Michael R. Barto

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.