Equity Holders Under Siege: Strategies and Tactics for Distressed Businesses

A must-read for all constituencies of distressed companies -- owners, creditors, buyers and professionals. Owsley and Kaufman apply principles of asymmetric warfare to the "zero sum" game of restructurings. With a sophisticated approach and tongue-in-cheek humor, Equity Holders Under Siege gives readers an unvarnished behind-the-scenes look into the real world rough and tumble of negotiating on behalf of "under water" owners. Owsley and Kaufman offer practical advice and hope for entrepreneurs and other owners who have poured their souls and treasure into their businesses -- only to find one day that it all can be taken away by creditors. They share actionable strategies for owners to reclaim their companies and extract value. Potential purchasers of distressed businesses will benefit from Owsley's and Kaufman's in-depth look into the complex dynamics of how the various dis- tressed groups operate -- without this understanding, erstwhile buyers may discover that they've vastly overpaid. Creditors and other constituencies will be better prepared to protect their investments after reading about the types of campaigns that will likely be waged against them by well-advised equity owners. Owsley and Kaufman, both highly regarded in the insolvency field, have been trusted advisors in the ranks of the nation's top financial professionals for more than three decades. Like their first book, Distressed Investment Banking: To The Abyss and Back, their new book, Equity Holders Under Siege: Strategies and Tactics for Distressed Businesses, will quickly become the must- have guide for both new and seasoned legal and financial restructuring professionals -- those who play key roles in the economic struggle between debt and equity groups.

About the Author :
Since co-founding Gordian Group in 1988, Henry Owsley has led many of the firm's financing, advisory and merger transactions, as well as expert witness engagements. He was the expert witness in the 2009 precedent-setting Heilig-Meyers litigation. Mr. Owsley co-authored the definitive books in his field, Distressed Investment Banking: To the Abyss and Back - Second Edition, Beard Books, 2015; Equity Holders Under Siege: Strategies and Tactics for Distressed Businesses, Beard Books, 2014; and Distressed Investment Banking: To the Abyss and Back, Beard Books. All books are must-read for boards of directors, management teams and shareholders and/or owners of financially stressed situations, as well as for buyers and professionals. He is consistently named one of the 10 leading investment bankers in the field of bankruptcy and financial restructuring by The Deal where he has also been profiled. Prior to co-founding Gordian Group, Mr. Owsley was at Goldman Sachs, where he founded the firm's Workout Group. While at Goldman Sachs, he was also a founding member of its Technology Group. Mr. Owsley received a B.S. in Engineering, summa cum laude, from Princeton University and a M.S. from the Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His honors included Phi Beta Kappa, Tau Beta Pi and Sigma Xi. Mr. Kaufman has been at Gordian Group since 1990. Prior to joining the firm, he was the founding Co-chairman of the Committee on Investment Banking of the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI). With Henry Owsley, Gordian Group's Chief Executive Officer, he is the co-author of the definitive works in the field, the recently published Distressed Investment Banking: To the Abyss and Back - 2nd Edition, Beard Books, 2015; Equity Holders Under Siege: Strategies and Tactics for Distressed Businesses, Beard Books LLC, 2014 and Distressed Investment Banking: To the Abyss and Back, Beard Books. All books are must-read for boards of directors, management teams and shareholders and/or owners of financially stressed situations, as well as for buyers and professionals. Additionally, Mr. Kaufman has been profiled by The Deal, where he is consistently ranked as one of the 10 leading national investment bankers in financial restructurings.* He has also been profiled by Bloomberg. He is frequently asked by national TV networks and other media outlets to speak on restructuring and bankruptcy topics. Prior to joining Gordian Group, Mr. Kaufman was a founding member of First Boston Corporation's Distressed Securities Group. As an investment banker and attorney, he has more than 25 years of experience solving complex financial challenges. In 2013, he testified in front of the ABI Commission on Bankruptcy Reform in regards to valuation. In 2014, the University of Virginia awarded him an honorary appointment as a Visiting Executive Lecturer at the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration. Mr. Kaufman received a B.A. with honors in History and Art History from Yale College (where he won letters in varsity lacrosse). He also received a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he graduated in the top quarter of his class.