Hopdox Founder Paul Clifford Named 2026 Recipient of PRIA's Carl R. Ernst Founders Award

Clifford Honored for Two Decades of Leadership Advancing eRecording Nationwide

ALPINE, Utah, September 2, 2026 – Hopdox, the leading innovator in eRecording, today announced that founder Paul Clifford has been named the 2026 recipient of the Carl R. Ernst Founders Award by the Property Records Industry Association (PRIA). The award was presented at PRIA's 2026 Annual Conference in Buffalo, New York.

Established by the PRIA Board of Directors in 2005, the Carl R. Ernst Founders Award recognizes proven, unique leadership and achievement in resolving issues in the property records industry. It is not given annually, but reserved for individuals whose leadership has delivered lasting benefit to the industry as a whole. Clifford is only the 13th recipient of the award since its inception.

Clifford's recognition caps more than two decades of work advancing eRecording nationwide, first as the founder of Simplifile, where he helped enable eRecording for more than 2,500 counties and 40,000 submitters before the company was acquired by ICE Mortgage Technology in 2019, and now as founder of Hopdox, which he launched in 2024 to bring exceptional service and renewed innovation all with fair pricing to the industry.

“I'm deeply honored to receive this award, especially one named for Carl Ernst, whose vision helped shape this industry,” said Paul Clifford, founder of Hopdox. “But this recognition really belongs to everyone I've had the privilege to work alongside over the years: the counties who took a chance on new technology, the submitters who pushed us to do better, and the team members who have poured themselves into this work. Building Hopdox has been about bringing that same spirit of service and collaboration back to the industry, and I'm grateful PRIA sees that mission reflected in this award.”

“Paul's impact on this industry is hard to overstate,” said Brian Boike, President of Hopdox. “From helping bring eRecording to thousands of counties for the first time to building an entirely new platform focused on service and fair pricing, Paul has spent his career making recording easier for the people who do this work every day. This award is a fitting recognition of that legacy, and everyone at Hopdox is proud to see it honored.”

Past recipients of the Carl R. Ernst Founders Award include a range of leaders from both the government and business sides of the property records industry, reflecting PRIA's mission of bringing recorders, title and settlement companies, lenders, and technology providers together to advance standards and best practices for the industry.

As Hopdox continues to expand its eRecording network nationwide, the company remains focused on deepening relationships with counties and customers, and continuing its mission to make eRecording simply better.

About Hopdox

Hopdox, the leading innovator in eRecording, was founded in 2024 with the sole focus of providing the best eRecording technology to enhance the work lives of settlement agents and county employees nationwide. Hopdox believes that technology should provide the most efficient process possible, giving everyone involved a little more time in their lives to do what matters most to them. With Hopdox, users can securely record, share, and track documents, data, and fees with ease.

For more information, visit Hopdox.com.

Media Contact: 
Richard Jackman
VP, Marketing
Hopdox