Notable Engagements achieving the desired result

Served as Turnaround Champion to develop and implement turnaround strategy.  

• Analyzed business financial position, operational capabilities and limitations, and ownership’s objectives.
• Brought financial clarity to black-box business in which operators believed all seven business lines were generating profit but could not understand why overall business suffered routine cash losses and continued insolvency.
• Established and implemented financial & legal restructure plan to transform the business from insolvency to financial stability with an eye toward a future exit transaction. 
• Provided Turnaround Action Plan that majority ownership and President adopted and financially supported. 
• Sold one cash-draining business-line's intellectual property.
• Shut down two cash-draining business-lines while reducing overall headcount by 40% & overhead expenses by 25%. 
• Spun off two successful operations to become contractually bound customers of new core business operation. 

Results:  Transformed the core business from a failed multi-faceted trading company to a specialized service provider bringing clarity and sense of purpose and mission to company's ownership and operators. 

Served as advisor and mediator to facilitate stock purchase to bring majority owner to 100% ownership. 

• Analyzed business financial position and majority and minority ownership's objectives.
• Managed corporate governance and information exchanges building trust among ownership allowing for dysfunctional relationship to transition to negotiations.
• Proposed a transaction and transaction financing agreed to by owners and their legal teams.  
• Worked as mediator and held the complicated deal together until closed.
• Provided majority ownership with a financial plan to facilitate the stock purchase.

Results:  Majority owner became 100% owner while the company's operators remained undistracted and focused on keeping the business moving forward and producing cash through the complicated and stressful transition.  

Served as advisor and mediator to a struggling business ownership during an intra-company ownership change transaction. 

• Analysed business financial position and ownership’s objectives.
• Proposed a transaction that all parties agreed to in principal and scope.
• Provided ownership with a plan to address the extended impacts of ownership change, such as public relations, employee morale, and brand equity.
• Provided new ownership with initial turnaround plan of action.  

Results:  Prevented a splintering of ownership interests and possible shutdown of the company due to lack of financial support.  Presented a turnaround plan to new ownership.  

Advised a successful retail operation in their decision whether to purchase an existing production facility, enter the wholesale trade business, and introduce products to the broad market.

• Evaluated facility production capacity, packaging capacity, overall facility throughput, and potential for capacity increases.
• Prepared economic calculations for potential range of production. 

Results: Information provided led to ownership’s decision not to purchase the facility or enter wholesale trade business. Sometimes the best decisions are made to avoid pitfalls.

Assisted new ownership with the successful transition of continued operations following their acquisition of a distressed business.

• Conducted search for CEO and other key management team members.
• Negotiated dozens of supplier contracts, real estate leases, and insurance.
• Transitioned federal and state licensing and compliance processes.
• Handled all issues related to previous ownership liabilities and litigation to completion. 

Results: Ownership and new management freed up to focus on and take actions critical to drive the company toward a successful turnaround. 

Conducted the process seeking distressed Company restructure sale.

• Developed confidential information memorandums and made presentations to potential investors.
• Presented to various investor groups promoting the purchase distinct portions of the business.
• Managed the team of lawyers, investment bankers, and retail bankers through very complicated restructure transactions.  
• Performed crisis management public relations and corporate communications to minimize damage to the company’s brands, market position, and company morale.  

Results: Completed the sale of all the assets of the company in extremely complicated restructure transactions. Negotiated the release of ownership’s personal guarantees of bank loans and real estate leases. 

Conducted the process seeking recapitalization investment.  

• Developed confidential information memorandums and made presentations to potential investors.
• Led communications efforts with all stakeholders. 
• Negotiated reduced interest rates and eased debt covenants with primary secured lender.  

Results: Secured private equity recapitalization investment offer.  Secured improved loan terms, ownership release from personal guaranty, and eased bank covenants on refinanced debt.  Presented offers to the Board of Directors.