Malon Wilkus
"Mr. Malon Wilkus is the Founder at American Capital, Ltd., and has served as its Chief Executive Officer and Chairman since 1986 and 1998 respectively. Mr. Wilkus founded the firm in 1986. He had earlier had two stints as the President at the firm, first from 1986 till 1999 and then again from 2001 to 2008. Mr. Wilkus also serves as the Chief Executive Officer and President at American Capital CLO Management, LLC. He has been serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of American Capital Agency Corp. since January 2008 and previously served as its President from January 2008 to April 25, 2011 at the firm. Mr. Wilkus serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of American Capital Mortgage Investment Corp. He is the Chief Executive Officer at Capital.com, Inc. Mr. Wilkus serves as the Chief Executive Officer at American Capital MTGE Management, LLC. He serves as the Non-Executive Chairman of European Capital Ltd. since 2005 and also serves as its Director. Previously, Mr. Wilkus served as the Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of American Capital Strategies Ltd. from 1997 to 1998. Prior to founding American Capital, he served as a Vice President and the Director of Marketing at Calvert Securities Corporation from 1982 until 1986. In this role, Mr. Wilkus was responsible for distribution and development of eleven different mutual funds. In 1986, he served as the President at Working Assets. Mr. Wilkus previously served as the Chairman of the National Center for Employee Ownership. He has served on the Boards of over a dozen middle market companies in a variety of industries. Mr. Wilkus was a Member of the Board of Governors of the ESOP Association. He is a recognized leader in implementing and financing management and employee buyouts of subsidiaries, divisions and product lines of major corporations. Mr. Wilkus has been a frequent speaker and has published a number of articles on the subject." [1]
"Malon Wilkus now manages a $21 billion private-equity firm but he got his start at East Wind, an income sharing commune in southern Missouri.
- Returning to the United States and college in 1974, he joined the East Wind commune in Missouri.
- "I think my parents were distressed by that," Mr. Wilkus said ruefully. He spent the next nine years at the commune, where he made hammocks, sandals and nut butters that were sold to food co-ops and Pier 1 Inc. of Fort Worth, Texas.
- "I learned most of what I know about business today from that experience," Mr. Wilkus said, explaining that he grew to understand the motivation of customers and investors.
- In 1983, he left the commune for a job in marketing at the Calvert Group, an asset management firm in Bethesda, where he learned how to gather assets.
- Three years later, Mr. Wilkus launched American Capital from the living room of his two-bedroom condo, which he shared with his wife, Susan, and their three children. He got a $75,000 loan from people he had known from his commune days and maxed out his credit cards for an additional $75,000.
- Initially, American Capital focused on helping workers at small- and medium-sized companies acquire their employers by using employee stock ownership plans.
- In 1997, he took American Capital public as a business development company, offering debt financing or taking equity stakes in buyout situations. Today the company boasts 700 employees with offices in 13 cities around the world.
- "We built a private-equity firm that the average American can invest in," Mr. Wilkus said. "We've democratized private equity."" [2] article
- Founding Council, New World Alliance
Resources and articles
Related Sourcewatch
References
- ↑ businessweek Malon Wilkus, organizational web page, accessed December 5, 2014.
- ↑ communitybuzz Financier Got His Start on a Commune, organizational web page, accessed May 4, 2012.
