History

HKW was established in 1903 as a merchant bank for wealthy families. The company was founded by Paul Hammond, a gifted and well-connected Harvard graduate who brought his love for the seas as well as his financial expertise to HKW. Through the end of WWII, Hammond and his skillful team worked to establish HKW’s presence in the financial world.

In the '40s, '50s, and '60s, HKW saw continued growth and change. Robert J. Kennedy joined the firm in 1947, developing expertise in mergers and acquisitions and expanding the sell side of the business. In the 1960s, a transaction occurred that began to bring HKW the high-profile recognition it enjoys today. HKW arranged a merger between a young man from Texas who was looking for investment capital for his young company and a defunct NYSE shell company. The name of the company? Texas Instruments. This merger was highly acclaimed and represented the first time the partners of HKW participated in the ownership of a company as a minority shareholder.

In the 1970s, the addition of Ralph “Roy” Whitney to the team led to continued growth, as the partners made more direct investments through numerous mergers and acquisitions.

The next decade brought continued change as HKW shifted its course and ventured into the world of private equity. This shift led to the opening of two new offices in Indianapolis and Chicago. In 1993, Glenn Scolnik joined HKW and was named President and CEO in 1998.

Through the last decade, HKW has expanded by adding deal partners, operating partners and legal and finance partners. The firm has also expanded the amount of capital it deploys annually and has managed buy-outs in a variety of industries, including: automotive, medical devices, specialty vehicles, aerospace, defense, utility related infrastructure, energy, healthcare, niche manufacturing, among others. Since 2001, HKW has transitioned from solely individual to mainly institutional investors.

Over a century of success and expertise has kept HKW on course as it boldly sails into the future, partnering together with management to build world-class companies.