Fund Operators
John F. Ackerman—Managing Director
John is a co-founder and Managing Director of Cardinal Equity Partners and has been involved with the purchase and management of middle market businesses since 1993. Today, John serves as Chairman of New Aqua LLC, and BFG Supply Co. LLC and is a board member of Cardinal Golf LLC, Brownstone Publishing (d/b/a Angies’ List), and Guardian Pharmacy LLC, all of which are current portfolio companies. John also serves as an Advisory Board Member of Walker Information, Inc. and M&I Bank, Indiana.
Prior to John’s private equity experience, John was with the Quaker Oats Company where he managed a variety of the company’s brands, and he also served as a Commercial Lender for The National Bank of Detroit.
John serves on the board of Brebeuf High School, Conner Prairie Museum and Foundation, the Junior Achievement Foundation, the Indianapolis 500 Festival, the Indiana chapter of Young President’s Organization (YPO) and is Vice-Chairman and board member of the Educational Choice Charitable Trust Foundation. John is a past President and board member of the Venture Club of Indiana and also a past board member and Chairman of The Villages of Indiana, the state’s largest child welfare not-for-profit organization.
He has a bachelor’s degree in business from The University of Michigan and a master’s in management from the J.L. Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University. John, a native of Indianapolis, is married and has two children.
James L. Smeltzer—Managing Director
Jim is a co-founder and Managing Director of Cardinal Equity Partners and has been engaged in sourcing, evaluating, and completing numerous private equity investments since 1993. Currently, Jim is a board member of Cardinal Golf LLC, BFG Supply Co. LLC, New Aqua LLC, Guardian Pharmacy LLC, and Oak Security Group LLC, all of which are portfolio investments.
From 1985 to 1993, Jim served as the Chief Financial Officer of Cardinal Communications, where he handled all financial matters and was responsible for overall corporate strategic planning. Prior to this experience, Jim was a Senior Tax Advisor at KPMG Peat Marwick. Jim earned a B.S. degree from Ball State University. He is married and has two children.
Peter Munson—Managing Director
Pete is a co-founder and Managing Director of Cardinal Equity Partners. Prior to Cardinal, Pete served as a Senior Vice President for JPMorgan Chase, N.A. based in Indianapolis. In his role as the Market Manager he was responsible for the Commercial Banking efforts for half of the State of Indiana, specifically Central Indiana and Ft. Wayne, which includes P&L, sales & marketing initiatives for all the JPM products, credit quality of the loan portfolio, and motivating, coaching, and recruiting professional staff.
Prior to JPMorgan Chase, Pete served with predecessor banks including Bank One, First Chicago NBD, NBD Bank, and Indiana National Bank.
Pete’s community involvement includes serving on the Executive Board of Educational Choice Trust, Donors Choose, and Centerfield Capital Partners and as a past member of St. Maria Goretti Finance Council. Pete also enjoys coaching Little League teams.
Pete is married with four children and graduated from DePauw University with a B.A. degree in Economics in 1988.
Michael L. Smith—Senior Advisor
Michael L. Smith retired as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Anthem, Inc. in January 2005.
Prior to joining Anthem in April, 1996, Mike was Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mayflower Group, Inc. from 1989 to 1995. Mayflower operated a worldwide relocation service and provided school and public passenger transportation in 30 states. He held various other management positions at Mayflower from 1974 to 1989. He started his business career in the Indianapolis office of Arthur Andersen & Co. following his graduation from DePauw University in 1970.
Mike serves on several Boards of Directors including Kite Realty Group Trust, a real estate investment trust (REIT); Emergency Medical Services Corporation, Inc., the nation’s largest emergency medical services provider; Vectren Corporation; and HH Gregg Appliances, Inc. He also serves on the boards of Finishmaster, Inc.; its parent, Ldi Ltd.; and Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P.
Mike has served as a Director of several charitable and civic organizations and is currently on the Board of the Central Indiana Community Foundation. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of DePauw University, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, and Lumina Foundation for Education.
Darell E. “Gene” Zink, Jr.—Senior Advisor
Gene Zink is Chairman and CEO of Strategic Capital Partners, LLC, a privately held real estate investment management firm. Prior to founding SCP, Gene spent 26 years with Duke Realty Corporation, a $10 billion real estate investment trust (DRE:NYSE) specializing in industrial, office, and retail properties. Prior to taking Duke public in 1993, Gene was a general partner in the private predecessor to Duke. After 1993, Gene served as CFO, Executive Vice President, and Vice Chairman of the Company.
Gene joined Duke Realty Corporation in 1982 after practicing law with Bose McKinney & Evans, where he was a partner in the firm. Prior to practicing law he was a Captain in the United States Air Force. Gene received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vanderbilt University in 1968, a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Hawaii in 1973, and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Indiana University in 1976.
In addition to being Chairman and CEO of SCP, Gene is also President and Chief Executive Officer of HKZ Enterprises, LLC. He is a Director and member of the Executive Committee of Fifth Third Bank (Indiana); past Chairman, Director and member of the Executive Committee of the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce; Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Challenge Foundation Academy; on the Advisory Council for La Plaza; a member of the Investment Committee of KC Partners Investment Fund; and Past President of the Park Tudor School Board of Trust, the Park Tudor Foundation, the CICOA Foundation, and the Pleasant Run Foundation. He also served as a Director at Peoples Bank, VEI, Duke Realty Corporation, and Windrose Medical Properties Trust.
