Blog of Intellectual Capital

Storms & Patterns – “The Black Swan is still around”

When I was a child, I remember my Grandma Sarah telling me –“in order to predict the future, look to the past”.

We are now in an environment of tight monetary policy, high energy prices, inflation (maybe stagflation is coming), an increasing cost of living and a government divided by social, cultural and political issues.

There is little or no control on the cost of healthcare and social benefits.  We are technically in a “zone of insolvency”.  As Winston Churchill said “ You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing after they have tried everything else”.

The good news is that the past shows the determination and grit of the American entrepreneur and their vision’s to persevere.  

The capital markets are tight, but money is available, however senior lenders and equity are experiencing the every 2-4 year cycle of under-performing and distressed investments.   

What to do???

Gerbsman Partners Advice if you have an under-performing or distressed company in your portfolio/

Before such an event occurs:

As a board member, investor, senior lender or stakeholder:

1. Implement tight cash flow, account receivable focus and inventory reporting so that you are alerted to problems early.
2. Focus on the control, preservation and forecasting of CASH on a weekly, monthly and quarterly basis.
3. Require “bottoms up” forecasting for all aspects of revenue and expense. Have the CEO and CFO defend ALL numbers.
4. Hold the CEO responsible and accountable for Performance. If you are off the business plan/forecast, re-forecast based on the reality of “what is” today.
5. Communicate frequently with all parties at interest. Check that the CEO is providing leadership, motivation and morale to the management team and employees.
6. Review all companies in your portfolio. Identify and define action plans to fix weaknesses now.
7. Utilize professional resources to assist in maximizing enterprise value, when appropriate.

When such an event occurs:

1. Face up to reality and act quickly. When things are going bad, waiting seldom improves them. We have never seen a board of directors act too quickly when faced with a crisis. We have all too frequently seen a board act slowly or not at all.

2. Call for assistance early. The earlier professionals can get involved in the process, the better the potential outcome in maximizing enterprise value. Many times board’s request assistance only after a company has run out of cash. Many more options exist to maximize enterprise value if a company has some running room.

About Gerbsman Partners 

Gerbsman Partners focuses on maximizing enterprise value for stakeholders and shareholders in underperforming, undercapitalized and undervalued companies and their intellectual properties. Since 2001, Gerbsman Partners has successfully maximized the values of 120 companies in a wide and diverse spectrum of industries, ranging from technology, medical device/life science, digital marketing to cyber security, to name only a few.*

In the process, GP has successfully restructured/terminated over $810 million of real estate executory contracts and equipment lease/sub-debt obligations, and has assisted in over $2.3 billion of financings, restructurings and M&A transactions.*

Gerbsman Partners has offices and strategic alliances in San Francisco, Orange County, Boston, New York, Washington DC, McLean, VA, Europe and Israel.

The Gerbsman Partners team are available to strategize and develop action for maximizing and monetizing value.   Also, Gerbsman Partners does only one retained engagement at a time and I am the “team leader”.

I look forward to speaking with you and my team and I are always on call to assist.

Best

Steve

Please click on link – http://gerbsmanpartners.com

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Gerbsman Partners is pleased to announce it has established a “strategic relationship with Cyber Advisory Partners (“CAP”).   Founded in 2021 and headquartered in Northern Virginia, CAP is a leading cybersecurity and defense technology consulting firm focused on advancing national security through innovation.  The firm provides a range of services to help its clients grow, including go-to-market strategy, business development and transaction advisory. The CAP team’s leadership and advisors are former entrepreneurs, industry experts assisting emerging and leading security companies access the resources, relationships and intelligence required to grow their business and advance U.S. national security.

Gerbsman Partners is a Restructuring and Private Investment Banking firm that is strategically positioned to assist portfolio companies of equity investors, senior lenders and bondholders maximize enterprise value.  Since 1980, Gerbsman Partners has been involved in over $2.3 billion of restructurings, M&A and financing transactions and has maximized enterprise value for stakeholders and shareholders in going concern and highly leveraged, under-performing, under-capitalized and under-valued companies and their Intellectual Property, as well as emerging growth companies.

Since 2001, Gerbsman Partners has focused and been involved in maximizing enterprise and Intellectual Property value for 118 venture capital/private equity backed and /or senior lender financed, technology (software, mobile, telecom, optical networking, internet, digital commerce, clean tech, etc.), life science, medical device, solar, fuel cell, cyber/information security and low tech companies through Gerbsman Partners proprietary “Date Certain M&A Process”.  Gerbsman Partners has also terminated/restructured over $810 million of prohibitive real estate and equipment leases, sub-debt and creditor issues.  Gerbsman Partners leverages its domain expertise and extensive experience to the benefit of all stakeholders at interest, both nationally and internationally through its world wide contacts and Board of Intellectual Capital.  

Together with CAP, Gerbsman Partners will extend its capabilities in the cybersecurity market to maximize and monetize intellectual property, access to capital and business/financial consulting. .  

Eric Bell, Managing Director and Head of CAP’s Transaction Advisory Practice said.  “Our partnership will enable us to lend our expertise to capital providers while leveraging Gerbsman Partners proven processes for maximizing the value of intellectual property to ensure that cutting-edge cybersecurity technologies ends up in the right hands.”

If appropriate, Eric and I are available to strategized and develop action plans for maximizing and monetizing stakeholder value.

Steven R. Gerbsman
Principal
Cell: 415.505.4991
steve@gerbsmanpartners.com
https://gerbsmanpartners.com

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Also, please see https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/09/us/9-11-photos-cnnphotos/ – show your children so they understand what happened

All:

Please accept a “heads-up” that we will perform our annual “9/11 Observation and Announcement” on Monday, September 11, 2023 @ 0659 hours. On this 22^nd anniversary of this horrific day, we honor the 2,983 men, women and children killed in the attacks at the World Trade Center site, the Pentagon, and aboard Flight 93. May we never, ever forget. 

