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Optex Systems Holdings
Danny Schoening leads Optex Systems Holdings, a publicly traded defense manufacturer supplying optical sights to the US Army's Abrams tank program.
Optex Systems Holdings
Optex Systems Holdings was incorporated in 1987 and is based in Richardson, Texas. CEO Danny Schoening oversees the firm's operations, which center on the design and fabrication of precision optical systems for military vehicles. The company's financial filings and public record describe a specialized defense supplier rather than a family office or diversified holding company. Its core industrial facility has historically been a single manufacturing plant in North Texas. The firm's revenue is concentrated in direct government contracts with the US Department of Defense. Its primary product lines include laser-protected plastic and glass periscopes, gunner's sights, and night-vision-compatible displays installed on the M1 Abrams main battle tank and Bradley Fighting Vehicle. Optex also supplies optical assemblies for the M777 howitzer and the Stryker family of vehicles. A secondary revenue stream comes from commercial and foreign military sales of armored vehicle periscopes, typically via prime defense contractors. The firm's catalog reflects decades of sole-source and follow-on procurement awards tied to specific vehicle platforms. As a micro-cap Nasdaq-listed company, Optex reports materially lower scale than aerospace primes. The firm operated 99 employees as of its most recent fiscal disclosures and relied on a single facility for virtually all manufacturing. In May 2024 Optex reported a $1.6 million order for laser interference filter units to be delivered by early 2025—an example of the small-batch, high-mix production runs that define its business model (per company filing, May 2024). The firm has historically not maintained additional domestic or international offices, and there is no evidence of adjacent private investment vehicles, philanthropic structures, or family-wealth arms layered alongside the operating business. Optex's structural differentiator is the absence of any investment-vehicle superstructure. Unlike the family offices in Altss coverage that deploy capital across asset classes, Optex is a pure-play industrial manufacturer that deploys capital almost exclusively into factory tooling, inventory, and fulfillment of existing Pentagon contracts. Its governance, disclosed through SEC filings, follows standard public-company architecture with a board of directors and an independent audit committee—a configuration that distances it from the concentrated-ownership and discretion-driven patterns common to family offices.
General information
Firm type
Single Family Office
Year founded
1987
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Richardson
Corporate office
Richardson, TX, United States
Principals
Danny Schoening
CEO
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Is Optex Systems Holdings a family office or an operating company?
Optex Systems Holdings is an operating company, not a family office. It is a publicly traded manufacturer listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market that designs and produces optical equipment for military vehicles. There is no evidence in its public filings or corporate structure of a family-office investment arm or multi-asset-class deployment strategy. The firm's capital allocation is focused on fulfilling defense contracts and maintaining its sole manufacturing facility in Texas.
What is Optex's relationship with the US Department of Defense?
Optex derives the majority of its revenue from direct and indirect contracts with the US Department of Defense. Its periscopes, gunner's sights, and laser-protected optical assemblies are installed on platforms including the M1 Abrams tank, Bradley Fighting Vehicle, and Stryker vehicles. The firm frequently receives follow-on procurement orders under long-running supply relationships, making its financial performance sensitive to defense budget cycles and armored-vehicle modernization programs.
Who runs investment decisions at Optex Systems?
Optex does not function as an investment manager and accordingly has no CIO or dedicated investment committee allocating to outside funds. Capital allocation decisions are made by the CEO and board of directors within the framework of a public-company fiduciary structure, as disclosed in SEC filings. Investments are overwhelmingly directed toward manufacturing capability, working capital, and fulfillment of government orders rather than third-party funds or direct equity stakes.
Does Optex manage capital for external investors?
No. Optex Systems Holdings does not manage capital for external limited partners or operate as an asset manager. As a publicly traded industrial company, its equity is held by institutional and retail shareholders purchasing common stock on the Nasdaq, but it does not pool investor capital for deployment into securities, private equity, or real estate.
What is Optex's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?
Optex does not participate in co-investments alongside external general partners. Its operational model centers on manufacturing military optics, and its publicly filed financial statements show no off-balance-sheet co-investment vehicles, fund commitments, or club-deal activity typical of family offices. The firm's use of cash is directed toward internal operations and periodic repurchases of its own equity.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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