Distressed Companies in a Distressed Market

Joe’s experience is concentrated in debtor advisory work managing and operating distressed businesses as a Chief Restructuring Officer, Chief Financial Officer, President, Director, Financial Advisor, Interim Manager and also in a variety of fiduciary capacities as Chapter 11 Trustee, Chapter 7 Trustee, Receiver, Assignee for the Benefit of Creditors, Liquidating Representative, Designated Party, Plan Agent, Liquidating Agent and Plan Trustee.

Mr. Luzinski began his accounting career in a manufacturing organization, concentrating on cost accounting and also worked as a financial controller of a computer software developer.

Mr. Luzinski won M&A Advisor’s Annual Turnaround Award for his work on HearUSA, Inc. in 2012, and again in 2013 for his work on Ruden McClosky, P.A.  Additionally, Mr. Luzinski has been recognized as a Top Financial Professional by the South Florida Legal Guide for each year from 2012 through 2015.

James Cassel, chairman and co-founder of Cassel Salpeter & Co., is an investment banker who uses his unique experience as a dealmaker and attorney to guide clients and help them achieve their goals.

Focused on representing middle-market companies, Jim has successfully negotiated, structured, and executed a broad spectrum of transactions including mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, corporate and transactional financings, and public offerings for clients nationwide and worldwide. Having developed a keen understanding of the issues faced and alternatives available for distressed companies, he has particular experience in developing financial restructuring plans, negotiating with creditors, and guiding debtors through bankruptcy proceedings.

Nationally recognized for his investment banking expertise, Jim frequently lectures on timely issues related to middle-market investment banking.

Before founding Cassel Salpeter & Co., Jim was co-founder and chairman of Capitalink, an investment banking firm that was acquired by Ladenburg Thalmann & Co., a New York Stock Exchange member firm where Jim continued and served as vice chairman, senior managing director, and head of investment banking. He also was chairman of a significant company that owned hospitals.

Jim is a former board member and president of the South Florida Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth. He is also a former advisory board member of the University of Miami’s “The Launch Pad” business incubator program for entrepreneurs. He has served on the executive committee of Broad and Cassel, one of Florida’s largest law firms, and also served on the board of Equity One (NYSE:EQY). He has been a member of the American Association of Arbitrators, National Investment Banking Association and the NASD Board of Arbitrators. He also writes a column for The Miami Herald about emerging trends and strategies and tactics for middle-market business owners.

Jim received a bachelor’s degree in 1976 from American University, in Washington, D.C., and a law degree in 1979 from the University of Miami School of Law, in Miami. He is a member of the New York and Florida Bar Associations.

Jeff has been practicing insolvency law for more than 25 years. He represents clients on bankruptcy and bankruptcy avoidance, emphasizing corporate reorganization, workouts, creditors’ rights, and commercial litigation both in and out of bankruptcy court. He also provides insolvency-related transactional advice and has extensive experience with all aspects of bankruptcy sales and acquisitions. Jeff represents corporate and individual debtors, shareholders, trustees, receivers, indenture trustees and creditors’ committees, as well as secured and unsecured creditors in complex workouts, reorganizations, and liquidations.

Jeff completed two bankruptcy judicial clerkships in Texas and Florida. He practiced law in the restructuring groups at two international law firms, where he was elevated to equity partner. In 2008, Jeff left the big firm life to start his own practice. In 2009, he founded Bast Amron LLP with his partner Brett Amron. The firm is now widely recognized as one of South Florida’s top boutique firms delivering sophisticated advice to an array of clients with complex commercial disputes.

Jeff is a Director in the Transaction Services practice and leads the Financial Due Diligence group for Daszkal Bolton. He specializes in producing Quality of Earnings reports in support of buy and sell-side M&A transactions and other capital raising activity.

Prior to joining the firm, Jeff worked as a Senior Manager in the Deals Advisory practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in their Chicago, Illinois office. He has extensive experience in financial due diligence across a broad range of transaction scenarios including assisting private equity clients with platform and add-on acquisitions, divesting of portfolio companies at the end of the intended hold period, and dividend recapitalizations, as well as assisting corporate clients with strategic buy outs and carve-out divestitures. Jeff has performed financial due diligence on targets across all industries including manufacturing, distribution, software, business services, healthcare, and infrastructure with an enterprise value range from $10 million to $3 billion. Prior to his time with PwC, Jeff was a senior associate in the investment banking practice of UHY Corporate Finance in Detroit, MI, focused on sell-side M&A advisory for manufacturing and service businesses within the automotive industry supply chain.

Jeff obtained a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Florida State University. He is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in Florida and Illinois. Jeff is a member of the American and Florida Institutes of Certified Public Accountants, and the Illinois CPA Society.