Partners
John Hereford
Hereford’s background includes over 22 years of operating and transactional experience within the software and energy technologies sectors, both as an owner/operator and investment banker.
From 2003-2005, he was a principal at Q Advisors, a middle market technology investment banking firm, where he focused on the IT Services and outsource technologies industries. From 2000-2003, Hereford was executive director of the Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund, where he managed the largest land conservation funding source in the country, overseeing over $200 million in land conservation and real estate transactions.
Prior to joining GOCO, he co-founded StartSmart, Inc, a Denver-based ASP software provider centered around the deregulating utility markets. Hereford was an appointee in the first Bush Administration, where he led project finance efforts for the Overseas Private Investment Corporation in the Middle East and North Africa.
Hereford is a graduate of Amherst College (magna cum laude) and hold degrees from Cambridge University (Masters International Relations) and Harvard Business School (MBA). He has been active in a number of civic and non-profit boards and commissions over the past 12 years. In addition to serving in a leadership position on the Board of The Nature Conservancy of Colorado, Hereford serves on the Denver Greenprint Council and the Denver Public Schools A+ Commission.
Michael McCabe
McCabe’s background includes over 20 years in the utility, telecommunications and software industries with special focus on operations, technology and finance.
Prior to joining Oak Leaf Energy Partners, McCabe was President of CatLeo, Inc., a consulting firm focused on providing M&A and strategic advisory services to pre-venture capital backed companies in North America. McCabe was also President of Broadband Solutions, a facilities-based provider of voice, video and data services to consumers in Colorado, leading a competitive sales process resulting in a sale to Usurf Communications in 2004 (now Comcast).
From 1998-2002, McCabe was co-founder and CEO of StartSmart, an ASP software company focused on regulated and unregulated subsidiaries of the nation’s largest electric and gas utilities.
During this time, McCabe oversaw the sales group responsible for acquiring as partners over 100 of the nation’s largest utilities. In the years prior to StartSmart, McCabe worked for a subsidiary of TCI (now Comcast) responsible for introducing the country’s first triple play service including voice, high-speed data and digital video services over the cable TV infrastructure. This entity was also responsible for creating and managing our 30% ownership in SprintPCS. McCabe holds a B.A. in Economics from Pomona College.