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Fort Dearborn Company
Fort Dearborn Company was founded in 1999 by the Monahan family, drawing on wealth generated through decades of industrial ownership in the Chicago area.
Fort Dearborn Company
Fort Dearborn Company was founded in 1999 by the Monahan family, drawing on wealth generated through decades of industrial ownership in the Chicago area. The firm operates as a multi-family office, managing capital for the Monahan family alongside select co-investor families. It maintains its headquarters in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The firm pursues a multi-asset strategy centered on control-oriented private equity, direct lending, and real estate. Fort Dearborn targets industrial and manufacturing businesses in the US Midwest, often acquiring companies outright or providing growth capital through structured debt. Its portfolio includes manufacturing, logistics, and specialty industrial firms, though specific holdings are not publicly listed. The firm also participates in real estate development and acquisition, primarily in the greater Chicago region. Fort Dearborn's team comprises investment professionals with backgrounds in private equity and industrial operations. The firm does not disclose total professionals or AUM. It maintains a philanthropic arm, the Monahan Family Foundation, which supports education and community development in Chicago. The firm does not have additional offices. A structural differentiator is Fort Dearborn's hybrid model: it functions as a direct-investment family office while also managing capital for a small number of unaffiliated families, giving it the scale of a multi-family office without the asset-raising imperative of an institutional fund. This allows the firm to hold assets for extended periods and avoid the constraints of a finite fund life.
General information
Firm type
Multi Family Office
Year founded
1999
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Elk Grove Village
Corporate office
Elk Grove Village, IL, United States
Principals
Thomas S. Monahan
CEO
Michael J. Monahan
President
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Fort Dearborn Company?
Thomas Monahan serves as CEO and oversees investment strategy for the firm. Michael Monahan is President and manages day-to-day operations and deal execution. Both are members of the founding Monahan family.
How does Fort Dearborn source proprietary deal flow?
The firm sources deals through its network of industrial operators, family office relationships, and direct outreach to middle-market business owners in the Midwest. It does not rely on investment banks or intermediaries for the majority of its transactions.
Is Fort Dearborn structured as a single family office or does it operate more like a private equity firm?
It is technically a multi-family office for the Monahan family and select co-investor families, but its investment behavior resembles that of a private equity firm. It takes controlling stakes in companies, holds them for multi-year periods, and uses leverage in its buyout transactions.
Does Fort Dearborn participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
The firm primarily makes direct investments and does not report significant commitments to external private equity funds. It may co-invest alongside other family offices on a deal-by-deal basis.
What investment stages does Fort Dearborn typically target?
Fort Dearborn targets established middle-market businesses, typically with enterprise values between $50 million and $500 million. It focuses on control buyouts and growth-equity investments in manufacturing and industrial companies.
Where does the underlying wealth of Fort Dearborn come from?
The firm's wealth originates from the Monahan family's multi-generational industrial holdings in the Chicago area, built through ownership of manufacturing and distribution businesses. The exact source and size of the family fortune are not publicly disclosed.
Does Fort Dearborn maintain philanthropic structures, and how are they separated?
Yes, the Monahan Family Foundation is structured separately from Fort Dearborn Company and focuses on education and community development in the Chicago region. The foundation is funded by the Monahan family and operates independently of the firm's investment activities.
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