About Terra Mar Search
I founded Terra Mar Search with a mission to acquire, grow, and lead a great business. My commitment is to be a hands-on operator who invests in people and builds an enduring business that serves its employees, customers, and community. The search fund model allows an entrepreneur to take on the challenge of owning and operating a business while benefiting from the mentorship, guidance, and support of experienced operators and investors. It provides a unique succession solution for owners who care about the future of their employees and want their legacy carried forward with integrity.
On Leadership
Servant leadership is what matters most to me. There is no higher purpose than putting the needs of your team above your own, no matter the cost and no matter how difficult the circumstances. I am blessed to have spent my career leading teams through complex missions. From teaching pilots how to shoot rockets from a helicopter to helping young maintainers achieve their next qualification, I perform my best when others are relying on me. That's what drove me to pursue business leadership. My experiences taught me that the greatest joy in life comes from serving others, walking alongside them through challenges, and helping them triumph over hardships. My life's mission is to serve God and serve others by empowering them to their full potential.
Personal
Jackson and his wife Adelaide grew up in Alabama and have been married for almost a decade. They have three children, Brighton (3), Dane (2), and Knox (1). After numerous moves with the Marine Corps, the Niketas family is excited to return to the Southeast and invest in the community for the long term.
Professional
Jackson graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2016 with a B.S. in Quantitative Economics. During his time at the Naval Academy, he was the skipper of the top boat on the Varsity Offshore Sailing Team and founded the Midshipmen Fishing and Conservation Club.
After graduation, Jackson commissioned into the United States Marine Corps as a UH-1Y helicopter pilot. He deployed twice: first to the Middle East and Africa as part of Operation Octave Quartz, where he focused on counterterrorism operations and gained combat experience, and then to East Asia training partner nation forces. He served as a Weapons and Tactics Instructor Pilot and a maintenance test pilot, and held multiple leadership roles in the squadron's maintenance and operations departments.
Jackson holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.
The Terra Mar Name
Terra Mar is the surf break that I lived next to during my Marine Corps career. The name, literally "land" and "sea," is a nod to one of the original mottos of the United States Marine Corps: Per Mare, Per Terram, "By Sea, By Land." It speaks to the Marine Corps' identity as a force that operates at the boundary between two worlds, thriving in the space where others see friction and uncertainty. The Marine Corps chose to build their expertise where the land meets the sea, the most challenging environment to fight in. We find opportunity in challenge. It's the same thing that draws me to search. I believe there is nothing more challenging than operating a small business and that's why I'm drawn to it. Not just for the sake of challenge, but for the opportunity to make a difference. Leading a business is high stakes; your customers rely on you to get the job done and your employees rely on you for their livelihood. There isn't a greater professional privilege I can imagine than to be relied upon by your customers and employees.
Riding waves at Terra Mar reminded me of another aspect that drew me to Entrepreneurship through Acquisition. The break has existed for generations changing very little at first glance. But every morning you paddle into the lineup, you enter a world of brand new opportunities. The break has been shaped by hundreds of years of waves continually pounding the shore yet every morning there was new opportunity for a ride that no one else had ever experienced. That's how I see the Search Fund journey, it's an opportunity to honor the legacy of an organization with an incredible foundation. Yet, it's also an opportunity to create something new. To be a small part of helping an organization find its full potential.