Skip to main content

News

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Convenient Brands, Inc. (“Convenient Brands”), a leading provider of enterprise software and payment processing services to the auto dealership and auto repair industries, is pleased to announce that it has acquired Web-Est, LLC (“Web-Est”), a leading provider of collision estimating software to independent body shops in the U.S. Web-Est was co-founded in 2008 by Eric Seidel whose leadership of the company will transition to President, Carey Paris.

Most auto body shops use software to estimate the cost of parts and labor required for a vehicle repair and then use that cost estimate to get customer and insurance carrier approval. Web-Est provides an intuitive, browser-based estimating software platform that offers a seamless user experience and multiple proprietary tools, including ProAdvisor, an AI-guided tool that auto-populates vehicle data for the estimator, and Image Editor, a photo editor that enables the user to notate, highlight, crop, and zoom photos of damaged vehicles to provide a clearer estimate. Web-Est has generated attractive long term growth due to the effectiveness of its software and its ability to increase efficiency and estimating accuracy for customers.

“We congratulate Eric Seidel, Carey Paris and the Web-Est team on their strong momentum in the marketplace,” said James Clippard, Chairman of Convenient Brands and Managing Director of The Beekman Group, the majority owner of Convenient Brands. “Web-Est’s software automates a critical function for independent body shops and is complementary to other products that Convenient Brands offers, including our shop management software and payment processing tools. We look forward to working with Carey and his team towards offering a more complete software package to independent body shops and continuing to drive market share for Web-Est.”

Eric Seidel, CEO of Web-Est, added: “Since launching Web-Est, we have strived to provide accurate, high-value, logic-based estimating solutions at an affordable price to independent repair shops. With the support of Convenient Brands, we are poised to accelerate our growth trajectory while at the same time offering a larger set of solutions to our customers, enabling them with more automation and efficiency. I look forward to supporting both Carey Paris and Convenient Brands on their new path.”

About Convenient Brands

Convenient Brands is a platform of business technology companies that provide enterprise software and payment processing services, mainly to the auto dealership and auto aftermarket industries but also to customers in the government, property management, and other diversified industries. Convenient Brands is comprised of Mainstreet Computers (www.mainstreetcomputers.com), ROME Technologies (www.rometech.com), ImEX Systems (www.imexsystems.ca), We-Est (www.web-est.com), Intellipay (www.intellipay.com), and Dealer Pay (www.dealer-pay.com). Convenient Brands is headquartered in Draper, Utah and is a portfolio company of New York-based private investment firm, The Beekman Group.

About Web-Est:

Web-Est, LLC provides auto collision estimation software to independent auto body shops in the United States. The Company’s software enables body shops to complete repair estimates through a low-cost, high value, logic-based software solution. www.web-est.com

About The Beekman Group

The Beekman Group is a private equity firm, based in New York City, focused on building industry-leading companies in the healthcare, consumer, and business services sectors. The firm partners with management teams who desire to be significant owners and create meaningful value by accelerating organic and acquisition growth initiatives. Beekman manages over $1 billion in assets and has completed over 200 transactions since inception.www.thebeekmangroup.com.

Contacts

Crystal Smith
Principal, Investor Relations
info@thebeekmangroup.com

DRAPER, Utah–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Convenient Brands announced that it has acquired ImEX Systems Inc. (“ImEX”) of Vancouver, British Columbia and supported the promotion of Patrick Fic to President from Chief Technology Officer. Founder Woody Fic will retire but continue to support both Patrick and Convenient Brands in an advisory capacity.

Founded in 1994, ImEX Systems provides full management software to auto body shops, including a recently released web-based app that has functionality for repair estimates, technician scheduling, parts ordering, and time tracking. ImEX has a 30+ year track record of serving its customers with feature-rich software that improves shop efficiency and profitability.

Convenient Brands will support ImEX with additional resources for sales, marketing, and product development, including new integrations for estimatics and payment processing.

“Since 1994, our collision center management software has helped body shops increase profitability and improve efficiency. With the support of Convenient Brands, ImEX is positioned to expand on this tradition and broaden our reach into both Canada and the U.S.,” said Patrick Fic.

