Bourgeon Capital Management

Bourgeon Capital Management

Bourgeon Capital Management was established in 1999 by John P. Zader, who previously served as a nuclear engineer in the U.S. Navy's submarine program before transitioning to investment management. Zader built the Darien, Connecticut-based firm to manage capital for a concentrated client base of high-net-worth individuals and families, applying a long-duration, low-turnover equity philosophy from the outset. The firm runs highly concentrated long-only equity portfolios, typically holding 15 to 25 names across the market-cap spectrum, with a pronounced bias toward large-cap compounders. Sector exposure historically spans technology, financial services, healthcare, and consumer discretionary. Bourgeon does not operate pooled vehicles—each client relationship is managed via separately managed accounts, allowing for customization around tax sensitivity and liquidity needs. Known portfolio holdings have included Berkshire Hathaway, Apple, and Microsoft, reflecting the firm's preference for durable franchises with pricing power and reinvestment runways. Bourgeon maintains a deliberately lean structure consistent with its boutique posture, operating from a single office in Darien. The firm has not publicly disclosed total assets under management or professionals count, and does not appear to maintain adjacent vehicles such as private funds, philanthropic foundations, or real-asset arms. John Zader remains the sole named principal and portfolio decision-maker, a structure that concentrates investment authority but raises natural succession questions for a client base oriented toward multi-decade relationships. Bourgeon's structural distinction lies in its operator-to-investor lineage: a founder whose analytical framework was forged in a naval nuclear engineering culture—one defined by methodical risk assessment and long-horizon systems thinking—rather than in conventional sell-side or MBA pipelines. That background shapes a portfolio construction approach that treats drawdowns as buying opportunities, a posture reinforced by the firm's separately managed account architecture and its willingness to hold concentrated positions through full market cycles.