Biographies

Jeff Vogelsang has been advising and leading middle market companies on strategic initiatives, profitability improvements, capital structure, mergers and acquisitions and operational performance improvements for the past twenty-three years. Prior to founding Promontory Point Partners in January 2002, Mr. Vogelsang gained invaluable experience as a turnaround and crisis manager for Jay Alix & Associates (now Alix Partners), an internationally known firm specializing in large corporate restructurings. Jeff began his career in turnaround and profitability improvement as a turnaround manager for Fort Dearborn Partners, a regional turnaround firm based in Chicago. Jeff has been instrumental in leading turn-around engagements in a broad spectrum of industries including food and protein processors, steel forgings, plastic injection molding, information technology, commercial printing and packaging, printing equipment manufacturing, sporting goods manufacturing, direct marketing, licensed apparel design and manufacturing, automotive manufacturing and numerous distribution operations.

Mr. Vogelsang is often called upon in situations that require immediate and decisive action and where senior management needs to be enhanced or replaced quickly. Most recently, Jeff was Interim Chief Executive Officer for an engineered fastener manufacturer which is focused upon consolidating domestic niche fastener companies. In prior engagements, Mr. Vogelsang has been Interim CEO of an aerospace manufacturer, Interim CEO for a sheet metal enclosure manufacturer, Interim President for a branded breakfast sausage and bacon company, Interim General Manager for two Catalytic Converter Manufacturers, Interim President for a Remanufacturer of Electrical Power Equipment, Interim CFO for a commercial printer, Interim CFO for a licensed apparel company, Interim CEO for a second licensed apparel company and interim CFO for an energy services crane and heavy haul trucking company.

In September of 2003, Mr. Vogelsang and his partner Michael Barto were presented with the “Turnaround of the Year” award from the Chicago/Midwest Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association. Selected by a panel of distinguished peers, the award recognizes the tremendous turnaround of an unprofitable material handling manufacturer which has now consistently achieved operating income levels of 20%+ for over a decade.

Mr. Vogelsang has extensive experience in working with privately held companies and in understanding the special complexities and emotional issues involved in the turnaround of such situations. Jeff has the unique skill of being able to quickly assess the situation, determine the actions needed and lead the existing ownership and management team through implementation.

In addition to his exceptional interpersonal skills, Jeff backs up his leadership role with solid experience in cost accounting, lean manufacturing, flexible manufacturing, the Economic Value Added methodology and sales and marketing management. Jeff taught finance and cost accounting courses at the Milwaukee School of Engineering for two years and he has lectured extensively on turnaround strategies, EVA and the capital markets.

Mr. Vogelsang has a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Northern Illinois University and a Masters of Accountancy from the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Both degrees were awarded Magna cum Laude. He passed the CPA exam in 1995 and received his Certified Insolvency & Restructuring Advisor (CIRA) designation in 2002. Jeff achieved the Certified Turnaround Professional (CTP) designation in 2004.

Michael R. Barto, Partner
Promontory Point Partners, LLC

Michael R. Barto has over 28 years of experience in business, both in Fortune 500 and middle-market companies. He has been in a senior management role for the last 20 years and has vast experience both domestically and internationally. He has an outstanding track record of improving profitability through sales growth, strategy development, cost controls & reductions, and operational change.

In his 17th year as a professional turnaround consultant, Mr. Barto has filled multiple interim management roles for clients. Past sample engagements include; President & CEO of an $200MM aftermarket automotive parts manufacturer, Chief Restructuring Officer of a middle-market credit collection agency, interim CEO of a $170MM heavy truck parts manufacturer, interim CEO of a $150MM crane & heavy haul company servicing the energy sector, President and Chief Operating Officer of a $140MM licensed apparel manufacturer, President & COO of a satellite dish manufacturer, interim President of a licensed headwear company, interim CEO of a refractory manufacturing and installation contracting company that successfully navigated its way through an asbestos bankruptcy, interim COO for a metal stamping operation in the Midwest and served as interim VP of Sales & Marketing for a manufacturer of premium outdoor furniture to name a few. Mr. Barto has also served as a consultant to companies in the material handling industry, debt collection industry, printing industry, advertising industry, food industry and folding carton industry to name a few.

Before founding Promontory Point Partners with Jeff Vogelsang, he served as VP of Sales for a $300MM manufacturer of housewares which was a division of a $7B global holding company. Mr. Barto served as VP of Sales for Signature Brands, makers of the popular line of Mr. Coffee small appliances and the Health o meter brand of scales. He also spent 7 years with the Sherwin-Williams Company, where he was promoted three times and was the youngest Director of Sales in the history of the company. In his first position out of college, Mr. Barto was the Inventory Control Manager for the Ace Hardware Corporation, managing over $100MM in production and inventory for their paint manufacturing facility and 14 distribution centers.

