CFO Ward Lyke to exit after transition at J.W. Mays (NASDAQ: MAYS)
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
J.W. Mays, Inc. entered into a transition agreement with Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer Ward Lyke Jr. on July 30, 2026. He will continue in his roles through September 25, 2026, when he will step down and resign. The company states his departure is not related to any disagreements.
The agreement keeps his base salary at $316,000 through the Separation Date and, if he remains in good standing and signs an Agreement and General Release, provides separation benefits including six weeks of base salary. Upon his separation, Controller Kevin Guptar will serve as Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer.
Positive
- None.
Negative
- CFO departure effective September 25, 2026 introduces a leadership transition in the company’s finance and accounting functions.
Insights
Analyzing...
8-K Event Classification
2 items: 5.02, 9.01
2 items
Item 5.02
Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers
Governance
Key personnel changes including departures, elections, or appointments of directors and executive officers.
Item 9.01
Financial Statements and Exhibits
Exhibits
Financial statements, pro forma financial information, and exhibit attachments filed with this report.
Key Figures
CFO base salary: $316,000
Separation Date: September 25, 2026
Severance period: six weeks of base salary
+1 more
4 metrics
CFO base salary
$316,000
Base salary payable to Ward Lyke Jr. through the Separation Date
Separation Date
September 25, 2026
Date when Ward Lyke Jr. will step down and resign from the company
Severance period
six weeks of base salary
Separation-related benefits offered if employment and release conditions are met
Transition agreement date
July 30, 2026
Date J.W. Mays and Ward Lyke Jr. entered into the transition agreement
Key Terms
transition agreement, Agreement and General Release, Principal Financial Officer, Inline XBRL
4 terms
transition agreement regulatory
"entered into a transition agreement with Ward Lyke, Jr."
Agreement and General Release regulatory
"in exchange for him signing and not revoking his acceptance of an Agreement and General Release"
Principal Financial Officer financial
"will serve as the Company’s Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer"
The principal financial officer is the senior executive who runs a company's financial operations: preparing and certifying financial reports, managing accounting controls, budgets and cash flow, and advising on financial strategy. Investors care about this role because its competence affects how trustworthy the company’s numbers are, how well it manages risk and capital needs, and the credibility of forecasts—like the chief navigator steering a firm's financial course.
Inline XBRL technical
"the cover page XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document"
Inline XBRL is a file format for financial filings that embeds machine-readable data tags directly inside the human-readable report, so the same document can be read by people and parsed by software. For investors it makes extracting, comparing and verifying financial numbers faster and more reliable—like a grocery list where each item also has a barcode—reducing manual errors and speeding up analysis.
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
FAQ
What executive change did J.W. Mays (MAYS) disclose regarding its CFO?
J.W. Mays disclosed a transition agreement under which Ward Lyke Jr. will remain Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer until September 25, 2026, after which he will step down from these roles and resign from the company.
When is Ward Lyke Jr.’s separation date from J.W. Mays (MAYS)?
Ward Lyke Jr.’s separation date is September 25, 2026. He will continue serving as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer until that date under the transition agreement, after which he will resign from J.W. Mays.
What compensation will the outgoing CFO of J.W. Mays (MAYS) receive during the transition?
Under the transition agreement, Ward Lyke Jr. will receive his base salary of $316,000 through September 25, 2026. If he remains employed in good standing, he is eligible for six weeks of base salary as separation-related benefits, subject to signing a release.
What separation benefits are offered to Ward Lyke Jr. by J.W. Mays (MAYS)?
If Ward Lyke Jr. stays in good standing through September 25, 2026 and signs an Agreement and General Release, J.W. Mays will offer him separation-related benefits, including six weeks of base salary, as outlined in the transition agreement.
Who will assume key financial roles at J.W. Mays (MAYS) after the CFO’s departure?
Upon Ward Lyke Jr.’s separation, current Controller Kevin Guptar will serve as J.W. Mays’ Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer. This change becomes effective immediately when Lyke’s employment ends on September 25, 2026.