Welcome

I have spent the better part of my career in turnaround management. Over the last 13 years, I have been an officer and / or director in several privately held companies. These companies have ranged in size from $200 million in revenue to over $2.5 billion. All but one of these were acquired out of bankruptcy (or near bankruptcy) and all successfully turned around, with profitable results for the owner. In all of these acquisitions, there was not a single instance of a failed turnaround.

I have held several different roles in these situations -- President, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chairman of the Board, Chairman of the Compensation Committee. I have also been on the Audit Committee of the Board, and have served on five different boards. Additionally, for four years I was Chairman of the Supervisory Board of a German company -- a wonderful and unique experience. As you might expect, in some cases I played an instrumental role with day-to-day responsibilities, while in one or two I was merely along for the ride...well, maybe providing some guidance.

My intent for this blog is to document and convey some of the tools that I have used in these endeavors. I will not claim that these tools and processes are for everyone, and I have no intent to debate what does or doesn't work -- management is very personal, and style and approach greatly depends on the business leader and the circumstance. What I do know is what I have found to be important for me, and that these have worked for me.

Additionally I will certainly never claim that I solely developed or implemented these. I have had the good blessing to work with many wonderful and capable people, and the story would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of many wonderful coworkers. In the end, these relationships have been the best thing to come out of my work.