Thomas Hicks

Thomas O. Hicks is founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Hicks Holdings LLC, a Dallas-based family office that owns and manages the Thomas and Cinda Hicks Family’s sports, real estate, corporate assets, and investments. Previously, Mr. Hicks cofounded, and was chairman from 1989 through 2004 of Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst, Inc. (HMTF), a nationally prominent private equity firm specializing in leveraged acquisitions. During Mr. Hicks’s tenure as chairman, HMTF was one of the world’s most active private investment firms. From 1984 to 1989, Mr. Hicks was cofounder and co-CEO of Hicks & Haas, a Dallas-based private equity firm. Hicks Holdings’ sports ownership assets include Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Texas Rangers Baseball Club, the Dallas Stars Hockey Club, of the National Hockey League, a 50 percent interest in the American Airlines Center, and a 50 percent interest in Liverpool Football Club, an English Premiership League team known as “Britain’s Most Successful Football Club.” Hicks Holdings is a partner with Hillwood Development Company in the Victory Park project; a codeveloper of Glorypark, a 75-acre urban town center /multi-use development; and Champions Park, a 40-acre office/retail development. Hicks Holdings is a venture partner in several hotel/residential projects currently under development. Through Hicks Trans American Partners, Hicks Holdings also selectively makes corporate and real estate investments in South America. Hicks Holdings’ majority-owned corporate holdings include DirecPath, Latrobe Specialty Steel, Ocular LCD, Inc., and Grupo Pilar. In addition, Hicks Holdings, along with Investcorp, is an investor in Greatwide Logistics Services. In 2007, Hicks Holdings also acquired a 40 percent stake in SafeMed Inc., an emerging leader in clinical decision support systems. Mr. Hicks serves as chairman of Hicks Acquisition Company 1, and the company has recently entered into an agreement and partnership to acquire Graham Packaging Holdings Company. Mr. Hicks purchased the Dallas Stars in February 1996 and is the team’s chairman and serves as vice chairman of National Hockey League (NHL). He also serves on the NHL Executive Committee and the NHL Audit and Finance Committee. The Stars have captured seven division titles under Mr. Hicks’s ownership. Mr. Hicks has recently finished his ninth season as chairman and owner of the Texas Rangers and serves as the team’s representative on the MLB Board of Governors. During his ownership, the club has captured two American League West Division titles. Mr. Hicks is on the board of directors of Major League Baseball Advanced Media, the Internet-based subsidiary of Major League Baseball, and also serves on the boards of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association, Crow Family Holdings, as well as CSIS, the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Foundation, and the University of Texas Chancellor’s Council. A former member of the University of Texas System Board of Regents, Mr. Hicks served as chairman of the University of Texas Investment Management Company (UTIMCO). Mr. Hicks graduated with an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California in 1970 and a B.B.A. from the University of Texas in 1968. He is also a recent recipient of the University of Texas Distinguished Alumnus Award and annually serves as a distinguished guest lecturer at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. With strong ties to the community, Mr. Hicks has provided continuing support to numerous local organizations and has also held various charity board memberships. Mr. Hicks was the 1996 cochair of the Dallas Jewish Coalition for the Homeless "Vogel Alcove" project and was honored as the recipient of the 2000 Henry Cohn Humanitarian Award for the Anti-Defamation League. He is also a past recipient of the Father of the Year Award.