Chris Traxler, CEO, Door Pro America
Michael came to Door Pro America as interim CFO after our CFO announced his retirement. This was a time of uncertainty for us as we needed to find a replacement for a position that had not changed in 20+ years. Bringing Michael on board during our search was an outstanding decision. Michael led us through the reporting requirements after we were acquired by a private equity firm. His knowledge and incredible communication skills allowed us to make a seamless transition. He quickly saw opportunities and new ways to focus on key initiatives within our organization. He was instrumental in helping the company achieve GAAP compliance, develop financial reporting and budgeting capabilities, cash management and forecasting processes, and assisted in hiring the right full-time CFO for our company. Michael is a talented senior executive with valuable business and strategic financial experience that enables him to provide critical guidance to CEOs and board members, while adding contributions to the entire organization.
Dean Rurak, CEO, Marolina Outdoor
Michael served as our Interim CFO and brought leadership and structure to our Finance and Accounting organization. Michael’s unique set of skills allowed him to step into the role and add value immediately. Michael was able to identify the needs of the organization and to make a stable financial reporting cadence. He understood how I looked at numbers and was able to put financials in front of me in a logical manner. He quickly fit into the company’s culture and was able to work with all cross-functional partners as he gained a very quick understanding of the company.
Francois Lacombe, CEO, Pacific Consolidated Industries, LLC
Michael joined PCI Gases as interim CFO after our recently hired CFO had resigned. In a very short period of time, he managed to remotivate the finance team and refine our cash forecast process. He then led the successful upgrade of our ERP system and launched next year’s budget process. As I was hired as the new CEO of PCI, he greatly facilitated my integration with the company and its Board of Directors. Michael also handled bank relations in a tense environment. On top of his financial expertise, Michael has an excellent business sense and can adapt very quickly to any business environment. His work ethic, rigor, dedication, and attention to details are second to none. And his superior sense of humor was greatly appreciated by all. He has left the PCI finance department, and the company as a whole, in a much better shape than what it was when he joined. I highly recommend him as a senior interim leader.
Peter Lennox, CEO, Lacerta Group
I am proud to say I had the pleasure of working with Michael. Michael stepped into a very challenging situation that needed a financial leader to quickly stabilize the team and improve the monthly financial reporting of the business. Lacerta, a family-owned business had recently been acquired by private equity and needed immediate help to support the business while the company looked for a permanent CFO. Michael successfully provided financial visibility and analysis to help us understand the business and begin to make data driven business decisions while providing a steady hand to managing a team under significant pressure. I can confidently say that the entire team at Lacerta appreciated Michael’s leadership during his stay here at Lacerta.
Curt Crofford, Managing Director, Hicks Equity Partners
Michael served as the interim CFO of a portfolio company during a turbulent time that could scarcely have had a higher degree of difficulty: operational difficulties, a bank negotiation, a CEO change, a controller resignation, a liquidity crunch and a not easy audit process – and all of that was before the economic difficulties set off by a global pandemic, most notably in this company’s primary end markets of oil and gas and commercial aerospace. Michael impressed me with his ability to quickly understand the situation, to integrate into the team and to take on a leadership role that was badly needed. He helped shore up liquidity by managing working capital, he assisted in securing a sizable PPP loan, he secured a meaningful amount of equipment financing, he communicated operating metrics to key constituents, including the bank, he filled in for the then-departed controller and CEO and he assisted in negotiating loan amendments that allowed us “to live to fight another day”. In short, he was just outstanding, and I highly recommend him for your portfolio company needs. If he can thrive in a situation as difficult as the one our portfolio company faced, I think he’s up for just about any task.
