Mark is a prominent leader in the restructuring industry with over 35 years of experience advising businesses facing operational or financial challenges including bankruptcy proceedings. He has completed over 200 investment banking transactions involving the sale, private placement or financial restructuring of middle-market companies in North America and Europe. Prior to founding SSG, he held senior leadership positions including co-head of the investment banking group, head of the Special Situations Group and member of the management committee at Berwind Financial.
What factor has most led to your success in the restructuring industry… Our team approach has greatly contributed to my success. It is not one individual that is able to successfully close a transaction, it’s a team of three or four investment banking professionals on every transaction. We each bring different experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, which enables us to develop creative solutions efficiently while facing time constraints and challenging issues. We trust each other and hold each other accountable. From retaining an assignment to closing the deal, we take our responsibilities very seriously – the status quo isn’t an option. We work 24/7, seven days a week, to get a deal done.
What do you most enjoy about your career… Playing a role in enabling a company to survive gives me great satisfaction. For SSG Capital Advisors, we close a deal and move on, but for the client, there are jobs and careers at stake, and we never forget that. We fight to the bitter end to get it done, whether raising capital or selling the company. While we know that not all jobs may be saved, we work hard to ensure that the entity will live on in some form to fight another day, livelihoods will be saved, and customers can continue to buy from the business or use their services. It is also very satisfying to be a part of developing creative solutions when everyone else says, “No, it can’t be done,” or when buyers or financial sources walk away initially. We keep pushing for a yes, realizing we must devise a solution. As entrepreneurs and business owners, we understand what is at stake, and the challenges our clients face.