Navigating The Minefield: transaction disputes, debt restructuring & loan covenant defaults

As a leader in our management consulting group, I’m responsible for delivering high-value technology advisory and transformation services to our middle-market clients, including leading private equity firms. My industry experience includes work in discrete and process manufacturing; CPG; wholesale and retail distribution; software/ technology; industrial business services; and consumer services.

My expertise in technology diligence comes from advising on over 80 middle-market transactions for private equity and corporate buyers, including both buy- and sell-side advisory, carve-outs, and post-merger integration. Within these engagements, I lead the detailed analysis of software architecture, on-premise and cloud infrastructure, technology departments, third-party contracts, and go-forward IT roadmaps.

My project work includes leading digital transformation initiatives for clients to drive business process improvement through modern technology solutions. Example projects include Office of the CFO transformations where I help clients deploy new automation and analytical tools to improve reporting processes and controls.

I’m fortunate to partner with and work alongside other service lines within the firm’s comprehensive technology portfolio in areas such as cloud, data, and security to help clients modernize, transform, and grow. We’re unquestionably at our best as a team when we’re delivering an integrated solution to a client across multiple consulting capabilities.

I’m a member of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) in Chicago and New York. I’m also a mentor-coach at America Needs You (ANY)-Illinois, a nonprofit that provides first-generation college students with career counseling and networking resources. 

I have a B.A. in finance with a specialization in information technology from Michigan State University and an M.S. in information systems (MSIS) from Northwestern University.

As a senior manager in the firm’s forensic and valuation services group, I consider myself a “jack-of-all-trades" when it comes to working with my clients on accounting, data anomaly, and transaction-related issues. Whether the matter involves a forensic investigation into allegations of accounting fraud, a legal dispute over accounting-related issues, or a post-close purchase price adjustment dispute, I work closely with all my clients to understand their needs and develop a custom response.

I’m proud of the collective expertise and experience possessed within our firm’s forensic team, which allows us to assist clients of all types, sizes, and industries with accounting fraud and any related disputes they face.

Accounting fraud and dispute-related issues can be a stressful and upsetting experience for our clients dealing with the event fallout. I consider it a privilege to be able to partner with our clients and use my experiences in this area to successfully work through and resolve their ordeals. 

I have a M.A. accounting degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Fun fact: In between raising my three sons with my wife Molly, I’m an avid sports fan, who enjoys supporting the Green Bay Packers and any University of Wisconsin Badger athletic team.

Jake Steslicki is a Vice President at PMCF's Chicago office and is a member of the firm’s Consumer, Food & Retail team. He has more than six years of investment banking experience advising clients buy side and sell side M&A advisory, shareholder recapitalizations, leveraged and management buyouts, and the private placement of senior and subordinated debt. Jake’s clients include domestic and international privately-held businesses, publicly-listed companies, and private equity groups. Prior to joining PMCF, Jake worked as an Analyst at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., where he focused on the business and technology sector. He is currently on the board of an early-stage tech startup, serving as a business consultant and financial advisor. Jake earned a BBA from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and an MBA with a major in finance from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Jake is a licensed securities representative holding his Series 82 and 63 registrations.

As the leader of the Chicago restructuring and transformation practice, I help lighten the burdens of stakeholders who are facing difficult business decisions. My client base spans all sectors within the middle market. No matter the organization’s industry focus, I guide its decision-makers toward better times using a practical, results-driven approach. I specialize in restructuring, cash flow projections and liquidity management, profitability improvement, and insolvency.

My clients appreciate the fact that I know just how much a company’s distress can affect its stakeholders. I strive to outperform expectations, and I always bring both a professional and a compassionate mindset to an engagement.

I believe that a career in restructuring finds you. I previously worked for a large startup technology company that filed for bankruptcy in 2001, and I was retained by the trustee to assist with the liquidation. I found the process fascinating — and the rest, as they say, is history.

I belong to the AICPA, the Illinois CPA Society, the Turnaround Management Association, the Association for Corporate Growth, and the Association of Insolvency & Restructuring Advisors. I graduated from The University of Texas at Austin and also attended Northwestern University, where I focused my studies on accounting.

A good day for me begins with a six-mile (or longer) run. I also love to travel and follow my favorite sports teams, including the Dallas Cowboys. I spend most of my free time with my wife; our three children; and Marley, our six-pound Shih Tzu.

Fun fact: I love to travel, and on my last trip to South Africa, where I was born, I went cage diving with Great White sharks.  I have always been fascinated by Great Whites and to finally see them up close and in person was a dream come true for me.

Kim is a Managing Director in BMO Bank’s Special Asset Group and is the Head of ABL International Lending for BMO.  In Special Assets, she is a team lead of professionals who work on distressed loans from both the Commercial Bank and Capital Markets.  Kim’s team works to rehabilitate the account and repatriate it back to the originating line of business.  Kim is also responsible for structuring cross border transactions for middle and large corporate clients and equity sponsored companies throughout the U.S. and Europe. 

Kim joined the Special Assets team in 2019 and has worked on many restructurings, bankruptcies and 363 sales over her tenure.  Prior to joining Special Assets, Kim was part of Asset-Based Lending Group at BMO.  She has over 25 years of experience in corporate finance and distressed lending with experience in a broad range of industries including industrial products, metals, food and consumer, and retail and general distribution.  Prior to joining BMO Bank’s Asset Based Lending Group, Kim was a Vice President in the Special Assets Group at BMO Harris for five years.  Kim received her MBA in Finance from Loyola University and a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Valparaiso University.