George Benson, Operating Partner, The Riverside Company
Michael joined H-D Advanced Manufacturing as interim CFO at a challenging time. The company was already facing a business decline prior to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic which had a further direct impact on the energy and air transportation customer bases for the company. It was clear that Michael had been in this situation before – he was unflappable in establishing strong relationships across the company’s five business units, with the corporate team and with the private equity sponsors. With an ability to see the “big picture”, Michael was instrumental in guiding debt restructuring discussions. At the same time, he immersed himself in critical details and greatly enhanced the liquidity of the business through his efforts. Michael demonstrated a tireless work ethic and unstinting loyalty to H-D even as he managed through the departure of key corporate executives – and for that we are grateful. Michael is a trusted advisor to The Riverside Company as this is his third assignment as interim CFO for one of the firm’s portfolio companies and I look forward to working with Michael in the future.
John Sypek, President & CEO, AWP, Inc
Michael served as our interim CFO during the last quarter of the year and first 6 weeks of the new year—a critical time for any company. He immediately demonstrated his tenacious, results-driven approach and deep experience by jumping wholeheartedly into year-end close, finalizing our budget for the coming year, and preparing for our annual audit. Michael is uniquely prepared to assist companies with an immediate need for senior-level financial leadership; he brings an astute financial mind to each opportunity, readily assimilates to the corporate cultural landscape, instills confidence in key stakeholders, takes the time to educate his teammates, and drives meaningful results in short order. He has a tremendously strong work ethic and is painstakingly attentive to the relevant details. We are thankful for Michael being a big part of our process improvement culture and genuinely having everyone’s best interests at heart.
Arnav Dalmia, CEO, Fitness Cubed, Inc. (d/b/a Cubii)
Michael was instrumental in helping us transform from a startup to a well-rounded business ensuring key financial and business processes were in place. At a time when the business was growing rapidly, Michael helped us ensure that the financial operations of the company continued to grow at the same pace. Whether it was an ERP implementation, expansion of the team or preparation for a capital raise, Michael helped us ensure that we were always on top of our game.
Brad Roberts, Partner, The Riverside Company.
Michael’s extensive experience and breadth of management capabilities enable him to be a valuable contributor across key business functions. As an Interim CFO, he proved to be a versatile and strategic-minded leader for our business. Michael embraces issues and people with the utmost professionalism and a consistently thoughtful, level-headed approach. These qualities allow him to fit into teams – and drive improvements – quickly.
Girisha Chandraraj, CEO, Elite Sportswear.
Michael served as our Interim CFO and brought leadership and structure to our Finance and Accounting organization. Michael’s unique set of skills allowed him to step into the role and add value immediately. What sets Michael apart is his combination of experience, intelligence and complete dedication to the work and the company. He quickly fit into the company’s culture while introducing a set of disciplines and processes that improved our organization. I could not imagine having this experience work out any better and am deeply appreciative of his many contributions.
Michael Kazma, President & CEO, Amzak Capital Management (Marbles Holdings, LLC)
Michael brought to Marbles the broad vision of a seasoned executive and the attention to detail of a public company CFO. He focused management’s attention on key leverage points of the business and attacked key cost variables, achieving substantial savings for the company. We will work together again.
Adrianne B. Furniss, President & CEO, Public Media, Inc./HomeVision
To restore our distribution company to sound financial footing in the face of a dynamic media environment, we required a strategist, an operations expert, and a family therapist. Michael excelled at all three roles!
Steve Mitchell, CEO, Lester B Knight
Michael managed our entire sales process including providing key leadership during tough negotiations as we drove to the close. He saved us money on the process while at the same time assuring that we had a fair, market valuation that all parties were happy with – this proved to be the key to a successful transition of ownership where our professional services team members felt protected in the sale and the buyer knew he was getting a team that would continue to function at a high level following the sale.
Jerry Buccino, Founder and CEO, Buccino & Associates
As a Managing Director of Buccino & Associates, Michael managed some of our more complex client matters. He has an innate ability to get to the heart of the issues quickly and institute steps to improve cash flows and profitability. When required he has recapitalized client balance sheets and/or led successful mergers or sale of the enterprise.