Description In the world of private equity, Thompson Street is located in a small town, not a big city. The firm invests in lower-middle market companies in the manufacturing, distribution, consumer products, and health care services industries, preferably companies located in Middle America. Thompson Street Capital Partners doesn't work with real estate or start-up companies, and businesses must take in between $20 million and $200 million. It partners with management in leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, corporate divestitures, and public companies going private. Thompson Street Capital Partners was founded in 2001 by James Cooper and Peter Finley, two former executives at St. Louis-based Harbour Group.