Don HOWARD
Principal Partner
Don Howard is Principal Partner with 653 Investment Partners. Leveraging his successful track record in Specialty Pharmacy, Don focuses on Specialty Pharmacy and other healthcare investments.
Prior to 653 Investments, Don successfully started, grew, and sold two companies serving the specialty pharmacy space. He is a visionary and inspiring leader who builds great teams that focus on patients, investors and employees.
After the successful sale of AcariaHealth to Centene Corp. in 2014, Don was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Envolve Pharmacy Solutions, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) and successor to AcariaHealth. As CEO of the combined organizations, Don led strategy, growth and responsibility of one of the largest PBMs in the country with over 10 million members and excess of $10 billion in pharmacy spend.
Along with Jeff Fisher and Sean Creehan, Don was co-founder of AcariaHealth in 2011. AcariaHealth underwent rapid growth and quickly became one of the largest independent Specialty Pharmacies in the country. Enhanced Equity was the private equity partner. After growing 300% over 2 years, AcariaHealth was sold to Centene Corp.
In 2000, Mr. Howard was Co-Founder, President, and Chief Operating Officer of CuraScript. GTCR was an investor in this startup that rapidly became one of the largest specialty pharmacies in the county, creating one of GTCR’s most successful portfolio companies. CuraScript was sold to Express Scripts in 2004 with revenue in excess of $1 Billion. After the successful sale of CuraScript, Don ran specialty pharmacy operations at Express Scripts and oversaw the successful acquisition and integration of Priority Health.
Don, Amy and their family have created the Howard Family Charitable Fund supporting numerous worthy causes.
Don is a graduate of Creighton University with his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy. Don and his wife Amy reside in Orlando, Florida and enjoy summer family time at their home in Banner Elk, North Carolina with their 3 beautiful children.
Jeff Fisher
Principal Partner
Jeffrey S. Fisher is a Principal Partner of 653 Investments, a boutique investment company founded in 2016, and is an active advisor and board member for pharmacy-based portfolio companies, leveraging his deep healthcare expertise. Jeffrey also oversees a number of real estate investments.
Previously, Jeffrey was co-founder and COO of AcariaHealth, a specialty pharmaceutical company serving patient populations nationwide. He held this position from 2011–2013 when AcariaHealth was bought by a Fortune 50 enterprise, Centene Corporation. Under Centene, Jeffrey took on the role of EVP, Business Development, for AcariaHealth, a position he held until 2016. His responsibilities included oversight of strategic business acquisitions as well as business opportunities with key accounts.
Prior to his roles at AcariaHealth, Jeffrey was involved with the creation and sale of multiple successful companies in the pharmaceutical industry including retail pharmacy, specialty pharmacy, and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Jeffrey was also a co-founder and served on the Board or Directors of Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals, LLC, a privately held pharmaceutical drug manufacturing company, from April of 2000 until its sale to Kadmon Pharmaceuticals in 2010.
From 1991 until its sale to Care Capital Management in 2004, Jeffrey was the founder, President, and CEO of Fisher’s Pharmacy. Jeffrey was also a co-founder and President/CEO of Fisher’s Specialized Pharmacy Services, Inc, a position he held since its formation in 1998 until its sale in 2003 to MedMark a subsidiary of Highmark BCBS. Under MedMark, Jeffrey served as EVP of Business Development, Purchasing and Manufacturer Relations, from 2003 until its sale to Walgreens in 2006.
Jeffrey received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Pharmacy from Duquesne University in 1985 and was inducted into the university’s prestigious Century Club in 2018.
In 2006, Jeffrey was awarded the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Health and Life Sciences for Upstate New York and Western Pennsylvania. Jeffrey has received numerous additional accolades and awards over the years for entrepreneurship and his service to the Pittsburgh, PA community
Jeffrey and his wife Jan call Pittsburgh home along with their daughter Alex, but they spend quality time at their homes in Sanibel, Florida and Napa, California.
Sean Creehan
Principal Partner
Sean Creehan is Principal Partner with 653 Investment Partners and is focused on investments in the healthcare, technology, and real estate sectors. Sean is a lifetime entrepreneur with a proven track record of leadership, innovation, and business execution in the healthcare technology sector.
Sean was founder of Creehan & Company. growing his business and its ScriptMed technology platform to support 36% market share in the $250B Specialty Pharmacy market. After combining Creehan and Company with Inovalon in 2016, he has led the strategy and innovation of the Inovalon’s next generation cloud-based pharmacy platform solution. Sean serves as a Fellow of Pharmacy Solutions at Inovalon, a role recognizing him for his distinguished career at Inovalon and Creehan. Sean previously served as President and General Manager of Inovalon’s pharmacy software business where he led the Company’s design, development, advancement, and support of data-driven pharmacy solutions.
In 2011, Sean, along with Jeff and Don, was co-founder of private equity backed AcariaHealth where he spearheaded the technology strategy, infrastructure, and integration of three acquired pharmacy businesses, expansion to a national pharmacy footprint, and supported 300% growth over 2 years until AcariaHealth was acquired by Centene Corporation.
Successful in driving business growth for his own businesses as well as clients from start-ups to several Fortune 100 clients through technology and innovation, Sean is an established healthcare industry thought leader. He has played an active role in advancing technology and automation for clinical decision support, care coordination, pharmacy practice and finance, and pharmaceutical distribution.
Sean also oversees portfolio investments in commercial and residential real estate development in the Pittsburgh area including assets in the golf, automotive, food service, and residential development segments.
Mr. Creehan holds a B.S. in Information Systems from Robert Morris University and is a graduate of the Entrepreneurial Management Program at Carnegie Mellon University.
Sean and his wife Stephanie call Pittsburgh home, but create many memories at their home on Lake Garda, Italy. Along with their four children, they have created the Creehan Family Fund, focused on active philanthropic initiatives in the areas of children’s health, education and life skills development.