Overview
I’m pretty much retired these days, but most of my former life was in executive leadership and corporate finance. I like small to medium sized businesses – especially startups, turnarounds, and high-growth companies. I’m no stranger to finance and accounting, and I’m pretty decent at creating strategies to drive revenue, accelerate cash flow, minimize non-core operating expenses, and navigate lender and investor relationships.
I started out with Price Waterhouse (now PwC) – Houston. After public accounting, I held several C-level positions with finance and operations oversight. More recently, and prior to retirement, I was an early stage investor and CxO consultant to several small family-owned companies. In each situation, these companies had extraordinary growth potential, but needed growth capital and experienced executive leadership (i.e., adult supervision…).
Business Highlights
Alpine Advisory Group (2014 to Present)
Managing director of a boutique consulting practice that specializes in growth management, turnarounds, and the sale or recapitalization of small to middle market companies.
Charlotte’s Web Holdings, Inc. – CxO Advisor (TSX: CWEB; OTCQX: CWBHF) (2014 to October 2018)
Assisted in taking Charlotte’s Web from an early stage family start-up to a publicly-traded company. Involvement touched all aspects of the business – strategy, team development, sales & marketing, finance, and family business transition management.
Westone Laboratories (CEO from 2006-2013; CFO/COO from 2001-2004)
Assumed leadership of this successful family business in 2006 after serving as CFO/COO.
- Spearheaded a reinvention of a nascent product segment into a premium category that delivered substantial growth (>$10M ARR) from a new customer base. Without this, the company would not have been marketable.
- Led the company through a successful private equity transaction. This was a complicated deal with multiple second generation family members (and spouses…🙃).
Various Real Estate Project Development Entities – 2005
This was a one-year “leave” from Westone to help a local developer.
- Assisted in divestiture of joint venture interests due to strong market conditions and partner philosophy differences.
- Recognized early signs of a market top, and embarked on a strategy to “bulk sell” a 2,000 acre undeveloped land parcel in late 2005. Timing was good…we all know what happened in 2008. Admittedly, this was part sound business judgement and part luck on our part.
Schuck Corporation – CFO – 1998 – 2001
Assisted regional real estate development company in financial and operations responsibilities. Company had a substantial investment in raw and partially-developed real estate, but was cash-poor.
- Encouraged ownership to embark on an urgent but orderly divestiture program to raise capital.
- Structured a complicated tri-party $11.4M bond financing for the InterQuest freeway interchange.
- Active involvement in sale of the InterQuest mixed-use project to a private investment group.
Sugarland Properties – VP-Finance
Full financial responsibilities for the developer of First Colony, a 10,000 acre master planned community in Southwest Houston.
Price Waterhouse – Houston
Corporate audit, with client mix focused on small business, oil and gas, construction and health care products.