CAREER & EXPERTISE

A Career Built Across Capital Markets, Private Equity, and Restructuring

John Deal's path into capital markets wasn't linear, and that's largely the point — the range is what makes his perspective useful to clients navigating complex financing decisions today.

Early Foundation

John started his career as a financial analyst at Jones Lang LaSalle, building the core skills — investment evaluation, market research, risk assessment — that still shape how he approaches a deal thesis today. From there, he spent five years at Kerr Engineered Sales Company building commercial relationships across industrial and energy sectors in the Greater Pittsburgh region, gaining firsthand exposure to the capital-intensive businesses he'd later advise as an investor.

Building & Leading

John later served as CEO of WayStride, an early-stage Pittsburgh company, guiding it through its early growth phase. He then founded Pactum Holdings, LLC, an independent sponsorship platform focused on acquiring and managing infrastructure, construction, and technical services companies across mining, oil and gas, heavy industrial, and government contracting sectors. Running an independent sponsor platform for five years — sourcing deals, structuring transactions, and managing investor relationships largely without a large firm's infrastructure behind him — sharpened instincts that carry directly into his work today.

Managing Director, Capital Markets

John joined The Post Oak Group in 2026 as Managing Director, working out of the firm's Houston headquarters. In this role, he partners directly with founders, shareholders, and investors to build capital solutions aligned with each company's growth trajectory — drawing on his private equity, commodities, and restructuring background to look at every engagement from more than one angle.

About The Post Oak Group

The Post Oak Group is a Houston-based, middle-market investment bank built around an integrated platform — supporting clients from early-stage capital raises through strategic sales and public-market exits, with M&A advisory and capital markets capabilities operating under one roof rather than as fragmented services. That continuity is a deliberate structural choice, designed to keep strategic alignment intact from a company's first raise to its eventual exit. Securities offered through a registered broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC.