The McFarland Group Names John Bruckner Managing Partner

The Omaha advisory firm's M&A practice leader takes on firmwide leadership. Founder Byron McFarland continues as Founding Principal and remains involved in client work.

OMAHA, Nebraska, September 11, 2026. The McFarland Group has named John Bruckner managing partner. Bruckner has led the firm's mergers and acquisitions advisory practice for the past four years and has been in partnership with Byron McFarland for over a decade. He will now hold responsibility for the firm's operations and direction alongside that work.

Bruckner advises owners of closely held businesses through the process of a sale, with a focus on readiness and positioning well before a transaction begins. He brings legal training and transactional experience to the structural questions that decide what an owner keeps: valuation, deal terms, and the shape of the agreement itself. His practice sits in the lower middle market, where owners are often selling the only business they will ever sell.

Byron McFarland, who founded the firm, said the appointment formalizes how the group already operates.

"John has been carrying this weight for some time, and the title reflects the work rather than announces a change in it," said Byron McFarland, Founding Principal of The McFarland Group. "My job has always been to help owners slow the moment down and think clearly. That continues, with a partner steering the firm who holds the same standard."

Bruckner said his focus is on holding the firm's approach steady as it grows.

"Most owners sell a business once. The decisions they make in that window shape everything that follows, and they deserve advisors who are not in a hurry," said John Bruckner, Managing Partner of The McFarland Group. "The work that matters happens long before a closing. That is what this firm was built to do, and it is what I intend to protect. I am honored to build on the foundation Byron created and to help guide the firm into its next chapter. I have great respect for what he built and am committed to carrying that legacy forward together."

The McFarland Group works with closely held business owners across three tracks: M&A advisory for sales to outside buyers, management buyouts for owners transferring the company to their team, and performance equity plans that build value a buyer will pay for. The firm's client work stays senior-led, and the appointment does not change who owners work with day to day.

About The McFarland Group

The McFarland Group is an advisory firm based in Omaha, Nebraska, founded by Byron McFarland. The firm has guided over $3 billion in business value through more than 200 ownership transitions over two decades. It works with owners of closely held businesses on M&A advisory, selling a business to management, and performance equity compensation for key leaders. The firm's guiding idea is simple: Go Boldly. Learn more at themcfarlandgroup.com.

Media contact: Alex McFarland, admin@themcfarlandgroup.com, (402) 891-2300, 4601 Catalyst Court, Suite 3055, Omaha, NE 68106