Biography

Thomas O. Hicks, the pioneer of the “buy and build” strategy of investing, has a decades-long record of success in private equity.

As Co-Founder and Chairman of Hicks Muse, Tate & Furst, he helped create one of the world’s prominent private equity firms in 1989, raising more than $12 billion across six funds, completing more than $50 billion of leverage acquisitions.

From 1984 to 1989, Mr. Hicks was Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Hicks & Haas, a Dallas-based private equity firm. The successful acquisitions of HMTF and Hicks & Haas included AMFM Inc., A&W Brands, Inc., Berg Electronics, Inc., Dr Pepper/Seven Up Companies, International Home Foods, Life Partners Group, Pinnacle Foods, Sybron International, and Yell Group plc, among others.

From 1995 to 2011, Mr. Hicks was the Owner and Chairman of the Dallas Stars, a National Hockey League club. He was also instrumental in the development and building of the American Airlines Center (“AAC”) in Dallas, TX which opened in July 2001.

Thomas O. Hicks was also the Owner and Chairman of the Board of the Texas Rangers, a Major League baseball club and of the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington from June 1998 to August 2010.

Through Hicks Equity Partners LLC, a registered investment adviser and the private equity arm of the Thomas O. Hicks family office, Mr. Hicks leads a seasoned team of private equity professionals who specialize in small and middle market proprietary transactions ($25 million to $300 million in enterprise value) in specialty manufacturing, energy, food and beverage, media, and special situations.

Mr. Hicks has been enshrined in the Texas Business Hall of Fame.

Mr. Hicks earned an MBA from the University of Southern California; and a BBA from the University of Texas, Austin.