- “Fred Sands and Vintage Capital Group are qualified capable buyers. They do what they say in an efficient
and timely manner. Their performance allowed the transaction to close with no delays. I would gladly recommend them as a buyer to my clients.”
— William S. Palmer, President & CEO, The Palmer Team 
Chairman
Career Highlights
Mr. Sands is the Chairman of Vintage Real Estate, LLC, a firm specializing in the acquisition and redevelopment of under-performing regional malls and shopping centers. Vintage Real Estate is led by a team of seasoned senior real estate executives with institutional backgrounds.
Mr. Sands is also the Chairman of Vintage Fund Management, LLC, a private equity fund that was established to expand his diverse non-real estate private investment activities spanning more than two decades. Vintage Fund Management is led by a team of experienced private equity professionals and invests in growing middle market companies. Its investor base includes one of the largest state pension funds, a well-known fund of funds, banks, as well as high net worth family offices. It has outperformed 85% of all private equity funds in the United States.
Mr. Sands will personally invest in distressed companies with an eye toward turning them around.
eScreen, Inc. - www.escreen.com
In 2003 Mr. Sands, through his wholly owned entity, Vintage Capital Group, invested growth capital in eScreen, Inc. eScreen, founded in 1998, revolutionized the drug testing industry by developing the only FDA-cleared instant drug test. Today, eScreen is a technology leader, providing the only truly integrated electronic drug testing solution in the industry, and the largest provider of workplace drug programs in the United States.
The growth capital investment provided by Vintage Capital Group helped to fuel the rapid growth eScreen has achieved since the original Vintage investment in 2003. In 2008, The Carlyle Group, one of the largest private equity firms in the United States, completed a growth equity investment in eScreen resulting in the return to Vintage of its original debt investment. Vintage Capital Group continues to maintain a significant minority equity stake in the business.
In 2011, eScreen was named to Inc. Magazine's 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America for its 4th consecutive year. Also in 2011, the Founder and Chairman along with the CEO of eScreen were recognized by Ernst & Young as finalists for the National E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
SteriMed Medical Waste Solutions ( formerly Caprius, Inc. ) www.sterimedsystems.com
In 2009, Vintage Capital Group was referred to Caprius, at the time an orphaned public company in need of capital. Caprius had raised significant capital to build out its innovative EPA registered medical waste technology, but by 2009 found itself lacking the requisite capital resources to grow the business. Despite its difficult and limited financial resources, Caprius had developed a patented solution for the on-site treatment and disposal of infectious medical waste. Caprius's unique solutions, sold under the SteriMed brand, offer convenient sizes that fit on-site at healthcare facilities and provide a cost effective solution to eliminate expensive and environmentally unfriendly waste hauling. SteriMed products utilize Ster-Cid, a proprietary, EPA registered, bio-degradable chemical to chemically disinfect regulated medical waste, rendering the waste benign, while at the same time, shredding the waste until it is unrecognizable, reducing the waste volume by over 90%, so that it can be disposed of in the ordinary waste system.
In 2009, Mr. Sands, through his wholly owned entity, Vintage Capital Group, completed the first investment in Caprius to fund the working capital needs of the business, reduce current and pending liabilities, regain control over key intellectual property, and transition its contract manufacturing relationship. The investment team at Vintage continued to monitor the progress of the business, and it become apparent that Caprius was best served to consider a go-private transaction in order for the company's shareholders to maximize value. In April of 2011, Vintage led a go-private transaction that resulted in Caprius becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Vintage Capital Group.
Now renamed SteriMed Medical Waste Solutions, and privately owned by Vintage Capital Group, SteriMed is well positioned to expand on its market leading, green technology solution for the on-site treatment and disposal of infectious medical waste, a large and rapidly growing global industry. Today SteriMed has systems installed worldwide, including in leading hospitals, dialysis centers, surgical centers, the US Navy, and many other small to medium medical waste generating businesses across the globe.
Mr. Sands is the former Chairman and sole shareholder of the second largest real estate and financial services company in California, and the seventh largest in the United States, including wholly owned entities in title insurance, home warranty, mortgage banking, and escrow. The company was staffed with 4,000 people in 65 offices, including franchised operations, and generated $9.4 billion in volume per year. In December, 2000, the company was sold to Coldwell Banker; (the franchised offices were not part of the transaction). Mr. Sands' background also includes acquiring and turning around distressed companies, including FM and AM radio stations and two title insurance company, as well as commercial real estate projects. He has developed hotels, office buildings, shopping centers, and high-end single family housing projects.
Mr. Sands was honored as the recipient of the American Academy of Achievement Award. Former recipients of this prestigious award include U.S. Presidents, Nobel Laureates, and entertainment industry executives. He was also named one of the "Top 25 CEOs of the Decade" by California Business magazine and named one of the industry's top 13 "Movers and Shakers" (nationwide) by the National Association of Realtors.
Personal Activities:
Mr. Sands was appointed by President George W. Bush to the President's Advisory Committee on the Arts and liaison to the Kennedy Center and to the California Arts Council by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. In addition, Mr. Sands is the Chairman of The United Way's Million Dollar Roundtable. Active in numerous community activities, Mr. Sands was a founder of the Museum of Contemporary Art and currently serves as Vice Chairman and Trustee, as well as Chairperson of its Investment Committee. He recently made a significant seven figure donation to the Museum. He also serves on the Boards of Chrysalis (a charity that rehabilitates homeless people), as well as the Los Angeles Opera and the Los Angeles Police Foundation.
Mr. Sands resides in Bel Air with his wife, Dr. Carla Sands, and their daughter, Alexandra. Mrs. Sands serves on numerous Boards including The Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Council of the Library Foundation of the Los Angeles Library and is a Member of the Board of The Blue Ribbon and serves on its Executive Committee. She was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger to the Board of The California Cultural and Historic Endowment. Mrs. Sands is also a member of The Colleagues. The Sands were recently honored at LA Alive which is sponsored by the LA Philharmonic Association. Mr. Sands also has an adult son, Jonathan.