Case Studies

Business Assessment & Advisory for Fuel & Oil Distributor

J.S. Held Examines Multifaceted, Global Business Impacts of Tariff and Trade Policies

Read More close Created with Sketch.

Industries: Distribution, Oil, Petroleum, and C-Stores
Primary Services: Business / Operational Assessments, Financial Forecasting, Strategic Advisory

The Situation

The client was a $250 million Fuel and Oil Distributor that distributes its products to a variety of customers, including, state and local governments, school systems, and commercial businesses. The Company also has a yacht division that distributes diesel fuel to the mega yacht market both domestically as well as abroad.

The Company’s operations can be segregated into four main operating units:

  • Ground fuel distribution
  • Bunkering
  • Global yacht fuel distribution
  • Gas, propane, and heating oil distribution

The Company operated successfully for many years, but encountered significant losses that resulted from a substantial supply contract that was bid without the benefit of a hedge program, and which therefore exposed the Company to a highly volatile commodity market. Also, the Company was unable to collect approximately $2.3 million from a long-standing customer that faced its own set of financial challenges. As a result of the above, the Company triggered certain events of default under its various agreements and amendments with its senior lender. In response to such events of default, the Company’s senior lender provided the Company with a Reservation of Rights letter and required the engagement of a financial advisor to assist the Company with addressing its various financial challenges.

How We Advised

Our experts completed a thorough review and assessment of the Company, its forecasted performance, and the various challenges the Company was encountering. The assessment included individual analyses of the Company’s operating environment, its hedging program and strategies, management overview, and historical financial overview. At the conclusion of the assessment, we presented a series of recommendations, which specifically included the following:

  • The Company must maintain the institutional discipline to immediately hedge successfully bid Firm Fixed supply contracts, thereby eliminating its cash flow exposure to daily fluctuations in commodity prices
  • Management depth needed to be augmented, specifically in relation to its hedging program personnel
  • The Company must internally decide the future of its bunkering business, which provides interim liquidity (via borrowing base availability) but returns thin operating margins

Upon the completion and review of our assessment with the Company and its senior lender, our client was able to execute multiple extensions to its existing forbearance agreement with its senior lender, permitting the Company the necessary time to successfully secure replacement financing.

Key Contact

Brian F. Gleason, CTP
Senior Managing Director
Strategic Advisory Practice
+1 610 659 8118
[email protected]

Related Practice Areas

> Business / Operational Assessment
Most consulting firms approach a business assessment from a purely financial perspective — our assessments provide a 360° view of a business, addressing growth drivers, profitability, and uses of capital. Along with detailed financial performance reviews and cash flow forecasting, our comprehensive Business / Operational Assessment identifies the various challenges clients encounter throughout their operations.

 

> Liquidity Management
For companies in distress or undergoing rapid growth, ensuring sufficient cash flow to support operations requires a methodical approach to liquidity management marked by multi-department input, cross-constituent communication, prioritization, and negotiation. Our experts apply extensive experience identifying additional sources of cash, prioritizing payments, and interfacing with vendors to ensure continued operations.

 

> Turnaround & Restructuring Services
Navigating the many challenges confronting a company in transition requires an operationally focused approach that looks beyond the balance sheet to minimize further degradation and build a path to sustainable growth. Drawing upon decades of experience in the turnaround space, we help companies in transition identify practical strategies to improve profitability and liquidity for immediate relief, while concurrently developing and executing a comprehensive turnaround plan for long-term, sustainable value creation.

Our Experts