Anyone that would like to participate in the observation and announcement is welcome. We will gather at Station 17 flagpole at 6:55.

A special thanks to Heather Costello and her staff at Comm Center for their participation in this tribute. 

September 11, 2023, Observation & Announcement on the 22^nd Anniversary of 9/11

• This morning at 6:59 am (The time of the south tower collapse) the Marin County Sheriff Communications Center will ring down all Fire Stations in Marin, with a very special message and bells, to honor and recognize the 22^nd anniversary of that fateful day, 9/11. 
• The alert to all stations consisted of the ring of the bells 5-5-5-5 (four sets of five chimes each)
• “Signal 5-5-5-5 is a tradition deeply rooted in the history of the Fire Department of New York…  These bells honor the 343 FDNY Firefighters who answered their last alarm and made the ultimate sacrifice at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001…  

(5-5-5-5 Explanation…Long before telephones and radios, fire departments used the telegraph to communicate. When the handle was pulled on the once-familiar red fire alarm boxes found on nearly every street corner of America, a special code was transmitted to every fire station. When a firefighter died in the line of duty, the fire alarm office would tap out a special signal. That signal was five measured dashes, then a pause, then five measured dashes, another pause…then five more dashes. This became universally known as the Tolling of the Bell and was broadcast over all telegraph fire alarm circuits. This signal was a sign of honor and respect for all firefighters who had made the ultimate sacrifice and has become a time-honored tradition)

• May we never forget the time or place and the awe and shock of it all, the unthinkable acts that were committed and the unexplainable loss followed by unity, resolve and healing. 
• This day has been proclaimed as Patriot Day and we ask that you join the Nation and remember those lost to the tragic events that unfolded before the world on September 11, 2001. This special day is also designated as a National Day of Service and Remembrance  when Americans across the country are called to volunteer in their local communities in tribute to the individuals lost and injured in the attacks, first responders, and the many who have risen in service to defend freedom.
• The World Trade Center stood for 56 minutes and 102 minutes respectively after being attacked. 
• The towers fell in 12 seconds. And while it’s said that “time heals” and that we are better prepared for the next terrorist attack and maintain an improved state of readiness, it doesn’t change the fact that 343 FDNY Firefighters and 71 NYPD and Port Authority Police Officers, never came home on 9/11 along with the 2569 innocent people that died from these unthinkable acts on that tragic day. 
• Let us remain vigilant to take all possible precautions to limit exposure and be conscious of the importance of behavior health in our first responder communities.

Mark

Mark Pomi

Fire Chief

Kentfield Fire Protection Dist

Read Full Post »

All,

Please accept a “heads-up” that we will perform our annual “9/11 Observation and Announcement” on Monday, September 11, 2023 @ 0659 hours. On this 22^nd anniversary of this horrific day, we honor the 2,983 men, women and children killed in the attacks at the World Trade Center site, the Pentagon, and aboard Flight 93. May we never, ever forget. 

Anyone that would like to participate in the observation and announcement is welcome. We will gather at Station 17 flagpole at 6:55.

A special thanks to Heather Costello and her staff at Comm Center for their participation in this tribute. 

September 11, 2023, Observation & Announcement on the 22^nd Anniversary of 9/11

• This morning at 6:59 am (The time of the south tower collapse) the Marin County Sheriff Communications Center will ring down all Fire Stations in Marin, with a very special message and bells, to honor and recognize the 22^nd anniversary of that fateful day, 9/11. 
• The alert to all stations consisted of the ring of the bells 5-5-5-5 (four sets of five chimes each)
• “Signal 5-5-5-5 is a tradition deeply rooted in the history of the Fire Department of New York…  These bells honor the 343 FDNY Firefighters who answered their last alarm and made the ultimate sacrifice at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001…  

(5-5-5-5 Explanation…Long before telephones and radios, fire departments used the telegraph to communicate. When the handle was pulled on the once-familiar red fire alarm boxes found on nearly every street corner of America, a special code was transmitted to every fire station. When a firefighter died in the line of duty, the fire alarm office would tap out a special signal. That signal was five measured dashes, then a pause, then five measured dashes, another pause…then five more dashes. This became universally known as the Tolling of the Bell and was broadcast over all telegraph fire alarm circuits. This signal was a sign of honor and respect for all firefighters who had made the ultimate sacrifice and has become a time-honored tradition)

• May we never forget the time or place and the awe and shock of it all, the unthinkable acts that were committed and the unexplainable loss followed by unity, resolve and healing. 
• This day has been proclaimed as Patriot Day and we ask that you join the Nation and remember those lost to the tragic events that unfolded before the world on September 11, 2001. This special day is also designated as a National Day of Service and Remembrance  when Americans across the country are called to volunteer in their local communities in tribute to the individuals lost and injured in the attacks, first responders, and the many who have risen in service to defend freedom.
• The World Trade Center stood for 56 minutes and 102 minutes respectively after being attacked. 
• The towers fell in 12 seconds. And while it’s said that “time heals” and that we are better prepared for the next terrorist attack and maintain an improved state of readiness, it doesn’t change the fact that 343 FDNY Firefighters and 71 NYPD and Port Authority Police Officers, never came home on 9/11 along with the 2569 innocent people that died from these unthinkable acts on that tragic day. 
• Let us remain vigilant to take all possible precautions to limit exposure and be conscious of the importance of behavior health in our first responder communities.

Mark

Mark Pomi

Fire Chief

Kentfield Fire Protection District

Read Full Post »