The underlying fundamental values of Critical Point Advisors, LLC were founded in 1992. Since that time, the principal of Critical Point Advisors has provided specialized expertise to small and middle market agricultural clients by providing the necessary experience, knowledge and resources to supplement existing management. Client companies should understand their specific businesses and individual markets. Critical Point understands how to supplement, add to that knowledge and create immediate, deliberate positive change. Critical Point Advisors has the expertise to implement and provide responsive, common sense, personal, practical and cost-effective services to small and mid-sized businesses in financial distress or needing severe operational makeovers. Above all - we are problem solvers. Although based in Central Washington State, we have worked with and helped clients from local area, including Oregon and Idaho to international locations and markets.
Qualifications
The principals and associates of Critical Point Advisors, LLC have over 35 years of Senior Management experience, with a heavy emphasis in agriculturally based businesses. This time has been spent providing professional services to assist lenders, creditors, debtors, buyers and owners of businesses in change. Additionally, we maintain senior level contact with a network of regional and local banks, finance companies, and equity funds. We do many times assist in structuring and negotiating take-out financing. Experienced with troubled debt restructures, financially and operationally. We have been instrumental in reorganizing and streamlining the operations, financial, and marketing departments of agricultural businesses. Critical Point Advisors have a proven record of utilizing innovation to meet the challenges of a rapidly growing and changing business environment. The firm representatives continually assesses business conditions and variables for economic and legal ramifications, as well as financial impacts, to ensure that bottom-line operating, sales and finance performance objectives are achieved.
Partial Listing of experience
- Court-appointed receiverships in Washington and Oregon
- Co-Chief Restructuring Officer in Wisconsin
- Various CEO, CRO, President, COO and CFO responsibilities
- Financial Advisory and consultant for businesses leading to and during complete business sales to outside firms including private equity Acquistions.
- Appointed and served as Bankruptcy Court designated Chapter 11 Plan Agent
- Designated as the Responsible Officer as required in loan documents with lenders
- Named President of a company that had complex legal and regulatory issues that presented a severe and immediate threat to the survival of the company
- Various Chapter 11 Bankruptcy responsibilities
- Expert Witness testimony- experience in court matters in both Washington and Oregon.
- Heavy emphasis in business law and real estate property transactions.
- In charge of domestic and international business development, including export sales to over 20 countries
- Negotiated several major restructurings of loans payable to banks, trade creditors and others
- President of agricultural business owned by private equity
- Structuring and negotiating take-out financing
Responsive Services
We recognize that a client's needs or financial distress is immediate. We apply a straightforward common-sense approach to quickly identify a client's unique needs, by reviewing, asking questions, analyzing the clients’ current financial situation, history and the Company’s business goals and objectives. This is performed while recognizing the constraints inherent in an agricultural business environment. Our experience enables us to anticipate the day-to-day issues faced by a business in transition. Critical Point Advisors works quickly to develop practical, effective, cost-effective recommendations to maximize entity value, and enact an initial action plan to relieve the financial distress. We identify the pressing needs of our clients and to directly communicate the recommendations and our findings in a clear and concise manner. Critical Point combines a unique blend of practical thinking, technical and leadership skills to achieve the best solution to the problems.
Cost-effective Services
We understand that a business in financial distress does not need the additional burden of high professional fees. To that end, Critical Point employs innovative, pragmatic strategies and hard work. We recognize that our effectiveness depends greatly on close coordination with our clients and other stakeholders in the effected business. Depending upon the circumstances of the engagement, Critical Point has been willing to work with clients to develop mutually beneficial alternatives to our standard fee structure.
Our involvement ranges from a minor support role to coach management through specifically identified issues, up to and including fully leading all aspects of company operations by serving as the Chief Restructuring Officer, CEO, CFO or another officer position. We similarly have the flexibility to design a fee arrangement that best suits the situation and aligns the interests of the parties, whether that be on an hourly basis, project basis, reduced hourly with a success fee, or an initial retainer plus a success fee.
Types of Businesses Served by Critical Point Advisors, LLC
- Orchard farms- tree fruit - Apples, Pears and Cherries
- Hop growers, picking, drying and baling
- Hay growers
- Dairy farms
- Tree Fruit packing and handling operations
- Row crop farms – (corn, wheat, potatoes, etc.)
- Wine and Concord grape vineyards
- Domestic and International Fruit and Produce sales marketing organizations
- Agricultural Supply Cooperatives
- Agricultural Crop Protection, Fertilizer and Chemical Suppliers
- Agricultural Marketing Cooperatives
- Agricultural Processing Cooperatives
- Ornamental Plant Nurseries
