Tom Hillman Acquires 100% Interest in FTL Capital

Tom Hillman, longtime St. Louis businessman, investor, and philanthropist, recently announced that he had completed the acquisition of his partner Paul Melnuk’s interest in FTL Capital.

Hillman and Melnuk co-founded Clayton based FTL Capital in 2001.  Since then they have invested in and helped grow over a dozen businesses across a broad range of industries.  A selection of FTL’s current portfolio investments include:  Automation Services, an Earth City based distributor and remanufacturer of process control equipment, FTL Finance, a St. Charles based consumer specialty finance firm, IronRock Investments, a Clayton based syndicator of tax credits, and Valley Minerals, the Bonne Terre based manufacturer of packaged lime products for the steel industry.

On announcing the buyout of his partner, Hillman noted that “Our partnership has been built on a foundation of mutual respect for our complementary skills.  We have been able to grow businesses and create jobs for Missourians by applying just the right combination of our distinctive strengths and financial backing”.  Cited was the 2013 acquisition of Automation Services as an example of how they applied this combination to rescue a previously underperforming Missouri company, growing its workforce and funding its reach into global markets.

Hillman expressed optimism that the current portfolio of FTL companies offers considerable opportunity for growth in Missouri and beyond.  “As the economy continues its steady recovery, we are bullish about the growth potential of our current portfolio.  We have strong leadership in place to help take these businesses to the next level.”