Case Studies

Each client engagement is unique. I work with each client to identify individual and company needs and goals to create the best path to ultimate success. The case studies below are examples of the unique paths to success.

Exit Readiness for a Family-Owned Manufacturing Business Context

A 50-year-old, family-owned specialty construction manufacturing and installation company (~$3M revenue) wanted to sell. A good sale would fund retirement, preserve the legacy of the company and ensure the product would continue to be available. An early buyer interaction failed badly, leaving ownership confused, offended and concerned the business might not be sellable.

Challenge
While the company had valuable intellectual property, it was effectively non-transferable as an operating business. Knowledge, decision-making, and customer relationships were tightly held by ownership. Any outside buyer would struggle to run the company—putting valuation, liquidity, and legacy at risk.

Role
I was engaged as an exit planning advisor to lead M&A readiness, with a mandate to make the business transferable, attractive to buyers, and resilient under diligence—well before going to market.

Outcome
Over four years:

Revenue grew from ~$3M to ~$10M
Operating value (excluding assets) increased to an estimated $10M–$12M
The company shifted from “unsellable” to buyer-ready, attracting regular acquisition inquiries
Ownership retained control over timing and buyer selection, positioning them to proactively court strategic buyers

Internal Succession in a High-Risk Leadership Transition Context

A $20M executive-run construction company faced an internal succession. The sitting president—who had led a successful turnaround—was retiring. His successor was young, technically strong, and had never held an executive leadership role.

Challenge
The business had only recently stabilized, and the risk of failed succession was high. While the successor and management team were technically capable, the deeper risk was cultural and human, not operational. Leadership continuity and team retention were at stake.

Role
I was engaged to lead succession strategy and coach the incoming president and emerging executive team through the leadership transition.

Key Insight
The successor’s challenge was not competence, but identity. His role was shifting from “mostly technical” leadership to “mostly people” leadership. We focused on decision posture, time and energy management, and executive presence—helping him become the person capable of leading the organization.

Outcome

Successful leadership transition with full senior-team retention
Company growth from $20M to $60M over three years
Succession strengthened the business rather than destabilizing it

Enterprise Advisory Through COVID for a Holding Company

A $200M holding company was pursuing a three-year growth plan when COVID disrupted markets, operations, and decision-making. Leadership had deep operational experience but limited exposure to enterprise-scale strategy under extreme uncertainty.

Challenge
The executive team faced unprecedented ambiguity. The risk was not operational failure, but decision paralysis—hesitation, short-term thinking, and retreat in a moment that required clarity and conviction.

Role
I was engaged as a senior strategic advisor to the CEO, working closely with the CFO and CAO. My role was to help leadership maintain strategic continuity, think multi-year, and make high-quality decisions under uncertainty.

Approach
We preserved the core strategic goals and adapted execution to new constraints. Rather than retreat, leadership chose to move forward deliberately—trusting that competitors would pull back and clients would still need strong partners.

Outcome

A three-year goal to reach $300M in revenue was achieved in one year, during COVID
The organization intentionally built leadership depth, including hiring its first COO
That COO later became CEO, completing a durable succession path
The company has since grown to $600M, validating both strategy and governance decisions