Part Warren Buffett and part Dolly Parton, the 49-year-old native of the Bronx borough of New York owns or has an equity stake in companies that are as eclectic as her wardrobe — and include brand names such as Arizona Ice Tea, English Leather cologne and Isotoner gloves. Through her private-equity firm Patriarch Partners she also owns companies with some of the world's most iconic names, including mapmaker Rand McNally, firetruck manufacturer American LaFrance and Italian factory-machine maker Ansaldo Sistemi Industriali. In 2005, Tilton acquired Mesa, Ariz.-based MD Helicopters, a company founded by Howard Hughes. Although diverse, the companies had...