Brad Rhoades, President of Convenient Brands added, “ImEX is a great addition to the Convenient Brands portfolio and will expand our product suite within the auto after-market industry. We look forward to working with the ImEX team and executing their growth plan. We would also like to congratulate Woody Fic on his retirement and on his track record of building such a strong platform within the collision industry.”

About Convenient Brands: Convenient Brands is a platform of business technology companies that provide enterprise-level software to the automotive industry as well as integrated payment processing services: ROME Technologies (www.rometech.com), ImEX Systems (www.imexsystems.ca), Mainstreet Computers (www.mainstreetcomputers.com), Intellipay (www.intellipay.com), and Dealer Pay (www.dealer-pay.com). Convenient Brands is headquartered in Draper, Utah and is a portfolio company of New York-based private investment firm, The Beekman Group.

Contacts

Crystal Smith
Principal, Investor Relations
(646) 502-3305
csmith@thebeekmangroup.com

IntelliPay Announces Patent for Government Point of Sale Processing

DRAPER, Utah–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, IntelliPay a leader in no-cost payment processing and a premier provider of customized solutions for local and state governments, announced the issuance of U.S. Patent # 16,409,359 by the USPTO entitled “System and Method for Processing Chip-Card Transactions from a Host Computer.” IntelliPay’s patented technology allows government customers to make a single payment. Behind the scenes, the payment is split into two payments, one for the government invoice amount and a second for the service fee that covers the processing cost of the transaction. This single payment card insertion into the card reader eliminates the need for two insertions typically required. The new technology is the easiest and fastest way for government customers to make secure chip-card in-office payments. Government offices using the new technology report shorter lines, reduced wait times, and higher customer satisfaction overall.

Also known as Single DIP EMV, this chip-card solution is available to local and state governments of all sizes as a standalone or integrated into existing system solution configurations. A government doesn’t need to be a current IntelliPay customer to take advantage of this new technology. The standalone version requires web access to IntelliPay’s virtual OneTerminal or Lightbox EMV solution and an integrated Augusta Reader. The customer interface is intuitive, and the back-end is easy to set up and configure with guidance from our customer support team. Plus, with ever-rising security risks, it ensures that any government has the latest secure payment technology without starting over from scratch.

The integrated solution uses APIs to seamlessly connect to existing systems and provides the additional benefits of real-time payment/transaction updates. Having all transaction data on a single system eliminates manual processes and saves time in the office and with accounting effectively streamlining back office operations. “We have been able to streamline our tax collection process, and our citizens love the convenience and ease of use,” said a representative of Tax Collection, Roberts County, South Dakota.

“IntelliPay has always been hyper-focused on the customer experience (CX) as we develop, deploy, and support new solutions. Like all our products, we developed our new chip-card solution with a frictionless customer payment experience in mind for both staff and customers,” explained Casey J. Leloux, CEO of IntelliPay. “We set ourselves apart by customizing our payment products, services, and solutions to how the agency does business, not bending the agency to how we think your operations should work. No other vendor on the market offers this level of support,” added Leloux.

About IntelliPay

Draper, Utah-based IntelliPay is an innovative SaaS company at the forefront of government payments combining no-cost payment options with patented chip-card processing technology. IntelliPay developed the Single Dip EMV technology starting with the input of thousands of local governments identifying process pain points of both staff and customers. This payment process not only speeds up payments by reducing in-office wait times; but is quick and easy to implement using the company’s flagship OneTerminal and Lightbox products whether the entity is a current client or not. For more information, visit http://intellipay.com/government.

Contacts

Jessica Castellano
VP Marketing
Convenient Brands
(650) 888-3709
jessica.castellano@www.convenient-brands.com

Private Equity-Backed Convenient Brands Acquires Dealer Pay and Provides Strategic Growth Investment

August 04, 2022 05:40 PM Eastern Daylight Time

DRAPER, Utah–Convenient Brands announced today that it has acquired Dealer Pay, LLC (“Dealer Pay”) of St. Louis, MO and provided a strategic growth investment.

Dealer Pay is the leader in modern payments and point-of-sale software solutions for the dealership industries. Dealer Pay’s solutions are web-based and offer a tech-forward approach to payments technology and end-user functionality, providing an invaluable offering exclusive to dealers. The solution is designed to improve daily efficiencies, increase revenue, streamline operations, and enhance security, and along with real time support and on-going product development, has enabled Dealer Pay to serve some of the largest dealerships and automotive groups in the U.S.

