Manufacturing

Processed Plastics Manufacturer
A ForteCEO executive helped grow a struggling manufacturer of plastic toys from $25 million to $85 million, largely through organic growth.

He then led the merger of the company with a competitor, bringing two different cultures together, and creating an innovative, new organization. Providing hands-on leadership, the ForteCEO executive led the deal negotiation, refinancing of $27.5 million of debt, consolidation of factories and development of a new business plan to create several million dollars of additional working capital.

Under the interim executive’s involvement, manufacturing deals were negotiated internationally, including China. Through sales force management and territory analysis he merged sales organizations and retained support of key customers such as Wal-Mart and other major toy retailers.

Power Equipment Manufacturer
A manufacturer of power equipment struggled with performance issues, strategic focus, inventory control and marketing tactics. The owner engaged a ForteCEO executive, with nearly 40 years’ experience in leading manufacturing businesses to assist with growth and renewal. As a result the company grew from $20 million to a $35 million customer-focused, motivated, high-performance competitor.

Results included strengthening new business operations, increasing market share in “Big Box” retail channels and instituting new sales, building marketing and promotions plans, increasing dealer sales by more than 30 percent and “Big Box” sales by more than 300 percent.

To improve operational standards and performance, the interim leader incorporated an MBO-management philosophy and established improvement policies and procedures; these changes plus reorganized operations improved margins, reduced A/R aging levels and increased whole goods fill rates to more than 98 percent.

Construction

Commercial-Industrial Builder
The developer of a 1 million sq. ft. mixed use site struggled with site development costs, ordinance complications and other challenges. A ForteCEO executive with 20 years’ experience in leading commercial-industrial development helped bring the project in on time, on budget and to client-partner satisfaction.

The ForteCEO executive designed and implemented better pro forma models and pricing structures for project infrastructure, construction and lease-out/sales scenarios. The executive kept hands-on involvement with engineers and contractors throughout planning and construction phases through final acceptances. In addition, the executive’s comprehensive feasibility, planning and creative design solutions helped the developer lower project infrastructure costs and wetlands impact. By challenging long-accepted ordinance interpretations he saved the developer nearly $750,000 in fees.

General Contractor-Project Management Firm
Leveraging the negotiation and owner representation experiences of a ForteCEO executive with 40 years’ experience in general contracting, a construction methods and contracting firm gained new business from a major construction firm and its subcontractors, including a 20,000 sq. ft. suburban office park and a $10 million renovation of an area college.

The executive’s experience also helped the client resolve pending litigation and arbitration matters that were hindering its success. Furthermore, by designing and developing construction project analysis and accounting systems and directly preparing and managing the preparation of all estimates, the executive helped the client save money, better leverage resources, and better meet timeline obligations by providing sharper focus on cost estimating; project logistics; claim analysis, preparation and negotiation; construction contracts and legal relationships; and, financial analysis and management.

Energy, Mining and Utilities

Diversified Oil Field Services Company
A ForteCEO executive with 36 years’ experience in energy company management, as interim president of a diversified oil field services company, helped lead a turnaround that enhanced revenues and profitability by consolidating production facilities, renegotiating customer contracts and re-instilling greater focus on individual market segments.

By implementing Lean processes to identify and eliminate non-value-add activities on an enterprise level, throughput improved and waste was reduced.

Additional efficiency gains achieved for the company by the ForteCEO interim executive include his analysis of and recommendation that an enterprise resource planning system be installed. As a result, inventory control was improved, back office administration streamlined and head count reduced by 25 percent.

Under the interim president’s leadership, the company re-branded its legacy products, rationalized product lines and redefined distribution channels.

Global Industrial Chemicals and Services Company
Under the direction of a ForteCEO executive, with 27 years' leadership experience, a global chemicals and services company achieved stronger bottom line results, including pragmatic innovations that jump-started $200 million in initiatives, plans and worldwide technical support for the company’s new products.

