Joann Hearn

Public investor-directory records identify Joann Hearn as a Controller in Greensboro and associate her with two recorded investments. I did not find a primary biography, education history, LinkedIn profile, or current team-page bio for Hearn on Salem Investment Partners’ public website.

The verified firm context is Salem Investment Partners, a North Carolina-based investment firm founded in 1999. Salem says it manages more than $500 million and specializes in debt and equity investments in privately held, lower-middle-market businesses. The firm is licensed by the U.S. Small Business Administration as a Small Business Investment Company and participates in the SBIC program.

Salem’s current public team page lists investment professionals and finance staff, but does not list Joann Hearn. Because Hearn’s public footprint is limited, the most reliable way to understand her investor profile is through Salem’s published investment criteria and publicly announced Salem transactions, rather than attributing individual deal leadership or decision-making to her.

• Salem’s stated thesis starts with people: “We invest in people with the experience, integrity, and motivation to succeed.”
• Salem targets lower-middle-market companies rather than seed-stage startups; its published criteria specify minimum revenue of $10 million and minimum EBITDA of $1 million.
• Salem invests $2 million to $10 million per portfolio company, typically through subordinated debt, subordinated debt with nominally priced warrants, and minority equity co-investments.
• The firm supports growth financings, acquisitions, recapitalizations, private-equity-sponsored buyouts, and management- or family-driven ownership transitions.
• Sector focus is broad but conservative: business services, healthcare services, light manufacturing, consumer products, wholesale distribution, and recurring-revenue business models.
• Salem’s preferred geography is the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest regions of the United States, described by the firm as “East of the Mississippi.”