John Stewart Email & Phone Number

John Stewart is the Founding and Managing Partner of MiddleGround Capital, a private equity firm differentiated by its operational expertise. John comes from a “blue collar”, non-traditional background, and began his career assembling Toyota Camrys just 15 miles from where MiddleGround Capital is now headquartered. During his 18-year career at Toyota, he was promoted six times from a position as an hourly night shift worker to running Toyota’s largest European division. In 2007, he transitioned into private equity where he became Head of Operations and Partner.In May of 2018, he was inspired to start MiddleGround Capital as an operationally focused private equity firm investing in the lower middle market. Alongside his longtime business partner, Scot Duncan, who worked with John at Toyota and a prior firm, they had a vision to break the mold of traditional private equity through a unique investment strategy and culture. MiddleGround integrates operations management from the beginning to the end of its investment process. Operational improvement opportunities inform acquisitions, and the in-house Operations Team has a hands-on approach to managing the portfolio. Culturally, MiddleGround is laser-focused on prioritizing the well-being of their employees, which sets them apart from other firms in private equity. John’s values are simple – do the right thing and take care of your people.

Listed skills include Toyota Production System, Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, Kaizen, and 45 others.