Don Koller Email & Phone Number

Ladera Ranch, Ca, Us

Ladera Ranch, California, United States

Southern California

Joining Newport LLC’s Southern California practice, bringing to Newport a solid background as a serial CEO adept in the consumer products space, principally the food industry. History of providing leadership with successful results in middle-market turnarounds as well as start-up and restart environments.Highly skilled in collaborating and mediating with senior management and private equity investors in M&A transactions and post-merger integration, Established record of maximizing shareholder value for consumer product, consumable export, distribution, supply chain, manufacturing, retail and food services companies.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Consulting with retail, wholesale, consumer products, consumer services, food service, manufacturing companies in turnaround, start up and turnaround situations. Expert in leading companies through Chapter 7, Chapter 11 bankruptcy situations, generating new revenue streams and new business channels. Served as consultant to companies including Malt-O-Meal, Procter & Gamble, Old Home Foods, Stratmar, and Premium, Retail Services

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Hired as a turnaround consultant to previous company, First Products Inc., in which 225 investors had lost $8.5M over four years. As CEO, provided leadership to enable emergence from Chapter 7, allowing existing shareholders to re-invest in new company. Organized business to leverage an opportunity to purchase certain assets, including intellectual property, to facilitate development of proprietary shelf-stable bakery goods for the food industry.• Obtained $1.8M in initial private funding to support company startup, business development, marketing, and manufacturing functions.• Generated new customers, secured purchase orders from nine national and regional retail and wholesale chains by introducing improved products and new marketing concepts.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Hired as CEO to lead this $20M business providing merchandising services to the retail industry. Challenged to grow the company without further investment and position the company to sell for maximum return. Conducted a detailed organizational analysis and identified three major issues: over-dependence on a single customer (90% of revenue), the need for a technology platform to support existing and future business, and the need to provide better direction to staff. Sourced 15 potential M&A candidates and conducted extensive structuring analysis.

Greater Los Angeles Area

Hired as CEO and President to grow a 50-year-old global distributor, which served Asia and the South Pacific and had been struggling and unprofitable for seven years due to low margins and inadequate staffing. Directed day-to-day operations, sourced potential alliances, coordinated mergers with other notable exporters, and revitalized distribution center performance.• Turned around losses of $1M on revenue of $25M into a profit in 18 months.• Doubled sales to $50M and gross profit from 5% to 10%.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Tapped as President to resolve an unworkable situation with the largest customer of this $125M commercial bakery while growing the business and achieving profitability. Guided the business to become profitable within 18 months, catapulted sales to $123M—a 27% increase—in three years.• Expanded from 120 to 430 retail outlets.• Positioned the company for sale.• Renegotiated leases from leasing space to becoming a wholesale supplier of nearly 500 SKUs.• Developed new business sales channels and added co-packing (private labeling).

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area