, Ameritrust expanded beyond mortgage into a successful insurance agency and wealth management firm, creating an integrated financial services model well ahead of its time. In 2015, Ameritrust was successfully sold, marking the culmination of two decades of disciplined growth, strategic expansion, and team building.
In 2003, while continuing to scale Ameritrust, John founded Showcase Baseball Academy, which grew into one of the largest baseball academies in the United States. Built on a foundation of athlete-level discipline, culture, and performance, the academy trained elite players from across the country before John successfully sold the business in 2019. The experience reinforced his belief that winning cultures — whether in sports or business — are built through accountability, repetition, and relentless improvement.
Today, John serves as CEO of Primis Mortgage Company, the wholly owned subsidiary of Primis Bank, where he has led sustained, profitable growth in one of the most competitive lending environments in decades. Under his leadership, the company has consistently outpaced industry peers — scaling production while maintaining disciplined profitability, capital strength, and strategic execution.
Over the course of his career, John has founded, scaled, and transformed multiple ventures, earning recognition as:
- Charlotte Entrepreneur of the Year
- Charlotte Business Journal 40 Under 40 Honoree
- Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist
These accolades reflect more than growth — they reflect vision, resilience, and the ability to build high-performing teams that win.
In addition to his leadership at Primis, John is the founder of Owens Management Group, a strategic advisory firm that partners with top executives to strengthen culture, sharpen strategic execution, and accelerate sustainable growth. His work focuses on helping leadership teams eliminate complacency, align incentives, and create environments where performance compounds year after year.
John is also the author of Corporate Cure, a business philosophy centered on eliminating legacy thinking and building cultures that continuously evolve.
He blends an entrepreneurial mindset with institutional discipline — believing deeply in ownership culture, athlete-level execution, and continuous reinvention.
His philosophy is simple:
Disrupt. Improve. Repeat.