A leading portfolio company in the pool care industry, the client offers comprehensive solutions including pool service, maintenance, repair, upgrades, renovations, and custom design and build services. The company was actively executing an acquisition strategy to expand its market presence when E78 was engaged to assist with purchase accounting for multiple acquisitions.
A targeted engagement to support purchase accounting quickly revealed deeper financial infrastructure challenges:
These operational deficiencies threatened to undermine the company’s expansion strategy and limit value creation opportunities.
E78 implemented a comprehensive transformation of the portfolio company’s accounting and financial operations:
The team began by addressing the immediate need for purchase accounting support while simultaneously conducting a thorough assessment of the finance function’s capabilities and limitations.
Upon identifying systemic issues with financial systems and reporting, E78 developed and executed a comprehensive 100-day accounting and finance plan. This included implementing audit-ready processes, optimizing month-end close procedures, and building robust financial reporting and KPI frameworks.
E78 also guided the finance team through the adoption of critical accounting standards (ASC 606/842), provided staff augmentation during the transition period, and trained new internal resources to ensure knowledge transfer and sustainable operations.
Throughout the engagement, E78 maintained a dual focus on addressing immediate operational needs while building long-term financial infrastructure capable of supporting the company’s ambitious growth strategy.
Enhanced Strategic Focus: The CFO was freed up to concentrate on strategic initiatives, particularly accelerating M&A activities and executing additional acquisitions
Improved Decision Support: Accelerated close processes and enhanced data access provided management with timely insights, driving better business decisions and more efficient staff scheduling
Streamlined Onboarding: Reduced learning curve for new team members and mitigated risks of errors in financial reporting through standardized processes and documentation
Significant Value Creation: Added more than $10M in equity value through enhanced financial performance, efficiency gains and scalable infrastructure
By building a finance function capable of supporting an aggressive growth strategy, E78 enabled the portfolio company to accelerate its acquisition timeline while simultaneously improving operational performance and building sustainable value.
