Star Mountain Capital, LLC, a specialized alternative asset manager focused exclusively on the large and underserved U.S. lower middle-market (generally companies with between $10 million and $150 million in annual revenues), is pleased to announce that Thomas L. Jones has joined as a strategic personal investor and Senior Advisor to help add value in both growing and protecting Star Mountain’s portfolio companies leveraging his 30+ years of lending, advisory, and restructuring experience.
Mr. Jones is currently a Managing Director at Alvarez & Marsal (A&M), a leading restructuring and due diligence advisory firm. Highlights of his career at A&M include leading the liquidation of Lehman Brothers’ $14.5 billion portfolio in Asia. Prior to A&M, his distinguished career at JP Morgan includes Head of Corporate Lending in the U.S., a member of the Credit Policy Committee and Head of four industry groups within Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A).
Mr. Jones has had a distinguished 30-year career in investment banking. He spent 20 years at JP Morgan, where he initially specialized in leveraged lending. Mr. Jones completed the firm’s first leveraged buyout (LBO) loan and private equity investment, a financing which led to the creation of JP Morgan Capital. He later became head of Corporate Lending in the U.S. and a member of the firm’s Credit Policy Committee. Mr. Jones then joined the M&A Department and became head of four industry groups – telecom, media, high-tech, and aerospace/defense, with responsibility for both investment banking and M&A. He later worked at both Salomon Brothers and Credit Suisse First Boston, where he had senior investment banking coverage responsibility for both large cap and emerging telecom companies.
Mr. Jones graduated with high honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). He started his career at Procter & Gamble and then returned to UNC to earn an M.B.A. from the Kenan-Flagler School of Business, where he later served on the Board of Visitors for 15 years. Mr. Jones completed the Corporate Finance Management course at Harvard Business School in 1986 and later was a guest lecturer at both Harvard’s Advanced Management Program (AMP) and the Kenan-Flagler School of Business. Mr. Jones earned a master’s degree in American Studies from Columbia University and is an instrument-rated pilot.
Mr. Jones has served on the Board of Visitors of UNC, the boards of both Outward Bound U.S.A. and New York City Outward Bound, and the board of the Gladney Center, the nation’s oldest adoption agency. Mr. Jones currently serves on the board of Camplex, Inc., a private medical equipment company, and is a member of the board of The National Humanities Center.
“Tom provides valuable industry knowledge and restructuring expertise that will further help Star Mountain’s underwriting analysis and strategic, value-added operating capabilities as an aligned advisor”, said Brett Hickey, Founder & CEO of Star Mountain. “Our team is pleased to have a second senior professional from A&M join our advisory board alongside our longstanding partner and friend, David Javdan who was formerly on the investment committee of the U.S. Government SBIC program and General Counsel of the SBA.”
“I am looking forward to creating value for Star Mountain, its investors and portfolio companies by leveraging my industry experience, relationships and workout experience to help businesses both maximize and protect value”, said Tom Jones. “Having many common relationships with the Star Mountain team and seeing their vision come through to fruition in building a differentiated platform to source, analyze and add strategic value to U.S. small and medium-sized businesses, I am excited to help Star Mountain create economic value for shareholders and the U.S. economy.”
ABOUT STAR MOUNTAIN
Investing in the Growth Engine of America ® – Star Mountain Capital is a specialized lower middle-market asset management firm. It has a differentiated business model and “Collaborative Ecosystem” including its three channel approach to investing into small and medium-sized businesses via Direct Investments, Strategic Primary Fund Investments and Secondary Fund Investments.
Star Mountain Charitable Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) focusing its charitable activities on improving lives via a focus on Health & Wellness (including Cancer Research) and Economic Development, including Job Creation and on-the-job learning through Internships.
