Ben Navarro

Ben Navarro
Born	1962 or 1963 Williamstown, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, investor
Years active	1980s–present
Known for	Founder and CEO of Beemok Capital; founder of Sherman Financial Group; owner of Credit One Bank; owner of Charleston Open and Cincinnati Open tennis tournaments
Notable work	Establishing Beemok Hospitality Collection; founding Meeting Street Schools nonprofit

Benjamin W. Navarro (born 1962 or 1963) is an American entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Beemok Capital, a private investment and family office firm. Through Beemok, he oversees various ventures, including Beemok Hospitality Collection, a luxury hospitality enterprise based in Charleston, and holds ownership of professional tennis events such as the Charleston Open and Cincinnati Open.

In addition, Navarro established Sherman Financial Group, LLC, where he serves as the leader, and maintains a substantial minority stake in Credit One Bank, a financial institution that specializes in credit cards tailored for consumers with low credit ratings.

Early life

Navarro was born in Williamstown, Massachusetts and is one of eight siblings. His father, Frank Navarro, was a college football coach at Williams College and famously appeared as the subject of Norman Rockwell’s painting The Recruit. Raised in Rhode Island, Navarro is of Italian heritage, with grandparents who immigrated through Ellis Island. During his youth, he lived in Princeton, New Jersey, where he graduated from Princeton High School while his father was coaching at Princeton University.

He earned a finance degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1984. While attending college, he launched a "student VIP" card program that was marketed to local businesses.

Early Career

Navarro started his professional journey at Chemical Bank, spending two years in loan underwriting following credit training. He then worked for three years at Goldman Sachs, concentrating on whole loans and mortgage-backed securities. In 1988, he joined Citigroup, where he advanced to vice president and co-head of mortgage sales and trading, managing residential mortgage acquisitions and securitizations.

Sherman Financial Group

After departing Citigroup in 1997, Navarro founded Sherman Financial Group in 1998. In 2005, Sherman purchased First National Bank of Marin and rebranded it as Credit One Bank. Today, Credit One Bank is a prominent credit card issuer catering to subprime borrowers with products offered through Visa, American Express, and Mastercard. Navarro is recognized for revolutionizing credit card debt collection into a multibillion-dollar sector. Although his companies faced criticism in 2011 and 2014 over aggressive debt collection practices, by 2024 they had successfully passed over 54 regulatory examinations—including one focused on COVID-19 compliance—without any violations.

Beemok Hospitality Collection

In 2021, Navarro introduced Beemok Hospitality Collection, a luxury hospitality company headquartered in Charleston that operates hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues throughout the Southeastern United States. The firm acquired Charleston Place—the city’s largest hotel featuring 434 rooms—in October 2021. Other properties under Beemok include Sorelle, The Riviera, Credit One Stadium, and The Cooper.

Beemok is also developing American Gardens, a community park in Charleston designed with extensive landscaping and public features such as fountains and oak-lined lawns. The company plans to finance its maintenance while organizing events like movie screenings and concerts.

In March 2024, the Charleston State Ports Authority approved the sale of Union Pier—a former cruise terminal spanning 65 acres—to Navarro for redevelopment into green space along with residential housing that includes affordable units. The deal is expected to close by 2027.

Sports & Entertainment Investments

Navarro is the proprietor of the Live To Play Tennis Club located in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. This venue has been the site for three USTA national junior tennis championships as well as six tournaments on the International Tennis Federation women's professional circuit.

In 2018, Navarro made a bid to acquire the Carolina Panthers NFL team but was ultimately outbid by David Tepper.

That same year, in September 2018, Navarro took ownership of Charleston Tennis LLC, which manages the Charleston Open women's tennis tournament. In April 2025, the event announced it would implement equal prize money for male and female competitors starting in 2026, marking it as the first standalone WTA 500 tournament to adopt this policy.

By 2021, Charleston Tennis LLC secured Credit One Bank as the title sponsor, leading to the event being renamed the Credit One Charleston Open. Navarro personally financed an upgrade of Credit One Stadium in Charleston, increasing its capacity from 7,500 to 11,000 seats and incorporating modern facilities as a philanthropic contribution to the local community.

In 2022, Navarro's company Beemok Sports & Entertainment acquired the rights to host the Cincinnati Open professional tennis competition.

Personal Life

Ben Navarro is married to Kelly, and together they have four children. The family resides in Charleston, South Carolina. Their daughter, Emma Navarro, competes professionally on the WTA Tour. Additionally, Navarro serves as an instructor at the College of Charleston's School of Business, where he teaches a course focused on intentionality.

Navarro made a $500,000 donation in 2021 to a political action committee (PAC) supporting Tim Scott, increasing his total contributions to $5 million by 2023.

Philanthropy

In 2022, Navarro financed significant improvements to Credit One Stadium, a city-owned venue in Charleston. The renovations included new physical therapy and fitness areas designed specifically for athletes.

Navarro established Meeting Street Schools in 2008—a nonprofit organization based in South Carolina that serves more than 1,800 students from underprivileged backgrounds. The flagship institution, Meeting Street Academy, provides year-round education with extended day and summer learning opportunities. In 2014, this nonprofit entered into a public-private collaboration with Charleston County School District to boost funding for schools in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. This partnership enabled classrooms to have two teachers each and introduced comprehensive mental health services alongside afterschool programs.

In December 2020, Navarro initiated the Meeting Street Scholarship Fund aimed at assisting Charleston County students eligible for Pell grants and the State’s LIFE scholarship with college expenses. Since its inception, the fund has expanded into ten additional counties across South Carolina and has awarded $20 million to more than 500 students. Plans announced in 2023 include extending support statewide across all 46 counties, potentially benefiting over 2,000 students with $42 million in scholarships.

In 2021, Navarro donated $1.25 million toward teacher education initiatives at the College of Charleston and played a key role in launching Meeting Street’s Excellence in Teaching Awards. These awards recognize educators whose students demonstrate notable academic progress.

Collaborating with the Medical University of South Carolina, Navarro founded Modern Minds in 2020—a mental health center that employs holistic approaches to support adults dealing with anxiety or depression. The program assigns wellness navigators who incorporate elements such as nutrition, physical activity, social connection, and mindfulness into client care plans.