Our Story
From Proximity to Purpose
James Amato, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Catalyst was born out of proximity—proximity to service, to struggle, to spirit, and to possibility.
I’m the son of public servants, healthcare, and blue collar workers. My father was a village councilperson, acting mayor, and lifelong advocate for public education. My mothers and grandmother were nurses with another grandmother having volunteered in the hospital and at the polls on election days for decades. My grandfathers were mill workers. I grew up surrounded by people who believed in showing up—whether it was for a village council meeting, a shift at the hospital, or a neighbor in need. The people who raised me gave a damn and the sentiment lives on with me.
At a young age my faith and my proximity to amazing teachers, coaches, and neighbors brought me face-to-face with virtue, service,
and a lifelong pursuit of something bigger
than myself; A vocation: to love, to build,
to serve, and to walk alongside others with empathy and purpose.
Professionally, I began as an educator. I believed then—as I do now—that potential is everywhere. That belief fueled my multidisciplinary career path starting in higher education, then nonprofit strategy, corporate innovation, and now, entrepreneurship.
Today, Catalyst is a firm built on everything that shaped us:
The vision of servant leaders
The grit of rural America
The beauty of the creative process
The discipline of virtue
The heart of family
And the fire of educators-turned-entrepreneurs who believe the world gets better when people, businesses, and communities rise together.
I was raised rural. That upbringing shaped how I see the world—through the lens of community, creativity, and resilience. I learned early that
simplicity and complexity often live side by side. That a Friday night football game could serve as both escape and economic engine. That
a dairy barn could be as sacred as a cathedral.
My grandparents became entrepreneurs later in life. My family was full of artists. I was surrounded by people who reinvented themselves, who turned imagination into livelihood, and who believed that reinvention wasn’t just possible—it was often necessary and that no stop along the way was without value.
Following a ten year career in higher education, several years in nonprofit management and I spent the better part of the last decade founding and leading one of North Carolina’s most dynamic marketing and design firms—growing weary of the restrictions of the corporate world, I co-founded Catalyst with my wife Jessica an educator turned financial strategist and partnership director (not to mention a kick-ass wife and mother). Together, with the guidance of a number of incredible advisors, we knew we could bring something different to the table: not just strategy, but soul. Not just execution, but elevation.
We’re not just here to advise and consult.
We’re here to co-create. To help people and organizations build with intention, lead with integrity, and grow in ways that uplift everyone they touch.
This is more than a business.
It’s a calling.
And we’re grateful you’re here.
Sláinte,
