HISTORICAL HOLDINGS
Past Investments Supporting Enduring Success
Review private companies from previous holdings. This collection shows investments across industries that contributed to the portfolio's development.
FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY
eOriginal
eOriginal, founded in the late 1990s in Baltimore, Maryland, developed digital transaction management solutions for mortgage and financial services, including electronic signatures and secure vaulting. The Company was a pioneer and forerunner to applied blockchain and was the backbone for digital signature providers (e.g. Docusign) and financial enterprises in providing management of digital objects that have immutable requirements that continue after creation like mortgage or debt instruments. It partnered with companies in areas like leasing, mortgages, and securitization, and contributed to legislation for electronic commerce. After restructuring, it grew through partnerships and served clients in various sectors. In December 2020, it was acquired by Wolters Kluwer.
TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY
CheapCaribbean.com
CheapCaribbean, founded in 2000, is an online travel agency offering all-inclusive vacation packages to resorts in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America. It used digital marketing, search optimization, and bundled services to provide competitive packages. In 2013, it was sold to Apple Leisure Group, with an equity position retained in the combined entity. It now operates under Hyatt Hotels Corporation following the 2021 acquisition of Apple Leisure Group.
CONSUMER PRODUCTS
Zoo Piks
Zoo Piks was the number 2 manufacturer in the US of custom swizzle sticks, producing novelty and branded cocktail stirrers with animal designs and logos. It served clients in airlines and spirits industries, distributing products globally. Under ownership by a Concorde Special Purpose Investment Partnership which owned other injection plastics manufacturing vertical market companies, it was sold to Spirit Corporation in 1998.
CONSUMER PRODUCTS
EKCO Products
EKCO Products (later EKCO Brands) designed and manufactured injection-molded plastic housewares for consumer markets, distributed through retail channels. It expanded using an existing manufacturing platform related to the Erie Crate & Piper Plastics company and served retailers in the household items sector, focusing on business-to-consumer products.
ERIE CRATE &
PIPER PLASTICS
MANUFACTURING
Erie Crate & Piper Plastics
Erie Crate & Piper Plastics involved a consolidation of manufacturers in the dairy and storage crate industry, starting with Erie Crate & Manufacturing Co. and adding Piper Industries Inc. The combined entity operated multiple facilities and produced injection-molded crates, beverage cases, and thermoformed containers, reaching substantial market share. The investment was exited by selling back to an original owner-shareholder.
SEARCH EXPLORATION, INC.
ENERGY
Search Exploration, Inc.
Search Exploration, Inc. was an oil and natural gas exploration and production company operating in Texas and Oklahoma. It grew reserves through drilling and acquisitions. In 1994–1995, it merged into a subsidiary of publicly traded Harken Energy Corporation.
AMERICAN PLASMA COMPANY
HEALTHCARE
American Plasma Company (APC)
American Plasma Company (APC), acquired in 1991, operated plasmapheresis collection centers across the United States, processing source plasma for pharmaceutical companies. It supplied blood products during industry growth and was successfully sold to a competitor in 1998 amid industry consolidation.
GENOSYS BIOTECHNOLOGIES
BIOTECHNOLOGY
Genosys Biotechnologies
Genosys Biotechnologies, founded in 1987 in The Woodlands, Texas, manufactured custom synthetic DNA (oligonucleotides) and peptides using proprietary technology. The technology basis was a tech transfer from the prestigious Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, which retained an economic interest. It operated facilities globally, with manufacturing facilities in Houston, Cambridge, England and Hokkaido, Japan serving the US, European and Asina markets and supported biotechnology research. At the exit from the investment, Genosys was the global leader in synthetic DNA manufacturing for the biotechnology research industry. In December 1998, it was acquired by Sigma-Aldrich Corporation.
POSITRON CORPORATION
MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY
Positron Corporation
Positron Corporation, founded in the early 1980s, designed, manufactured, and sold positron emission tomography (PET) scanners, focusing on cardiac applications. It held intellectual property in PET technology and was among major manufacturers, along with GE and Siemens. In the early 1990s the company had reached a deal to acquire the GE division, which was only selling few scanners a year, and to “white label” scanners for GEMS. Positron later merged into another medical imaging company, which was acquired by General Electric.
URO-TECH LIMITED
MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY
Uro-Tech Limited (UTL)
Uro-Tech Limited (UTL), a special purpose investment partnership, formed in 1984, sponsored the FDA approval clinical trials and sponsored commercialization of the groundbreaking Dornier extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) for non-surgical kidney stone treatment. Dorner invented the technology in Germany. The partnership had exclusive rights to Lithotripsy in the western hemisphere and, after FDA approval, operated the first 13 operating sites in the US in partnership with physicians and major medical institutions in New York, Houston, Miami, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Dallas and other locations in areas with high incidence of kidney stones. These centers were typically located in outpatient settings, providing convenient access to lithotripsy treatment for patients suffering from kidney stones. The introduction of ESWL technology completely changed the medical specialty of Urology. In 1985, Uro-Tech sold marketing rights back to Dornier MedTech and from 1986 to 1994 divested ownership in its very successful network of operating sites to its respective physician and institutional partners.
INFORMATION PLANNING CORPORATION
ENERGY
Information Planning Corporation (IPC)
Information Planning Corporation (IPC), formed in 1982, developed software tools for investment financial planning consultants to manage client portfolios. In 1984, it sold its software source code to Connecticut General Insurance Company (a predecessor to Cigna).
DIVERSIFIED CAPITAL OPPORTUNITIES
Investment Partnerships
In the 1980s, Concorde created several investment funds with broad discretion for investment themes. The structure was conceived to allow Concorde investors with limited capital capabilities for private capital opportunities to pool funds and in aggregate be able to participate in institutional opportunities. In aggregate, the funds invested in 20 specific opportunities in segments such as toys, aircraft instrumentation, Dave and Busters, special hotels, and art dealers. The Concorde team did not participate in the management or governance of the opportunity but served only a capital source. The investment thesis was to provide a diversified portfolio in each fund with exposer to private capital opportunities.
