Our People
Unparalleled Expertise, Innovative Outlooks
Meet the Team
We are a team of accomplished business leaders, industry experts and experienced financial managers who use their skills to guide and support our companies. We are dedicated to building trust, stewarding investments and improving the value of our portfolio companies.
Leadership Team
Martin Stein
Founder and Managing Director
Martin leads our acquisition sourcing activities and has served on the boards of 16 platform portfolio companies, with over 25 years in the private equity industry.
Jeff Johnson
Managing Director
Jeff has 30 years of experience in investment banking and private equity investing and over his career has served on the boards as a director of seven Blackford Capital portfolio companies.
Rick Lopez
Managing Director
Rick has over 25 years of experience in finance and private equity and has been involved in capital raising across the balance sheet and managing M&A processes.
Carmen Evola
Managing Director
Carmen has over 25 years of leadership experience within diverse, multinational companies and currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer for Helio.
Operating Partners
Rob Leonard
Operating Partner
Rob has 14 years of experience at Blackford, with over 41 years in business and leadership roles. He specializes in M&A, post deal integration, new business ventures, start ups and turnarounds.
Steve Parker
Operating Partner
Steve has 40 years of expertise in organizational management, sales and marketing, manufacturing systems, M&A, new business creation, leadership and strategy.
Chris Wilson
Operating Partner
Chris has a track record of driving rapid, profitable growth and a broad skill set spanning marketing, e-commerce, technology, data science, merchandising, finance and operations.
Paul Doyle
Operating Partner
Paul has held senior leadership positions for over 30 years, with extensive experience in strategy and leadership identification and development.
Investment Team
Rishabh Mukherjee, CFA
Vice President of Deals
Rishabh is a private equity professional with 10+ years of experience in executing complex mandates focused on financial modeling, project finance and equity research.
Kristen Muir
Vice President of Portfolio Operations
Kristen joined Blackford in 2025 and brings nearly a decade of experience in finance strategy and consulting, focused on driving strategic initiatives and value creation.
Kameron Norwood
Senior Analyst
Kameron joined Blackford in 2026, bringing consulting experience delivering finance transformation initiatives for Fortune 500 organizations, with a focus on budgeting, ERP implementations, and M&A integration.
Christian Folkert
Analyst
Sagar Sule
Deal Team Analyst
Sagar is an investment professional with over a decade of experience advising on and executing complex transactions, with expertise in financial analysis and strategic advisory across multiple sectors and geographies.
Investor Relations Team
Emily Heist
Vice President of Investor Relations
Emily joined Blackford in 2015 and currently leads Investor Relations. She has a background in administration and office management.
Nate Rezin
Investor Relations Associate
Nate Rezin joined Blackford in 2025 on the Investor Relations team and brings 10+ years of experience in Client Service managing sophisticated investments including Private Equity, Venture Capital, and Hedge Funds.
Nhat Vu
Investor Relations Analyst
Following his internships at Blackford, Nhat joined the team full time in 2025.
Gabrielle Snider
Investor Relations Analyst
Following her internships with Blackford, Gabrielle joined the team full-time in 2026.
Administration
Garry Charles
Controller
Garry has 35 years of experience in finance and accounting both in the USA and the UK, where he attained his qualifications. He has worked as the controller at Blackford since 2019.
Lisa Long
Director of Operations
Lisa joined Blackford in 2018 and has over 10 years of administrative experience in legal offices, venture capital and private equity industries.
Kelly Potter
Administrative and Operations Coordinator
Kelly joined Blackford in 2026 with years of experience across operations and people-focused support roles.
Join Our Team
Maximize your potential under the guidance of some of the country’s most successful leaders. Check out our available positions and inquire about portfolio company openings today.