Founder
MiddleGround Capital
John Stewart is the Founder of the private equity firm, MiddleGround Capital. MiddleGround was formed in May 2018 by John and his two partners. John and his team have grown MiddleGround to over $1.6B of Assets Under Management and 43 employees in just 3 years. MiddleGround invests in mid-market industrial B2B and specialty distribution businesses headquartered in North America. MiddleGround Capital is headquartered in Lexington, KY and has an office in New York City.
John started his career as an hourly worker installing bumpers on Toyota Camry’s. Over an 18 year career, John completed his undergraduate education while working and was successively promoted 6 times. In 2004, John was selected to enter Toyota’s Executive Development program before being dispatched to run Toyota’s largest Division in Europe, the Vehicle Assembly Division. In 2007, John was named one of the Top 10 Automotive Executives under 40 by Automotive News.
In 2007, John left Toyota and joined a New York based Private Equity Firm. Over a 10 year career at the prior firm, John expanded his role from Operating Partner, to Head of Operations, Managing Director, and Partner. John was a member of the Investment Committee in the firm’s latest fund.
John is the author of “The Toyota Kaizen Continuum: A Practical Guide to Implementing Lean” and is a frequent advisor to public and private companies.
John has been a Board member for 35 companies and currently serves as chairman of the board for seven companies and one non-profit.
John was named at Top Thought Leader in the Middle Market by Axial in 2020 and has been the subject of numerous business articles including the cover story for BusinessWeek, April 30th, 2012.
John is a member of the Standing Committee for Traffic Control Devices for the Transportation Research Board, a division of the National Academy of Science.
John serves as an Advisory Board Member for the Finance Department at the University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics.
