Our Team

Managing Director
George P. Blanco
CIRA

George Blanco has more than 25 years of senior executive and consulting experience in financial and operational management high growth and financially distressed companies. His crisis and turnaround management experience includes operational and financial restructuring, cost reduction programs, reorganizations in bankruptcy, negotiations with lenders and creditors, and capital sourcing.
In addition to chief restructuring officer (“CRO”) roles, he also has served as CFO of a public company and CEO of a telecommunications provider.

George is a Certified Insolvency and Restructuring Advisor (“CIRA”), having served more than 12 years in the Big 4 accounting and consulting firm environment. In his 30 years of consulting and senior-level experience, he has served as partner and managing director in consulting, financial advisory and the corporate recovery practices of PricewaterhouseCoopers and AlixPartners.

George is experienced in manufacturing plant consolidations, supply chain/logistics, management business process re-engineering, operational restructuring, financial and manufacturing systems implementation, post-acquisition integration and working capital improvement for both middle-market and “Fortune 500” companies across multiple industries.

His experience includes:

• Cost reduction programs and operational restructuring for Allergan International, Tosco Corporation, Maxon Corporation, ARCO AM/PM, Unocal/76 Products, Technicolor, Warner Home Video, Haagen-Dazs, IHOP, Giorgio of Beverly Hills, Smitty’s Super Value, Discount Tire Centers, MARS Candy/Ethel M. Chocolates and USC University Bookstore.
• Out-of-court restructuring of multiple middle market retailers – grocery, apparel, furniture and consumer goods – including four-wall profit optimization, store closings, merchandise management, information technology data optimization and negotiations with all parties-in-interest.
• Profit improvement and out-of-court restructuring assignments for numerous manufacturing, technology and distribution companies that included supply chain management, logistics, product line rationalization and plant consolidations.
• Restructuring advisor to construction-related companies ranging from $70 million to more than $1.5 billion in revenue including cost management, project analysis, bonding arrangements, asset sales and negotiations with all parties-in-interest to improve recoveries and successful restructurings. Companies include Dillingham Construction, CalMat, Morrison Knudsen, Builders Trade Source Corporation, Tosco (refinery turnaround process) and the Los Angeles Community College District.
• Bankruptcy and cash management healthcare engagements for Vista Health System, Daniel Freeman Hospital, Grady Memorial Hospital and the Arizona Healthcare Cost Containment System.
• Advisor to and executive for numerous companies involving change management leading to improved profitability and/or business refinancing.

Other assignments include:

• CEO of a telecommunications company through Chapter 11 reorganization subsequently leading to new product development and launches.
• Restructuring advisor to $1.1 billion revenue Read-Rite Corporation and its secured lender in sale of the business.
• Chief Restructuring Advisor to $1.5 billion revenue worldwide Dillingham Construction, involving five divisions covering commercial, road/infrastructure, and residential construction with international operations.
• Chief Restructuring Advisor to Second Chance Body Armor, $100 million revenue manufacturer of body armor for the U.S. military and police agencies worldwide.
• Integration and restructuring of $1.5 billion revenue Bayway Refining Company, a 200,000 barrel-per-day refinery that increased production capacity 110% with reduced headcount of 25%.
• Restructuring advisor to Conlins Furniture, a regional midwest retailer with $70 million in annual sales, resulting in a successful refinancing.
• Chief Restructuring Advisor to Bordiers Nurseries, $60 million revenue nursery wholesaler with operations throughout Southern California.

George has been interviewed or quoted in:

• Fox Business Network, May 26, 2010 interview with television commentator Brian Sullivan.
• Time Magazine, May 24, 2010 regarding “Municipal Bonds: The Next Financial Land Mine?”
• Wall Street Journal, December 3, 2008, “Retail Insolvencies Expected to Rise in the New Year.”
• Los Angeles Business Journal, February 25, 2008 and March 24, 2008 involving access to capital markets.
• San Francisco Business Journal, March 25, 2008 involving Red Envelope and retail Chapter 11 filings.
• Business Journal of Phoenix. March 21, 2008 involving the mortgage industry crisis.
• Richmond Times Dispatch, November 9, 2008 involving the Circuit City Chapter 11 filing.

George’s involvement with the Turnaround Management Association (“TMA”) includes:

• Current Southern California TMA board member and vice president.
• TMA Western Regional conference panel speaker on “Finding Hidden Treasure in Turbulent Seas,” July, 2010 and “The Troubled Loan Workout Process – Expert Insight in a Challenging Market,” Dec., 2008.
• “Finding Hidden Treasure in Turbulent Seas,” panel speaker, TMA Western Regional conference, July, 2010.
• “The Troubled Loan Workout Process – Expert Insight in a Challenging Market,” panel speaker, TMA Western Regional conference, Dec., 2008.

Similarly, as a Certified Insolvency and Restructuring Advisor, George’s involvement with the Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Advisors includes serving on the 2010, 2009 and 2008 annual AIRA conference planning committees.

He was a panel speaker for AIRA annual events “Best Practice Issues in Operations,” June 2008 and “Financial Advisors Toolbox – Turnaround Tools,” June 2005.

George has also spoken at events of the California / Los Angeles / Orange County  Bankruptcy Forums, including “Economic Trends,” Orange County Bankruptcy Forum, May, 2010 and “Industry and Economic Trends,” Los Angeles Bankruptcy Forum, April, 2010.

His presentations on business law issues include “Business Restructuring Strategies,” for the Middle Market Business Law Section in Scottsdale, January, 2009;  and “The New Reorganization – Buying and Selling Troubled Companies – Bad is Good, Worse is Better,” Los Angeles County Bar Association, March, 2009.

George has taught classes in Total Quality Management and participated on numerous panels involving operational restructuring and profitability improvement. In addition to being a CIRA, he earned his MBA in finance from the UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management and his BA in economics and accounting from Claremont McKenna College.

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