Financial Advisory & Restructuring Services
Trailer Leasing Company: Leading national semi-trailer rental and leasing company. Clear Thinking Group conducted a detailed review of the company’s 13-week cash flow forecast, including underlying assumptions. Analyzed and made recommendations for improving liquidity. Reviewed and analyzed the company business and operations and made recommendation for improvement.
Apparel Retailer: Retained to provide strategic advice and to recapitalize off price specialty apparel chain with 600 stores nationwide. Clear Thinking Group raised new equity and secured additional liquidity from the company's lenders.
Technology Manufacturer: Retained to provide strategic advice and direct loan workout. Clear Thinking Group helped arrange an out of court settlement with unsecured creditors and increased liquidity and support from the company's secured lender.
Tire Manufacturer: Retained to provide assistance with financial strategy and to recapitalize a $35 million tire manufacturer.
Retailer Sporting Goods: Served as interim senior management for a $600 million sporting goods specialty retailer, while significantly improving merchandising and operating functionality resulting in improved profitability and a strong market position.
Packaged Goods Manufacturer: Retained to assist the company with negotiations with its lender and vendors and to sell the company. Clear Thinking Group assisted the company with its successful sale.
Craft Store Retailer: Retained to assist a $125 million regional craft fabric chain with its out of court financial restructuring. The company's financial sponsor injected an additional $10 million of equity into the company. While the vast majority of unsecured creditors agreed to a 75% write down of their claims.
Convenience Store Retailer: Retained to assist the company in developing a plan of reorganization which ultimately resulted in the sale of this 75 unit convenience store chain as a going concern allowing it to avoid chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.
Book Retailer: Served as financial advisor to a highly leveraged 75 store book retail chain. Clear Thinking Group assisted in reducing vendor payables & bank debt by over 60% and secured a strategic partner for the company to help ensure long term growth and viability.
Metal Stamping Manufacturer: $40 million metal stamping manufacturer in the auto & truck industry. One of our principals was brought in to advise company management on a difficult cash flow situation. Developed annual business plan and budgets that were approved by the bank and the largest creditors. Worked with Company Management to build a business consolidation plan and reduce expenses.
Employment Staffing Company: $175 million annual revenue temporary and permanent employment staffing company. Clear Thinking Group was retained to assist the company in restructuring and reengineering financial operations including managing the process of recruiting financial executives, cash forecasting, budgeting and the development and management of an enhanced credit and collections process. The firm also managed an IT review and implementation as part of the engagement.
Primary Carpet Backing Manufacturer: Sold a primary carpet backing manufacturer to its largest customer. The transaction achieved a 40% premium in purchase price consideration over alternative leveraged buyout scenarios.
Luggage Retailer: Sold a challenged luggage retailer to a strategic buyer, while maximizing value for the credit constituencies.
Computer Peripheral Distributor: Sold a distressed computer peripheral company to a strategic buyer, which will allow the senior lender to achieve maximum recovery.
Compressed Gas & Dry Ice Distributor: Sold one Shareholder's 50% stake in the business to the Company's remaining Shareholders for premium value.
Direct Marketer of Women's Apparel: Sold an iconic catalog and ecommerce business to a private equity fund. This transaction benefited all credit constituents and will allow this iconic brand to revitalize itself.
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Financial Advisory & Restructuring Services / Bankruptcy
Luxury Luggage Retailer: Sold this Luxury Luggage retailer to a strategic buyer as part of the Debtor’s 363 Sale Process, creating one of the world’s largest specialty retail luggage and travel accessories businesses in the nation.
Health & Beauty Manufacturer/ Distributor: Retained to execute a Canadian based health and beauty company's liquidation plan. Clear Thinking Group successfully sold off all the company's assets and recovered 75% of outstanding accounts receivable.
Sporting Goods Retailer: Served as interim COO for a $600 million retailer during its chapter 11 bankruptcy. Clear Thinking Group's efforts let do a 100% recovery for the secured lenders and a small recovery for unsecured creditors.
Athletic Footwear Retailer: Acted as financial advisor to footwear retailer as it attempted to restructure its secured and unsecured debt.
Medical Transportation Provider: Sold a regional medical transportation provider in receivership to strategic buyers in two locations, while maximizing value for the creditors for the estate.
Waste to Energy & Independent Power Producer: Led the divestiture of three cross border non-core business during this company's chapter 11 bankruptcy: the sale of a casino and exhibition center in Argentina and a concessions business in Australia.
Sporting Goods Retailer: Acted as financial advisor to a $160 million retailer during its chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.
Furniture Retailer: Acted as financial advisor to a $25 million revenue family owned furniture and home furnishings retailer during its chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.
Wall Decor Retailer: Acted as the financial advisor to a bankrupt 75 store specialty wall decor retailer.
Apparel Retailer: Retained as debtor's financial advisor to liquidate a $300 million national specialty retail company.
Boot Manufacturer: Advised a $35 million manufacturer of boots during its chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding. Clear Thinking Group assisted the company with its successful emergence from bankruptcy.
Flooring Retailer: A $2.5 billion nationwide specialty flooring retailer and franchiser, filed for bankruptcy in June of 2000. One of our principals was brought in as interim COO, and sold off four franchise business, real estate, and assets as part of an approved liquidation plan. Produced a full recovery for secured parties, and turned over the estate to a trustee in May 2001.
Western Wear Retailer: Sold an underperforming retailer of western wear merchandise to a strategic buyer as part of 3 separate transactions, while maximizing recovery for all creditors.
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Process & Performance Improvement
National Grocery Chain: 500 store supermarket chain with 7 billion in sales. Conducted a detailed financial, business process and technology analysis. From this analysis, developed business process requirements for Vendor on Boarding resulting in selection and implementation of process management tool. Identified process and technology requirements to select a space management application. Analyzed GTIN and EDI standards to manage processes in context of revised workflow. Analyzed result of changes made to the product assortment from Planogramming changes necessary to accommodate revised computer aided ordering.
Clear Thinking Group has recently been hired by them again to assess and manage assortment and space planning opportunities, and help them determine which would be the appropriate direction for the company to take.
Bookstore Chain: Developed and implemented a large scheduling application for a 350 store operation, significantly reducing labor costs while improving productivity.
Off-Price Retailer: West Virginia–based operator of 75 off-price stores. Retained to develop and implement a new merchandising and planning/allocation organization to support needs for future growth, including the addition of more than 25 stores in one year.
Specialty Apparel Retailer: Developed and implemented a plan to reduce distribution center cost by 30%.
Hotel Chain: Developed requirements for an automated workforce management system. Subsequently developed a request for proposal for the workforce management system and assisted client in selecting the system.
Ladies Sportswear Importer: Conducted a review of process improvement opportunities that accounted for a $15 million cost reduction.
Ladies Dress Importer: Assisted in implementing a new ERP system that included distribution, purchasing, production, logistics and design. Interface ERP system to financial systems.
Book Retailer: Developed a labor budgeting tool based on engineered standards to create accurate store budgets that resulted in a 3% reduction in payroll. Conducted a process review of store operations and identified and rolled out new processes to the chain. Assisted in the implementation and rolled out of a new point of sale and back office system.
Food Packaging Company: Performed a process review to develop potential cost saving initiatives to support the marketing and sale of this company to investors.
Denim Importer: Performed financial due diligence for a perspective investor that evaluated financial plans, logistics, operations, imports and customer liability.
Specialty Store: Conducted a review of store operations processes and developed process improvements for merchandise handling processes. Developed an annual budgeting tool.
Specialty Store: Assisted in the configuration of a new point of sale system. Developed rollout plan and trained stores in the new system.
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