WORTH DOING WELL

A Hattiesburg (Mississippi) native and philanthropic entrepreneur, Abb Payne is Founder and CEO of The Payne Companies, a management company for its own and other entrepreneurial endeavors. Payne is also CEO and Founder of Payne Capital, an investment company dedicated to serving high-performing leaders seeking exponential business growth.

To date, four (4) Payne owned and managed businesses have been sold to publicly traded companies.

Payne currently owns or co-owns and manages home health, hospice, and private duty companies, regional specialty pharmacy operations, and assisted living facilities and senior communities throughout the United States. Payne also manages and oversees investments in nationwide hotel operations, boutique resort investments, and a large portfolio of Class A office spaces.

Payne served as President and CEO of Camellia Healthcare from 2002 until 2018, when the company was sold to Encompass Health (NYSE: EHC), the nation’s fourth-largest provider of post-acute healthcare services.  In that role, Payne grew the company to over 1400 employees and 40 locations across Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, and Tennessee.  Payne is particularly proud to have founded Camellia’s Hospice program, taking care of thousands of end-of-life patients across the Southeaster US.

Soon after the sale of Camellia, Payne co-founded, managed, and was the largest investor in Abilis Health, Tennessee’s largest privately owned home health and private duty company until its sale to Walgreens (NASDAQ: WBA).

Payne is the Past Chapter Chair of the Southern 7 Chapter of Young Presidents Organization (YPO), the largest YPO Chapter in the world (covering 7 states across the Southeastern US).   In this role, Payne was the very first Mississippian to serve as Chapter Chair in the history of the organization.

A graduate of the University of Mississippi with a degree in Managerial Finance, Payne currently serves on the Board of Directors of the University of Mississippi Foundation and on the Executive Board of the Now and Ever Campaign for Ole Miss, the University’s $1 Billion initiative.

Recently, Abb and his wife Jennifer created and funded the Payne Esports Facility and Scholarship Endowment to further STEM learning at the University of Mississippi.  Known as the LanSharks, the Ole Miss Esports Program is the second largest student program on campus.  Jennifer and Abb are also Vaught Society members, and the Ole Miss Basketball Team’s “Pavilion” street entrance is named for the Payne Family.

A joint Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration graduate of the Florida State University, Payne serves on the FSU College of Law Board of Visitors.  Earlier this year, the FSU College of Business named Payne’s InfusionPlus company to its “Seminole 100” Fastest Growing Seminole-owned Businesses for the third straight year.

The Payne Family is very proud of their relationship and service to the University of Southern Mississippi.  At Southern Miss, Payne is honored to have been on the USM Foundation Executive Board for many years and the Colleges of Nursing, Health, and Business Advisory Boards.  Currently, he serves as the Past President of the USM Athletic Foundation Board of Directors. Additionally, the Payne Family are proud longtime members of the Circle of Champions.  Payne was named the 2021 “Friend of Southern Miss” by the USM Alumni Association.

Committed to seeing the Mississippi business community thrive, Payne is a Past Chairman of the Area Development Partnership, having served on its Executive Board for several years.  More recently, Payne served as the Campaign Chairman for the ADP’s Forward Together Capital Campaign.

Payne has been awarded Mississippi’s Regional Tree Farmer of the Year Award by the Mississippi Forestry Association and has been named the Forrest/Lamar Tree Farmer of the Year twice.  He is an active member of the Mississippi Cattleman’s Association and is proud of his nesting bald eagles that reside on the Payne Farm in Lamar County, Mississippi.

A native of Hattiesburg, Payne is especially proud to have received the prestigious Hub Award, the highest honor bestowed to an individual within the community.  A Hattiesburg High School Tiger, Payne is also very proud to have been inducted into the Inaugural Class of the Hattiesburg Public School District Hall of Fame.

Payne, an Eagle Scout, is a licensed attorney in Mississippi, Florida, and the District of Columbia.

Payne is supported in all things by his wonderful wife, Jennifer. They are the proud parents of Ford (12), Arden (10), and Duke (6).