Leading investment group recapitalizes and re-ups its focus on Experience Based Lifestyle Economy following successful Smashburger change of control transaction
Consumer Concept Group today announced it has rebranded as Black Shamrock Partners, which will focus on value add investments in the increasingly vibrant Experience Based Lifestyle Economy. Black Shamrock Partners is led by Rick Schaden, Tom Ryan and Brooks Schaden, who each possess deep investment and operations expertise across the consumer sector.
Black Shamrock Partners has extensive experience in creating and growing successful brands, having founded better burger concept Smashburger in 2007. Most recently, Black Shamrock Partners sold a controlling stake in Smashburger to partner Jollibee Food Corporation, who now owns 85% of the company. Black Shamrock Partners still holds the remaining 15% of Smashburger, and will continue to work closely on the direction of the brand both domestically and internationally. Black Shamrock Partners’ Tom Ryan remains Chief Executive Officer of Smashburger.
Rick Schaden, Black Shamrock Partners Co-Founder and Chairman, said, “Our current focus is to leverage our experience with high performance brands and successful return of capital from some of our early investments to drive significant growth in the Experience Based Lifestyle Economy. To that end, we are adding new capital partners, increased investment capital and experienced entrepreneurial executives to accelerate those plans.”
Leveraging its leadership in the Experience Based Lifestyle Economy, Black Shamrock Partners is also the owner of Tom’s Urban, a fast growing eater-tainment concept with locations currently at LA Live in Los Angeles, Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, NYNY Hotel in Las Vegas and Ilani Casino in Portland. The newest Tom’s Urban will soon open at the Denver International Airport.
Additionally, Black Shamrock Partners is the founder and owner of Motiv Group, an experiential company with a portfolio of brands within the sports and entertainment sector, including running and endurance events, triathlons and festivals. Recent investments include the Sydney Marathon, Love Run Philadelphia Half Marathon, Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon, The Surf City Marathon and Half Marathon, The Wildflower and Malibu Triathlons as well as the Denver Oktoberfest. Motiv Group brings best practices and resources to help these events reach their highest potential and provide the best experience possible for their participants.
Brooks Schaden, Chief Executive Officer of Black Shamrock Partners, stated: “Our guiding principle as a team has always been to identify exciting experiential trends that we can magnify in order to build and grow successful businesses. We believe we have exactly that with Tom’s Urban and Motiv Group and will work with their respective teams to identify and execute on opportunities for growth. We also continue to seek out additional high growth opportunities where we can lend our expertise in order to help a brand reach its full potential.”
Black Shamrock Partners, formerly Consumer Concept Group, is an innovative investment and operating company, focused on launching, operating and investing in consumer, franchising and lifestyle brands. They also invest opportunistically in private businesses, real estate and alongside alternative investment managers. Black Shamrock Partners is guided by a relentless focus on investing in tomorrow’s demands and is managed by a group of officers with deep expertise in the restaurant, lifestyle, entertainment and sports industries. Their investment philosophy is rigorously centered on aligning interests and the virtues of patient capital, allowing them to pursue growth plans and make strategic decisions solely in the best interests of the companies in which they invest.
