George Michael Ball: Born: May 3, 1934 | Died: March 8, 2025
George Michael Ball, a founding partner of Philpott Ball & Company, a boutique investment bank serving the defense, aerospace and technology markets for more than thirty years, died at his home in Charlotte, NC, March 8, 2025, after a prolonged illness. He was 90 years old.
Mr. Ball was born on Long Island and ran track in high school. As a senior, he ran his fastest mile, 4 minutes 45 seconds, in front of a college recruiter from Yale. He attended Yale on an ROTC scholarship and graduated in 1956 from Yale College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Administration from Yale University’s Sheffield Scientific School.
He was commissioned as an officer in the United States Marine Corps after graduation, completed basic training in Quantico, Virginia and proceeded to the United States Navy’s flight school in Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, known as the Cradle of Naval Aviation.
Mr. Ball served as a Marine Aviator for four years, achieving the rank of Captain, and flew numerous aircraft, single and multi-engine, including the Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar, which had a range of 1,827 miles and a top speed of 290 miles an hour.
“Flying was wonderful,” he recalled a few years ago. He was based in Morocco and did most of his flying into France, Italy, Greece and North Africa. He recalled one mission when he was sent to Rome to pick up a beautiful green convertible Ferrari to be delivered to Mohammed al-Khamis bin Yusef bin Hassan al-Alawi, the first King of Morocco, who served from 1957 to 1961. Mr. Ball and his Major loaded the Ferrari into the Flying Boxcar, strapped it down, and flew back to their base in Morocco, landing at 11:00 at night. The Major, who was later diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, got out of the plane, jumped into the Ferrari and drove it up and down the runway in the dark until Mr. Ball and the landing crew were able to wrest control of the vehicle.
Mr. Ball recalled once flying into Venice when they were waved off from landing at the last minute and the same Major suddenly put the flaps down, nearly crashing the plane into the runway. Mr. Ball was able to take control of the plane but needed emergency power to keep the plane in the air.
Mr. Ball was honorably discharged four months later and initially joined Shell Oil Company before starting his 50-year career in investment banking with Reynolds and Company and Kidder Peabody in Boston in 1961.
In 1969 he moved to New York to join Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette as one of its early members. Mr. Ball rose to the position of Managing Director of DLJ, which was the first Wall Street investment banking firm to be publicly traded and grew to employ more than 11,000 people. Credit Suisse acquired DLJ for 11.5 billion dollars in 2000.
In 1983, Mr. Ball moved to Charlotte to serve as Chief Executive Officer of a management buyout that he had led at DLJ of the North Carolina grocery chain, Three Guys.
Mr. Ball returned to Investment Banking in 1988, starting George Ball and Company, a mergers and acquisitions advisory firm focused on aerospace, defense and industrial companies. J. Robert Philpott, Jr. and Mr. Ball founded Philpott Ball & Company in 1991. The firm became Philpott Ball and Werner with the addition of Ted Werner in 2000 when the firm opened a Boston office.
As Chairman and Managing Director of Philpott Ball and Werner, Mr. Ball oversaw the boutique investment banking firm that has advised more than 100 mergers and acquisitions, completed transactions with cumulative value in the multi-billions of dollars that became one of the longest tenured firms serving defense, aerospace and technology markets all over North America. He also served on numerous Boards of Directors throughout his career including EDO Corporation, BB Walker, Juno Lighting and Sterner Lighting. Mr. Ball retired in 2012 but remained on the Executive Advisory Board of Philpott, Ball and Werner.
After his own recovery, Mr. Ball supported others by serving on the board of trustees of the Little Hill Foundation for the Rehabilitation of Alcoholics in Blairstown, NJ. His tenure corresponded to a challenging time for Alina Lodge and its foundation. He provided leadership in rebuilding the board and overseeing the transition to a treatment program that embraced the current thinking on how best to treat addiction. He ultimately served as President of the Board from 2000 to 2003.
In his hometown of Blowing Rock NC, he supported the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, serving on the Executive Committee as treasurer from 2015 to 2018 and on the Finance Committee for several years. He also served as chair of the Finance Committee for the Blowing Rock Community Foundation from 2012 to 2022. As the Foundation’s mission statement quotes Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
Mr. Ball is survived by his wife, Barbara Ball, his children James Ball, Tracy Ball Greer, Alex Werner and Ted Werner, and six grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 1:30 PM on May 17, 2025, at St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church, Blowing Rock, N.C.