Charged with leading the company’s worldwide marketing, the ForteCEO executive helped lead a worldwide outsourcing exploration of the company’s product lines, and developed strategies for improved resource allocation, branding, market research, and identification of improved global pricing structures. These changes resulted in $35 million additional profit to the company’s bottom line.

Financial, Insurance and Diversified Services

Capital Management and Consulting Firm
With 26 years’ experience in banking and financial services, a ForteCEO interim CEO for a capital management firm introduced strategic planning processes, a systematic focus on high growth and the application of new technology to create a leading edge firm.

The interim executive helped the firm negotiate a capital structure with Principals. He then established a functioning board of directors and better defined key management roles and responsibilities.

For the firm’s clients, the ForteCEO executive advised a portfolio company facing insolvency and developed strategies to turn around its earnings and operating performance and return the portfolio company to profitability within one year.

Retail Bank Division
A ForteCEO executive, as interim senior vice president for the retail banking group of a major regional bank, helped increase deposit and loan balances by 9 percent and 16 percent respectively year-over-year and improved return on book of business from 1.67 percent to 1.84 percent in one year.

The interim executive doubled the bank’s retail and business checking account sales through increased sales management; he reduced checking account attrition by three percent in one year through improved customer contact, increased managerial involvement and focus on quality metrics.

By implementing new sales management models, sales activities increased, customer service improved and customer attrition was reduced. By installing a new integrated branch shopping program he was able to help the bank reduce service failures.

Health Care

Drug Development Services Company
As an interim international business development executive for a drug development services company to major pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, a ForteCEO executive helped the company expand its regional markets.

The executive identified new sites and negotiated more than $4 million in state and local incentives. Through his leadership of a due diligence team for the potential acquisition of $100 million of new business, he identified valuation and strategic fit issues and recommended the deal not be consummated.

He also developed a market penetration strategy for China and set up in-country partners and joint venture discussion opportunities.

In addition, the ForteCEO executive, helped to secure more than $1 million in state government incentives from tax incremental funding districts.

Hospitality

Hotels Owner and Operator
As the interim CEO of a $50 million hotel group, this ForteCEO executive with 35 years’ experience in the industry helped guide this resorts-focused company to consistently better-than-plan financial results and helped this group turn a multi-million dollar annual loss into a profitable operation.

By leveraging years of industry expertise and contacts, he helped the company successfully turn around two trouble properties and developed a third that contributed to the hotelier‘s regained profitability.

He also was able to provide the firm with improved results through better partnerships with its banks, outside counsel, and legal, accounting and public relations firms. He worked with and established measurable goals with facility purchasing, personnel, central reservations and non-hotel operating divisions, including restaurants, gift shops and travel agencies, to further improve results and guest satisfaction.

Restaurant/Gourmet Market Operator
A ForteCEO executive, with 20 years’ industry experience, helped a restaurant chain develop a highly successful gourmet restaurant format and open in several key markets. The executive developed menus, marketing plans and materials and franchising concepts.

This interim executive also helped the high-volume restaurant chain design kitchens and dining rooms for better work and customer flow.

He worked with industry contacts and organized investment groups for taking the concept into additional markets and then negotiated the financing of real estate for expansion stores, in addition to hiring and training management staff.

Information Technology and Communications

e-Commerce Strategies for Fast Food Enterprise
Working with a major fast food enterprise as interim integrated logistics, supply chain and e-commerce director, this ForteCEO executive helped develop web-based sales, product mix and margin analysis tools that the company now uses to track product sales, forecast demand, and facilitate production and distribution decisions across the enterprise.

In addition, the executive helped to convert multiple distribution centers from proprietary enterprise resource planning software to a common platform and helped to develop and implement a supply chain information systems strategy that allowed all supply chain partners with web-based access to daily sales, inventory, in-transits and promotional plans.