As a Partner and founder of Promontory Point Partners, LLC, he has advised clients on strategy, profit improvement, personnel, budgeting, cash flow management, and debt & equity sourcing. His experience in the manufacturing sector is vast and has experience in all channels of distribution, vendor negotiations, inventory management, representative management, forecasting, profit analysis and production planning to name a few. Additionally, he has extensive experience internationally, integrating an acquisition in Brazil, global sourcing, and developing sales management and distribution in Europe. Mr. Barto has spent extensive time in Asia, sourcing products, tooling and assembly operations. He has extensive people management skills, organizational succession planning skills, and a successful track record in developing company incentive plans to properly motivate behavior.

Mr. Barto has an undergraduate degree from Northern Illinois University and has a Masters of Business Administration degree from DePaul University Kellstadt Graduate School of Business in Chicago. He is a member of the Chicago Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association and was awarded the TMA “Turnaround of the Year” award for his work with Mr. Vogelsang on a $125MM+ manufacturer of material handling equipment in 2002-2003. Additionally, he was awarded by the TMA the Pro Bono Turnaround of the Year in 2017 for his work on the Northeast Illinois Council Boy Scouts of America along with Mr. Vogelsang and Mr. Wright. Mr. Barto has also earned the Certified Turnaround Professional (CTP) designation by the TMA.

Timothy N. Wright, Senior Manager
Promontory Point Partners, LLC

Having joined Promontory Point Partners, LLC in January of 2013, Mr. Wright has over 16 years of experience in business. Mr. Wright spent seven years with the Clear Thinking Group, a New Jersey based turnaround and process improvement consulting firm. Tim served as Managing Director for CTG, predominately serving middle market clients nationwide. Prior to his Clear Thinking Group experience, Tim was a senior consultant at Bearing Point and Analyst for the Global Treasury & Trade Services Group at JP Morgan Chase Corporation.

Tim has a vast amount of experience in multiple industries and a diversified skill base that includes operations / inventory management, cash flow management, budgeting, estimating, costing and process improvement, production planning and forecasting. Tim has had extensive involvement in SKU analysis and rationalization, manufacturing capacity planning, plant layout and in integrating acquisitions and the associated plant consolidations that can be required to achieve planned synergies. In addition, he has outstanding IT skills, leading enterprise resource planning (ERP) system implementations, ERP enhancements, designing and implementing eTraining, developing and designing websites, and developing custom dashboard management tools to name a few. His industry experience includes, but is not limited to metal fabrication, retailers, consumer goods companies, apparel, IT/software, banking, food and staffing agencies.

Tim achieved a Bachelor of Business Administration degree (BBA) from the University of Iowa with a major in Management Information Systems (MIS) and a minor in Human Relations. He resides in Wisconsin, strengthening Promontory Point’s presence in that market, which includes Promontory Point Capital, the firm’s investment banking arm.

Professional Memberships and Activities:

• Kenosha Symphony Orchestra – board member
• 2017 TMA Pro Bono of the Year award recipient
• Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Turnaround Management Association (TMA) member
• Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) member
• Project Management Institute (PMI) member
• USA Hockey member

Christopher G. Riegg, Partner
Promontory Point Capital

Mr. Riegg’s investment banking experience includes advising companies on financing strategies and executing various types of M&A assignments. He has advised dozens of business owners on how to liquidate all or a portion of the investment in their business. Further he has been engaged by both early and late stage companies in need of debt or equity capital to fund acquisitions, internal growth, and a variety of other initiatives. In total, he has helped arrange over $1 billion of financing for his clients.

Prior to co-founding Promontory Point Capital, Chris was a Managing Director with L. William Teweles & Co., a Milwaukee-based investment banking firm. His previous professional experience also includes years with U.S. Bank Capital Markets and Banc One Corporation. Throughout his career he has worked with capital providers such as banks, insurance companies, mezzanine funds, buyout and venture capital groups, and other types of investment companies.

Chris earned his Masters Degree in Corporate Finance from Marquette University and obtained a Bachelors Degree in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His professional credentials include holding the Charted Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and he is also a licensed Certified Public Accountant.

William T. Penkwitz, Partner
Promontory Point Capital

Mr. Penkwitz’s investment banking experience includes advising companies on alternative financing strategies and developing growth and liquidity strategies for business owners. Bill has advised dozens of business owners on full liquidations, majority recapitalizations, and minority recaps. In addition to M&A, he has worked with a diverse group of companies relative to financing assignments including debt refinancings, obtaining equity investment, ESOPs, MBOs, and a variety of leasing structures.

Before co-founding Promontory Point Capital, Bill was a Managing Director with L. William Teweles & Co., a Milwaukee-based investment banking firm. His previous experience also includes years with U.S. Bank Capital Markets where he personally arranged over $200MM in leasing arrangements. Earlier in his career he worked with Allen-Edmonds Corp. to establish European operations and also held the position of Chief Financial Officer with Wisconsin-based Raven Golf.

Bill earned his Masters Degree in Accounting and received a Bachelors Degree in Finance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In addition to these degrees, Bill has passed the CPA examination and has completed post-graduate school studies in the areas of corporate finance and real estate.