Madison River Capital Appoints Bob Barthelmes as Operating Advisor and Board Member of JDC Power Systems

Addition of experienced technology executive to enhance operations across MRC portfolio and strengthen JDC Power Systems

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Madison River Capital (“MRC”), a lower middle market private equity firm, today announced the appointment of senior technology executive Robert (“Bob”) Barthelmes as an Operating Advisor. Barthelmes has also been appointed as a member of the Board of Directors of MRC portfolio company JDC Power Systems, a leading electrical systems integrator exclusively serving the data center market.

Barthelmes brings more than 30 years of experience across enterprise technology, digital transformation, and operations, with deep expertise in scaling performance and advancing AI-enabled capabilities. He will partner closely with MRC and its portfolio companies to strengthen governance frameworks, accelerate performance, drive technology transformation and artificial intelligence integration, and manage growth in complex operating environments.

“Bob is a trusted leader and strategist across the technology and private equity sectors and we are honored to welcome him to our expanding operating team,” said David Wittels, Managing Partner and President of Madison River Capital. “He brings the right mix of hands-on perspective, strategic rigor and thoughtful leadership and has a strong track record of technology transformation and operational excellence across global organizations. His expertise will be critical to our focus on long-term value creation across our portfolio, and will prove especially beneficial to JDC which is seeing strong growth and continuing to scale under our ownership.”

Barthelmes most recently served as Managing Director, Portfolio Operations – Enterprise Technology at Blackstone, where he advised investment teams and portfolio companies on technology modernization, AI, emerging technologies, and operational strategy. Prior to that, he served as a Senior Advisor to Blackstone, supporting the firm’s efforts to leverage technology investments across its portfolio. Earlier in his career, Barthelmes held global leadership roles including Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Open Source Division and Chief Information Officer at Finastra (formerly Misys Corporation), and Global Vice President of Business Consulting Services at IBM.

“I am excited to join the MRC operating team and serve on the Board of JDC at this exciting time for its platform,” said Barthelmes. “MRC’s hands-on model is built for companies like JDC, and JDC is building on an impressive track record in the data center market. I look forward to partnering with both teams to strengthen execution, support strategic growth and M&A priorities, leverage the potential of AI, and drive measurable value creation as we continue to innovate and invest for long-term success.”

Barthelmes holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a minor in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and has completed executive programs at Harvard Business School and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He has served as a board advisor to several Blackstone portfolio companies and served on the Executive Committee for the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, the Dean College Board of Trustees, the Hibernia College Board of Overseers, and the Beverly Education Foundation.

About Madison River Capital

Madison River Capital (MRC) is a lower middle market private equity firm that invests across a variety of industries, with a focus on healthcare services, industrials and business services. It partners with founders and management teams to enhance business growth and drive sustainable value creation. MRC was formed through the spin out of the corporate private equity investment team of Jefferson River Capital, the family office of Tony James. It is comprised of 14 investment professionals and operating executives with extensive experience and a decade-long history of collaboration. For more information, please visit www.mrivercapital.com.