Ralph S. Tuliano
CEO
Mesirow Financial Consulting
Q: Where is the firm today?
A: Our firm is proud to have played a significant role in the restructuring of American Airlines and its recently approved merger with US Airways. As financial advisors to the Unsecured Creditors Committee of AMR, we were able to have a significant impact on this historic merger. In addition, we completed our work as financial advisors to the court appointed Examiner of Residential Capital.
Q: How would you describe your firm's outlook for 2014?
A: Despite a soft restructuring market, we expect to grow. Specifically, we are looking to grow our debtor and middle-market restructuring capabilities. And we expect to see continued opportunities in our core areas, including restructuring, forensics, litigation support, valuation and technology consulting services.
Q: What signs are you seeing that suggest an increase in demand?
A: Historically low interest rates are symptomatic of significant challenges within the broader economy. However, as long as interest rates remain low and liquidity remains readily available, we do not expect a significant increase in bankruptcy filings. We do expect that quantitative easing will begin to taper in the coming year, which may have a dramatic impact on liquidity, significantly increasing demand for restructuring services.
Q: How do you see the consulting profession evolving in 2014?
A: In the restructuring world, we are seeing that clients and their counsel value highly specialized, experienced financial advisors. When the stakes are high, they turn to the best talent they can find.
Q: What do you see as the biggest opportunities for the firm in 2014?
A: We were fortunate to have worked with an array of top-tier clients in 2013. We believe our work speaks for itself and the relationships we built over the past year will continue to bear fruit in 2014.
Q: What are the biggest challenges?
A: Employee growth and satisfaction is a continuing challenge. While we continually strive to be an employer of choice, when everyone is busy working on client engagements, it's sometimes challenging to remain focused on providing appropriate career advancement opportunities. One of our primary goals is to find ways to enhance training, mentoring and career advancement opportunities for employees.
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