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Biography: Robert J. Finlay

Robert J. Finlay, is a businessman dedicated to nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit of this country, and giving back to the community through various volunteer and charitable organizations. His expertise and business acumen derive from his ability to identify specific opportunities, address those needs by launching profitable companies, and giving back to the community through various charitable endeavors. Finlay is the Managing Partner of Hillcrest Capital Partners LLC.

Hillcrest Capital Partners LLC is a private investment company that offers the highest level of business experience paired with an entrepreneurial spirit. It seeks investments in companies at all levels of maturity that demonstrate the potential for substantial growth in the future. The business model is such that the Firm uses its own capital to fund these investments.

Recently, due to its strategic role in the technology sector, the Firm developed a specialized division, Hillcrest Ventures, to cater specifically to the needs of emerging companies in this arena.

In addition, Hillcrest is currently creating yet another investment arm, R.J. Finlay & Co, which will pool investors’ money with its own capital for investment in carefully selected alternative asset funds. Those funds not only comply rigorously with the strict standards set by the firm for its portfolio, but must also provide unequaled transparency and full disclosure in a sector – hedge and private equity funds – that has been historically secretive.

Prior to starting Hillcrest Capital Partners LLC, Mr. Finlay founded the Commercial Defeasance Company in 2000 after he recognized a marketplace need for borrowers and loan service firms to execute the mandatory loan defeasance process. Within five years, the volume of that niche company grew from $6 million to $15 billion. In February of last year he sold a majority interest in the fast-growing firm to Summit Partners, and remains on its Board of Directors.

Mr. Finlay’s innovative business activity was preceded by some 15 years of increasingly responsible positions with major Wall Street investment firms, including Credit Suisse First Boston, Lehman Brothers, and Deutsche Bank, specializing in capital markets and commercial real estate.

When Rob Finlay is not serving investment clients, he has earned equal distinction as a professional race car driver at the Grand American Rolex Series driving Daytona Prototypes for Chip Ganassi Racing

Aside from his prominent roles within the business and racing communities, Mr. Finlay is also a concerned citizen looking to use his success to make a difference in his hometown and abroad. One of his passions is working on behalf of needy and seriously ill children – most notably, for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Through his racing activities, he has hosted Make-a-Wish children across North America while promoting public awareness of the organization.

Another organization he is committed to is Concord, New Hampshire-based Friends of Forgotten Children, for which he personally funded the new facility it now calls home. He also created a volunteer Board of Directors and professional management team for the organization, which feeds and clothes disadvantaged families throughout the state. In recognition of those efforts, Rob Finlay received the “Champion for Children with Disabilities” award from the Allegro Foundation in 2005.

Mr. Finlay also recognizes the outstanding work of New Hampshire’s dedicated civil servants, and has committed to purchasing an emergency rescue boat for the Peterborough Fire and Rescue Association.

Education is yet another area where Finlay devotes his time to further the common good. He serves on the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, Southern New Hampshire University, and is also a Board Member of the New Hampshire Higher Education Assistance Foundation, a non-profit organization with a mission to make secondary education in that state affordable to every young person.

Mr. Finlay and his wife, Karin, have four children and reside in New Hampshire. His wife runs the Rob & Karin Finlay Foundation.

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