Julie Douglas, President and CEO of Dealer Pay, explained, “For more than 20 years, I have learned both the payments and dealership spaces thoroughly. I have worked to create Dealer Pay’s solution and product offering and am proud to see all that we have accomplished to date. I have a passion for these industries and a commitment to my dealers to provide the best solutions available. We have big plans to continue growth and expansion, and now with the support of Convenient Brands, we will have more resources to achieve our goals, faster, and to be the household name in the industry.”

Casey Leloux, CEO of Convenient Brands, added, “Dealer Pay is a terrific complement to our footprint in the auto-related software and payment services industries and expands the product suite that we can offer customers. The enterprise payments technology that Dealer Pay has built is exactly what the market needed, and we look forward to working with Julie and the rest of the Dealer Pay team on a range of initiatives to support additional growth.”

Jim Clippard, Managing Director at Beekman, stated “Dealer Pay’s solutions are a key addition to the Convenient Brands portfolio, and this transaction is another important step in building a market-leading software and payments processing platform. We congratulate Julie and Dealer Pay on the strong momentum and look forward to working with her.”

About Convenient Brands: Convenient Brands is a platform of business technology companies that provide enterprise-level software to the automotive industry as well as integrated payment processing services: ROME Technologies (www.rometech.com), Mainstreet Computers (www.mainstreetcomputers.com), Digital Business Controls, Intellipay (www.intellipay.com), and Dealer Pay (www.dealer-pay.com). Convenient Brands is headquartered in Draper, Utah and is a portfolio company of New York-based private investment firm, The Beekman Group.

About The Beekman Group: The Beekman Group is a private equity firm based in New York City that is focused on building industry-leading companies in the healthcare, consumer, and business services sectors. The firm partners with management teams who desire to be significant owners and create meaningful value by accelerating organic and acquisition growth initiatives. Beekman manages over $1 billion in assets and has completed over 175 transactions since inception. For more information, please visit www.thebeekmangroup.com.

Contacts:

Jessica Castellano
Vice President, Marketing
650-888-3709
jessica.castellano@convenient-brands.com

Mainstreet ™ Celebrates 40th Anniversary Developing Software for the Glass Industry

BELLEVILLE, Mich.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Mainstreet Computers ™, the leader in glass software innovation, announces their 40th Anniversary pioneering software for the glass industry. Based in Belleville, Michigan, Mainstreet was founded in May 1982 with a vision to create custom software for clients. Forty years later, Mainstreet is the leading go-to-software for the glass industry.

Mainstreet ™ develops software for the auto and flat glass industry that is used by thousands of companies, franchises, and glass installers. The Auto Glass Point of Sale (POS) software suite is anchored by Mainstreet Glas-Avenue™ providing essential tools necessary for easy quotes, inventory control, scheduling, and billing. All applications are accessible securely via the Cloud on any smart device, with seamless access to the NAGS ™ (National Auto Glass Specifications) database and complemented by seamless insurance billing.

In the last few years, Mainstreet has released significant updates and improvements to the software suite. In 2021, web based browser-application, Mainstreet Glas-Avenue ™ 10.0 was released allowing flat glass installers to manage glazing jobs for insulating glass units, glass railings, mirrors, tabletops, and shower glass. Another milestone in 2021 included texting enhancements within Glas-Avenue 10.0 providing easy text-to-pay options securely processed through Glas-Pay ™, and texting from POS to customers for rapid communication. In the latter part of 2020, the Mobile Tech App, MobilePro ™ was released specifically for iOS devices. Auto glass professionals are able to perform critical business functions on the go: scanning VIN’s, completing pre/post inspections, accessing document data for AGSC ™ compliance, and upselling other miscellaneous items and services to customers.

“We’re driving towards our 40th Anniversary with significant momentum and a team dedicated to providing world class service to our valued customers. Our company has achieved success through the dedication of our team and our valued customers that we serve. In turn, customers benefit from our hard work, passion, and dedication of Mainstreet ™; the development, adherence and continued improvements,” said Bradley Rhoades, CEO of Mainstreet ™ and President of Convenient Brands.

