I grew up around people who built things with their hands: construction crews, family businesses, job sites, men who left before sunrise, came home exhausted, and quietly carried the pressure of payroll, projects, employees, and family whether anyone saw it or not.

That world shaped the way I understand construction businesses today, and why I believe the best businesses are built intentionally, not left to chance.

Because from the outside, many businesses look successful. Revenue is strong. The trucks are moving. The work keeps coming in. But underneath the surface, everything still depends on the owner.

That’s the pattern I’ve always understood well: not just how to grow a business, but how to build one that can support the life of the person who built it.

After more than 17 years in financial services, I founded Cornerstone to help construction and trade business owners reduce owner dependency, increase transferable business value, and build businesses that create more flexibility for the future.

Most owners don’t have an exit problem. They have a structure problem.

Functioning and scalable
are not the same thing.

Busy and valuable
are not the same thing.

Profitable and transferable
are not the same thing.

What I look for

My work focuses on helping owners identify what’s happening underneath the surface: operational dependency, structural fragility, trapped value, financial misalignment, and businesses that only work because the owner never fully steps away.

Why owners work with me

I speak their language. Not the polished corporate version of business ownership, but the real one. The version where you’re juggling ten things that all matter, none of them live in the same place, and everyone still expects you to have the answer.

At the New York Stock Exchange

Jason Berube with his family at home in Beverly, Massachusetts

Outside of Cornerstone

I live in Beverly, Massachusetts with my family. You’ll usually find me coaching football, following Boston sports, or enjoying a round of golf.

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The team

Jamie Byrne

Associate

Hi, I’m Jamie Byrne, a Finance student at Bentley University and an Associate at Cornerstone. Before Bentley, I graduated from St. John’s Preparatory School, where I built a strong work ethic and a real interest in business and finance. Growing up with parents who own and run a restaurant gave me an early front-row seat to what it actually takes to keep a business alive.

Outside of school and work, I run my own mobile detailing company, experience that’s taught me a lot about communication, leadership, and figuring things out on the fly. I like working with people, learning new things, and growing both personally and professionally. I’m excited to be part of the Cornerstone team, supporting our clients as they work to build businesses that don’t depend on them to survive.