CIO, Holding Company
A ForteCEO executive with 30+ years of experience in information technology, worked as an interim CIO for a holding company operating several hundred health salons here and in Europe. He converted an outdated batch-processing operation to a flexible online environment and moved resource center applications and data bases to an ASP model.

Other results achieved for this client include the planning,  development and installation of a web-based system to support client flow, a new customer relationship management application, and the installation of point-of-sale functions via the web for sales audit, sales analysis, price management and workflow.

Professional, Scientific & Technical Services

Consulting Practice
A ForteCEO executive with nearly 40 years’ experience in professional services worked with the owner to help a consulting practice, specializing in decision support and service-based solutions, develop a more effective sales organization.

New solution-selling approaches were implemented, along with an initiative to refocus the company and its marketing on core competencies.

This was supported by changed in marketing strategies, branding and business planning - that together increased total fee revenues by $5 million in two years.

Market Research Firm
As interim CEO for a firm specializing in market research and customer satisfaction measurement, this ForteCEO executive helped this fledgling company grow to one of the largest firms of its type in the country.

By establishing core principles of continuous service excellence and fostering an internal culture of candor and honesty, this executive led the company to award-winning recognition for excellence.

This executive also helped attractively position the company for sale and then successfully guided transition of the firm to its new owners.

Real Estate

High-End Home Builder
As interim CFO for a luxury home builder, this ForteCEO executive helped negotiate and obtain multi-million dollar, multi-source funding for a major condominium development.

This executive also helped the owner identify and correct margin slippage and other profit erosion to help the firm achieve best-ever year-end margin and profit.

Working with outside counsel, the executive helped to refinance construction loans to protect owners in partnerships with outside investors and they developed and implemented a corporate structure to meet requirements of liability protection and tax planning.

Project Finance and Mortgage Lender
As interim president for a real estate consulting firm, this ForteCEO executive with 30-plus years' experience in the commercial and residential real estate industry led this client to improved profitability.

This growth and profit improvement was achieved by helping the company with its strategy development and review, and by changes to the capital structure and their risk assessment and management services.

This resulted in redefining the company’s customer mix and product portfolio, while reducing its risk exposure. The result increasing revenues and profitability.

Working with the REITs, top real estate industry principals, corporations and other investing groups also helped to position this client firm as a national real estate business with nearly 200 employees in seven offices across the U.S.

Retail

Multi-Channel Home Accessories
This ForteCEO executive with 26 years’ experience in operating and managing retail operations, as president and CEO for a national multi-channel retailer of home accessories, helped grow this small, closely held business into an 18-store, high-profile national operation.

By broadening this retailer's customer appeal, developing business plans and implementing financial controls to support this initiative – as well recruiting the right management and support systems – this ForteCEO executive helped to establish this company as a leading lifestyle brand.

To differentiate the company in the marketplace and improve its competitive edge, the executive spearheaded market positioning and branding efforts and helped strengthen its traditional channels, retail, and expand into catalog and Internet sales as well.

The executive’s focus on bringing improvement throughout the organization improved inventory turn-over and gross margin, as well as the company’s key relationships with financial institutions and vendors.

Retail Buying Group
By improving vendor relations and its public relations messages to key audiences, this ForteCEO executive helped lead a retail member-owned buying group to exceptional customer service and high sales profitability per location for its members.

Acting as interim COO, this executive provided the leadership that grew sales by 180 percent and advanced new-product, first-year market share to more than 20 percent through strategic positioning of vendor partners.

Transportation

Logistics and Distribution
As interim vice president of operations for a major trucking firm, this ForteCEO executive helped improve firm’s profit by 14 percent by addressing client issues and renegotiated contracts with more than 500 carrier agents.

Through improvements in business volume from the existing customer base, the executive also helped to increase revenue by 8 percent.

The client also benefited from the implementation of a new IT solution for logistics and warehousing control, and a smaller information technology staff. Other results included a 9 percent improvement in on-time delivery performance and a $35 million savings in overall distribution costs.