History 

In 1987, Chicago native Jeff Hecktman founded Hilco after successfully advising a family business in transition.

Soon after Hilco started, the company began handling industrial, retail and wholesale disposition deals and completing joint ventures, often partnering with other liquidation companies having different core competencies.

Throughout the nineties and into the next decade, Hilco and Jeff Hecktman added new business lines, each led by an experienced executive or executives with proven expertise and core values that fit perfectly into the Hilco corporate culture.  The formula was applied successfully in each case: let the executives run their own business and share in the ownership to ensure a financially-aligned leadership team.

Today, more than two dozen executives lead the holding company and its 20-plus business units. They have amassed an impressive record of achievements.  Among them: Hilco has conducted more than 1,250 industrial auctions and sales, converted more than $150 billion of retail inventory to cash through nearly 10,000 store closings, delivered nearly 30,000 inventory, machinery-and-equipment, real estate, accounts receivable, intellectual property and enterprise valuations with exceeding $150 billion in aggregate value. Hilco has also acquired $1 billion of wholesale consumer inventory, restructured more than 25,000 leases, and acquired or sold hundreds of millions of square feet of retail, commercial, industrial and residential real estate. 

Hilco has also invested in more than 20 companies, and acquired and revitalized a dozen iconic brand names, often acquiring these assets provide their former owners with much-needed liquidity.  Acquisitions are usually followed by a disposition process, but some assets are held in portfolio by Hilco as strategic, longer-term investments.

Since early in the 2000s, Hilco has expanded geographically.  The company now maintains offices and conducts business on five continents and does business on a regular basis in more than 40 countries. As for growth plans, Jeff Hecktman envisions that Hilco will likely grow both organically and through acquisitions or joint venture partnerships.

“We will continue to grow quickly, but methodically,” he says.   “We will be certain the culture is right and that we remain true to our principles, including maintaining strong financial fundamentals.  The real secret to our success is being a company with integrity, aligned interests and a passion for success.”

Colleagues, competitors, and clients alike admire Hilco Global for being highly collaborative and creative problem-solvers. Furthermore, Hilco Global will support its recommendations with risk capital, where appropriate, signifying both its commitment to its partners and customers as well as its confidence in its valuations.

The secret to Hilco Global’s success: a company with integrity, aligned interests, and a passion for success.