Bourgeon Capital Management

John P. Zader, the firm's founder, serves as CEO and Chief Investment Officer and is the sole named portfolio decision-maker. A former U.S. Navy nuclear engineer, Zader built the firm's concentrated equity strategy and maintains direct authority over all investment decisions. The firm has not publicly identified any other investment professionals with portfolio-management responsibilities.

The firm runs concentrated long-only equity portfolios of 15 to 25 holdings, focused on large-cap compounders with durable competitive advantages. Bourgeon practices low turnover, holding positions through market cycles rather than trading around them. Portfolios span technology, financial services, healthcare, and consumer discretionary sectors and are managed via separately managed accounts tailored to client tax and liquidity requirements.

Bourgeon operates exclusively through separately managed accounts. The firm does not offer pooled investment vehicles such as mutual funds, ETFs, or private funds. This structure allows portfolio customization around each client's tax circumstances, liquidity preferences, and concentration parameters.

The firm relies on a fundamental, bottom-up research process grounded in Zader's analytical framework. Bourgeon seeks businesses with pricing power, high returns on invested capital, and long reinvestment runways—the hallmarks of durable compounders. The concentrated portfolio reflects a high-conviction approach where each position is sized meaningfully rather than diluted across dozens of names.

Zader served as a nuclear engineer in the U.S. Navy's submarine program prior to his investment career, an experience that shaped his methodical, long-horizon approach to portfolio management. He transitioned into investment management and founded Bourgeon Capital Management in Darien, Connecticut, in 1999. His engineering background is frequently noted as a differentiator in the firm's risk-assessment culture and buy-and-hold discipline.