Edessa Growth Partners acquires Midwest armored services provider Thillens

After an international career in investment banking and consulting, Kurdish-Armenian-born Resit Melik launched Edessa Growth Partners in New York in 2024. He secured capital from world-class investors including TTCER Partners, Futaleufu Partners, Alza Capital Partners, Ambit Partners, Blue Frame Capital, Liberty Search Ventures, Housatonic Partners, Milk Street Ventures, The Cromwell Harbor Partnership, Kirk Riedinger, Eric Giesecke, Sidney Sommer, and Rob Cherun. After screening thousands of opportunities and evaluating hundreds, he acquired Thillens, a service provider founded nearly 100 years ago.

Established in 1932 in Chicago, Thillens is the largest independent armored vehicle service provider in the Midwest, operating from seven branches and serving 300 clients across Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Indiana, and Iowa. Its portfolio of services includes branch cash delivery and pickup, ATM and ITM cash replenishment and deposit processing, Bitcoin ATMs, video gaming terminals, offsite commercial customer cash delivery and deposit pickup, and courier services. The company employs approximately 115 professionals and generates $36.2M in annual revenue.

Resit commented that he spent countless hours studying the armored services industry, and the more he learned about Thillens, the stronger his conviction became: “It’s the right company, in the right industry, at the right time.”