John is a principal at Heritage Capital Group, Oaklins’ member firm in Jacksonville, Florida. He brings more than 35 years’ experience working in the metals industry.
John was born into the third generation of a family-owned metals company in Birmingham, Alabama. The Montgomery family owned and operated metal service centers and heavy industrial manufacturing equipment from the 1950s up until exiting the business in 2017. John played a key role in developing the exit strategy and, along with his father, led the sale of the family business to Nucor. John remained with Nucor for two years as an executive in the corporation. During his tenure, he was responsible for M&A growth and development of the newly formed Nucor Tubular Products Group platform.
After leaving Nucor, John re-engineered his career and formed Southland Advisors, which provides bespoke consulting services to founders and owners in the metals industry. In 2022, he joined the metals team at Heritage Capital, where he actively conducts his advisory practice.
John earned his BBA at Auburn University as well as M&A and management certifications from Columbia Business School, Washington University in Saint Louis, and the Exit Planning Institute. John currently holds series 79 and series 63 securities licenses and a U4 registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
John is passionate about spending quality time with his wife and six children. He is an active member in his church and serves as a board member and on service committees in Birmingham-area addiction recovery groups. In his free time, John enjoys playing golf and strength training.