In 2019 Convenient Brands acquired Mainstreet ™, complementing their existing portfolio of SaaS innovation to include payment solutions provider IntelliPay, and a premium brand of collision center management software and consulting, ROME. The acquisition has fueled year-over-year revenue and customer growth, and an unprecedented expansion of its supported strategic technologies.

Much of this success is attributed to the longevity of the employees as Mainstreet ™ Executive Vice President of Operations Michael Casella explains, “In an industry where turnover is high, most of our employees have been with us for more than 20 years. When customers need our support, they are reaching us directly, and not just a call center where they’ll be talking to a different tech every time who doesn’t understand our software. They are talking to our experienced staff with decades of experience that have developed relationships with our customers and know their business.”

Convenient Brands CEO Casey Leloux concludes, “We have dedicated ourselves to forty years of product innovation, engineering and business process improvements and efficiencies to provide our customers with the highest quality solutions and services. Throughout 2022 and beyond, we will be looking back at where we started, what we have achieved, and what our plans are for the future.” Mainstreet ™ will be making more announcements in 2022 with regards to expansion and software enhancements. In the meantime, to learn more about working with Mainstreet ™ please visit: www.mainstreetcomputers.com.

About Mainstreet Computers ™

Mainstreet Computers is North America’s leading independent glass software provider. Mainstreet’s flagship product, the Glas-Avenue software system, is built around the needs and 40 years of requests from glass businesses around the country. Mainstreet Computers ™ is part of the Convenient Brands portfolio of brands innovating and excelling in Automotive SaaS.

Contacts:

Jessica Castellano
Director of Marketing
650-888-3709
jessica@mainstreetcomp.com

Convenient Brands Acquires ROME Technologies and Supports Management Succession with Promotion of James Rome to President

December 28, 2021 12:45 PM Eastern Standard Time

DRAPER, Utah–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Convenient Brands announced that it has acquired ROME Technologies (“Rome”) of Pasadena, MD and supported the promotion of James Rome to President from Head of Sales. Founder Scott Rome has retired but will continue to support both James and Convenient Brands in an advisory capacity.

“Since 1988, our collision center management system has helped body shops increase profitability and improve efficiency with software-enabled consulting, education, and training. With Convenient Brands fueling our growth, ROME is positioned to create new standards of competition in the North American body shop solutions market”

Founded in 1988, ROME provides management software and consultation services to dealer-affiliated and independent auto collision centers in the U.S. ROME has a 30+ year track record of serving its customers with feature-rich software, industry leading support, as well as consultation and coaching services that improve shop efficiency and profitability. ROME maintains integrations with CDK, Reynolds & Reynolds, Dealerbuilt and other dealer management systems along with market leading estimating software providers.

Convenient Brands will support ROME with additional resources for sales, marketing, product development, and a new integrated payment processing service, ROME-PAY designed to make payment processing as easy and cheap as possible for its customers.

“Since 1988, our collision center management system has helped body shops increase profitability and improve efficiency with software-enabled consulting, education, and training. With Convenient Brands fueling our growth, ROME is positioned to create new standards of competition in the North American body shop solutions market,” explains James Rome.

Brad Rhoades, President of Convenient Brands added, “ROME is a terrific compliment to our footprint in the auto-related software industry and expands the product suite that we can offer customers. Speaking for the entire Convenient Brands team, we look forward to working with James and continuing the legacy of bringing value to ROME users with feature-rich software, on-going consultation, support, and coaching that helps customers reach their business goals. We would also like to congratulate Scott Rome on his retirement and on his impressive track record of building such a strong platform and team within the collision industry.”

About Convenient Brands: Convenient Brands is a platform of business technology companies that provide enterprise-level software to the automotive repair industry as well as integrated payment processing services: ROME Technologies (www.rometech.com), Mainstreet Computers (www.mainstreetcomputers.com), Digital Business Controls, and Intellipay (www.intellipay.com). Convenient Brands is headquartered in Draper, Utah and is a portfolio company of New York-based private investment firm, The Beekman Group.

Contacts:

Jessica Castellano
Director of Marketing
650-888-3709
jessica@mainstreetcomp.com