eOriginal

eOriginal was initially formed in 1997 to address the developing market for transaction based electronic commerce, principally in the mortgage and financial services markets. The company was a pioneer in electronic signature and post-sign trusted vaulting processes and actively participated in the early enabling of federal and states model legislation.

Many firsts, in this area of ecommerce, are attributable to the company over its history: first fully paperless international trade transactions (Rabobank), first fully paperless leases (General Electric), first fully paperless mortgages (Fannie Mae), first securitization of digital financial instruments (Nissan Motor Credit), first commercial eVault software system, first eContracts collateral and control system for banks (Wells Fargo).

The company, in which a Concorde private equity partnership was the majority and controlling shareholder, was reconstituted and recapped after the dot.com bust and since that restarted under a holding company, Paperless Transaction Management Corporation. The company staked out a leadership position in the paperless business processes world of digital transaction management (DTM). With partners like Adobe, DocuSign, Black Knight, Elle Mae, FIS and customers such as Tesla, Harley Davidson, FedEx, Dealer Track, and Bank of America, the company experienced a rapid growth rate beginning in 2011 and enjoyed prominent recognition as the thought leader and gold-standard for the provision of vaulting and DTM capabilities in the market. A member of Concorde’s private equity portfolio management served as Executive Chairman. 

The Company was sold on the heels of the pandemic in December 2020 to Wolters Kluwer, a Netherlands based public Company and customer of eOriginal, which provides documentation and compliance services to the financial services industry globally.  The consideration paid was at a premium valuation of 7.8x 2020 GAAP revenue.

Cheap Caribbean

Cheap Caribbean is an on-line web based travel company which specialized in the Caribbean and Mexico resorts.  It was acquired by COMM Group, formed in 2007, from its founder. Concorde was a founding partner in COMM group and the largest investor. Using innovative web-based marketing programs, search engine optimization and bundling of transportation, hotel and tour options into lowest cost, all inclusive travel packages, the company successfully competed with major on-line travel companies like Travelocity, Priceline and Expedia. In 2013 the company was sold to Bain Capital in a roll-up of several travel and hotel management related businesses through Apple Leisure Group (ALG), which includes American Express Travel Impression division, and continues to be focused on the region. Concorde negotiated for and retained a position in the new company as part of the sale transaction. A member of Concorde’s private equity portfolio management served as Lead Director and chairman on the compensation committee prior to the sale to Bain. 

Zoo Piks

Zoo Piks was the world’s second largest manufacturer of custom swizzle sticks. With major customers like American and Southwest Airlines and most of the leading spirts industry companies and distributors, the company designed, manufactured and distributed products globally and grew over 700% while under Concorde's control.  The company, in which a Concorde private equity partnership was the majority shareholder, was sold to Spirit Corporation in 1998, the largest player in the market and Zoo Piks primary competitor. A member of Concorde’s private equity portfolio management served as nonexecutive Chairman.

ERIE Crate and Piper Plastics

ERIE Crate and Piper Plastics was the consolidation of two major players in the milk and storage crate business. Starting with the acquisition of Erie Crate, the company then consolidated a major portion of the industry with the acquisition of Piper Plastics. The combined entity, in which a Concorde private equity partnership was the majority shareholder, controlled 60% market share in the US and had 12 manufacturing facilities in as many states. Concorde exited the investment when the company was sold to the original owner-shareholder of Piper Plastics.  A member of Concorde’s private equity portfolio management served as nonexecutive Chairman. 

EKCO Products

EKCO Products was a design and manufacturing company focused on large molded plastic houseware products for the consumer market and distributed through major retail channels. Through the same holding company that owned Zoo Piks and Erie/Piper Crate, ECKO was acquired to leverage the molded plastics manufacturing platform operated by Erie/Piper. The primary customers included Target, Walmart and K Mart. Whereas Erie/Piper was in a Business to Business type environment, the ECKO products were in the Business to Consumer sector direct through the retailing channels. A member of Concorde’s private equity portfolio management served as nonexecutive Chairman.

Search Energy Corporation 

Search Energy Corporation was a conventional natural gas and oil exploration company operating primarily in Texas and Oklahoma.  The company successfully grew reserves through both exploration activities and reserves purchases. Search merged with a Harken Energy, a publicly traded oil and natural gas exploration and production company based in Dallas, Texas. A member of Concorde’s private equity portfolio management served as a director of both Search and Harken. 

Genosys Biotechnologies

Genosys Biotechnologies grew to the one of the world’s two largest manufacturers of synthetic DNA and Peptides in the 1990’s using a technology developed at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and acquired in a technology transfer from Baylor. The company established manufacturing facilities in Hokkaido, Japan and Cambridge, England along with their base of Operations in the Woodlands, TX.  The Company, in which a Concorde private equity partnership was the largest shareholder, had a major impact on the biotech industry by offering the first ever low-cost, high-volume, high-quality source of synthetic customized DNA and peptides used in advanced biotechnology research. The company was sold to Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, a major Life Science Technologies and Specialty Chemicals company, in late 1998. A member of Concorde’s private equity portfolio management served as member of the board and Lead Director. 

American Plasma Company (APC)

American Plasma Company (APC), acquired in 1991, was a medical blood products company which owned and operated of 12 plasma pheresis collection centers and sold processed plasma products to major pharmaceutical distribution companies. The company, in which a Concorde private equity partnership held a 100% controlling interest, was sold to a large strategic competitor in the same industry in 1998 as part of an industry consolidation. A member of Concorde’s private equity portfolio management served as nonexecutive Chairman. 

Positron Corporation (Positron)

Positron designed, manufactured and sold positron emission tomography medical technology (PET) and the initial investment in the company was made in 1986. The company, in which three Concorde private equity partnerships held minority interests, owned a significant intellectual property portfolio specialized in PET cameras for application in cardiology. During the holding period of the investment, there were three makers of PET technology: Positron, General Electric and Siemens. The company was publicly listed but merged control into another medical imaging company that was subsequently acquired by General Electric. A member of Concorde’s private equity portfolio management served as Executive Chairman and interim CEO. 

Urotech Limited (UTL)

UTL was formed in 1984 to fund and sponsor the FDA clinical trials, research and start-up commercialization of a breakthrough new medical technology. The company, in which a Concorde private equity partnership held a 100% controlling interest, revolutionized the urology medical specialty by introducing a therapy that largely replaced the surgical process, was the owner/operator of the first 13 extracorporeal lithotripsy treatment centers in the US and pioneered the physician-partner business model for innovative therapeutic medical technology commercialization. The company sold exclusive marketing rights for the US and western hemisphere to Dornier in 1985 and sold each respective treatment centers to the 13 JV hospital and physician group partners over the period 1986-1994. A member of Concorde’s private equity portfolio management served as Executive Chairman.

Information Planning Corporation (IPC)

IPC was a software development company formed in 1982 that designed and sold analytical products for use by private and intuitional investment financial planning consultants for constructing and managing investment portfolios. The company, in which Concorde private equity held a controlling interest, sold the software source-code to Connecticut General Insurance Company in 1984. A member of Concorde’s private equity portfolio management served as Executive Chairman.