Created to Keep Firearms Retailers On-target
Trident 1 was founded by firearms industry experts who have transformed numerous industries by making it easy for retailers to accept payments online, in brick-and-mortar stores, and anywhere off-site business takes place.
Executive Leadership
Jake Newbold
President & CEO
United States Navy SEAL Senior Chief, Retired
Jake Newbold joined the U.S. Navy at the age of 18 in June of 1997, one month after graduating high school in rural eastern Ohio. After completion of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training (BUD/S) class 219 in 1998, he embarked on a twenty-year career serving at SEAL Teams FOUR, EIGHT, Naval Special Warfare Unit FOUR, Naval Special Warfare Basic Training Command, and the Naval Special Warfare Center. Throughout his Naval career, as a SEAL Sniper and Senior Enlisted leader, Newbold led over 150 combat operations throughout eight deployments in Afghanistan, Iraq, Central, South America, and the Caribbean, and trained over 1200 active-duty SEAL candidates as a SEAL Instructor.
Upon retiring from the Navy in 2017, he began his civilian career working as an Associate Banker on JPMorgan’s Corporate Client and Specialized Industries team in Dallas, TX. As a licensed Series 79 Investment Banker, he assisted the bank’s Energy Finance team with providing commercial and investment banking services to largely high yield, public oil and gas companies with average annual revenues of $500mm to upwards of $3bn.
Newbold has served on the Board of Directors of the SEAL Legacy Foundation (SLF), non-profit organization since 2011. As a primary financial sponsor and supporter of the SLF since its inception, Trident 1’s founders and primary equity sponsor, Park Ten Capital, hand selected Newbold in February of 2020 to develop and lead the Trident 1 team as the President & CEO.
Newbold has an MBA from the Johnson School of Management at Cornell University, an MBA from the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University in Canada, and a BS in Workforce Education and Training from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. He is fluent in the Spanish and Portuguese languages and is the recipient of numerous service awards and decorations, including the Bronze Star Medal with a combat “V” device for distinguished valor. He currently resides in Dallas, TX.
Daniel Peterson
Chief of Operations
Former United States Navy SEAL
Daniel Peterson enlisted in the U.S. Navy in April of 2009 and began Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training later that year. Upon graduation, he served on an East coast-based SEAL Team until the end of his enlistment in April of 2015. Over the course of his service, he participated in over 60 combat and training operations with three deployments across Afghanistan and Africa, serving as a SEAL Sniper and Reconnaissance Team Leader.
Prior to joining the Navy, Daniel worked in the construction industry throughout Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. He held leadership positions within the industry, including roles within General Contracting, Sales, and Project Consultation. Most recently, Daniel joined the Trident 1 team in the Spring of 2020 from a Dallas-based consulting firm where he provided diversified representation of clients’ capital, both domestically and internationally, across multiple real estate asset classes.
Daniel has a B.S. in Construction Management from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. He is the recipient of multiple service awards and decorations, including the Silver Star Medal.
John Laskowski
Chief Technology Officer
John is a passionate business leader with a unique blend of strategy, development, solutions, and execution in business-to-business products. He brings over 25 years of experience in technology along with significant strengths in process management and delivery of complex solutions. He has a proven track record for successfully leading new product development, solution fitment, and engineering.
Currently, John is responsible for the technology, product vision and development at Trident 1. He is driven by a passion for supporting the firearms and outdoor accessories space by creating a viable software product that enables merchants to run their businesses in a compliant and efficient way.
Prior to Trident 1, John was a principal consultant and business analyst in the energy space for fourteen years. He increased efficiencies and profitability of business lines by solving complex problems that span logistics, operations, marketing, and accounting. Understanding and seeing the world through the eyes of his clients helped him design solutions that fit their unique problems and situations.
Outside of work, John continues to learn and teach through his involvement on the advisory board for the Computer Information System’s College at the University of Houston and developing youth as a Venture Crew Leader and NRA instructor for the Boy Scouts. John is also a dedicated Ironman athlete competing nationally and volunteering locally.
John has a BS in Engineering from Texas A&M University.
Taylor Kelly
Chairman & Head of Payments
After graduating from Texas Christian University with a BBA in Marketing in 2004, Taylor formed Merchants’ Choice Payment Solutions Partners and served as President and CEO. MCPS Partners was a payment processing sales organization that grew to become the second largest sales organization across the country for MCPS and Woodforest National Bank. After selling a majority stake to MCPS in 2016, MCPS Partners, a then subsidiary company of MCPS, participated in a larger $470 million-dollar acquisition between MCPS and PaySafe in 2017.
Taylor’s 17 years’ experience in the payment processing sector has helped to create the payments portion of Trident 1 Software – Accuracy Payments.
Besides his involvement in Trident 1, Taylor serves on Derby, KS based Rock Regional Hospital’s Board of Directors, the Event Committee for the SEAL Legacy Foundation, and has other business partnerships, including as acting President & CEO for PaySafe Associates.