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Helios Capital brings to the table a proven track record of success. The combination of our entrepreneurial backgrounds and operator experience with the Helios Integral Investment Approach has generated outperforming returns while developing Companies that Matter™.

Every partner company is a new opportunity, and we are continually energized to develop undiscovered value and potential to develop companies with long-term sustainable profitability and those that impact their people, their communities, and the market at large positively.
The following are summary descriptions of a sampling of investments in which the Helios Principals were significantly involved with prior to or concurrently with the formation of Helios Capital.

AD&P

AD&P was a services company in the construction field.

Ameriserv

AmeriServ Food Company was a leading foodservice distributor.

American Crop Services, Inc.

American Crop Services provided outsourced fertilizer and chemical application and spraying services as well as operated 32 “super farm centers” that retailed agricultural inputs.

Belding Hausman

Belding Hausman manufactures specialty textiles; primarily drapery and home furnishing fabrics that require quick turnaround for retailers, like JC Penney and Target, who have JIT inventory programs.

BillMatrix

BillMatrix Corporation is a leading provider of outsourced electronic bill payment services.

Compare Apple

Compare Apple is completely focused on serving the consumer with the most up-to-date information and deals for loans, debt, medical, business services, and real estate.

Envision Gaming Technologies

Envision is a leading developer and manufacturer of electronic games for casinos.

Fresh America Corp

Fresh America Corp., with over $600 million in revenues, provided procurement, processing, repacking, warehousing and distribution services of fresh produce and other refrigerated products for a wide variety of customers in the retail, food service and food distribution businesses.

Hammerman & Gainer (H&G)

Hammerman & Gainer (H&G) is a third party administrator (TPA) providing workers’ compensation claims administration for insurance companies and self-insured clients. H&G also provides risk management consulting, investigation, and multi-line insurance adjusting

Instaff Personnel

InStaff is a leading staffing services company providing temporary employees to light industrial manufacturers and distributors.

JPG

JPG was a full-service marketing agency and customer relationship management firm.

Logex Corporation

Logex served as the nation’s largest independent, over-the-road carrier of cryogenic liquids and compressed gases.

Mango Network

Mango Network provided hosted world-class software for specific vertical markets through a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model.

Mission Valley Textiles

Mission Valley Textiles was a preeminent, vertically-integrated manufacturer and marketer of textile products for the apparel and home fashions markets.

PrimeSource FoodService Equipment, Inc.

PrimeSource is one of the nation's leading turnkey providers for all of a restaurant's equipment and hardware needs.

RabidPop

The RabidPop is a localized online video community providing a voice and identity for teenagers across America.

South America For Less

South America For Less and its subsidiaries form the leading Progressive Tourism firm with a focus solely on South America and a complete price guarantee.

Sun Engine & Transmission Sales, Inc.

Sun Engine was the largest remanufacturer of domestic and foreign automobile engines in the United States.

Synapse Group, Inc.

The Synapse Group was a leading Internet agency working with customers like Hilton Hotels, American Airlines, and Mary Kay Incorporated to build interactive web sites with transaction-processing capabilities.

Trycos Software:

Trycos developed and sold integration software products that allowed manufacturing and distribution firms to enable their Enterprise Resource Planning Management Systems (“ERP”) for eCommerce.

Vasana Media

Vasana Media is focused on being the leading digital, high-definition video firm.

Yellow Checker Cab Company of Dallas/Fort Worth:

Yellow Cab is the result of a roll-up of seven taxicab operations in the North Texas Area. Today, the Company is the leader in its marketplace and one of the five largest taxi operations in the Nation with more than 1,100 cars in its fleet.

PORTFOLIO

Sun Engine & Transmission Sales, Inc. was the largest remanufacturer of domestic and foreign automobile engines in the United States.

Type of Transaction: Buyout - Family Business

Integral Value:
Sun Engine was the nation’s largest automobile engine remanufacturer in a highly fragmented segment dominated by “mom and pop” enterprises. Sun was able to take advantage of economies of scale which eluded the many smaller participants in the industry. Helios purchased this business from the founder and his family for $18 million and recruited a new team to transform the business into a professionally-managed organization. The Company grew from $29 million in revenue and approximately 300 employees to more than $89 million in revenue and 670 employees in less than four years.

While the Company was successful in transitioning from a traditional bench-built manufacturing process to assembly-line mass production; we made several strategic errors. Notably, the management team was comprised of individuals who had been corporate managers in large OEM and aftermarket automobile parts companies, and they were not suited to leading and managing an entrepreneurial company. Furthermore, the company shifted from selling to its traditional customer base - mechanics and garages specializing in major engine work - and began selling its product through large retail chains such as AutoZone and Chief Auto Parts without developing the required customer support infrastructure. These strategic decisions, combined with poor execution resulting from lack of systems and structures, led to the company’s downfall. In hindsight, the foundation to support the company’s growth was never properly laid and the company ran into increasing operating difficulties. Sun Engine was sold to an industry competitor, Engine Tech for a partial loss of our investment. Many of our Integral CapOps™ methodologies and frameworks evolved out of the lessons we learned from this investment.

Revenue: $89 M
Sector: Industrial
Partnering Date: November 1991
Status: Exit – April 1995 – Partial Return on Equity
Website: www.enginetech.com

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