Effective risk management pulls utility company out of crisis
Client Situation An electric power company suffered a $600 million loss as a result of the West Coast energy crisis of 2001. It had been caught short of wholesale power to deliver to customers during a time of extreme run-up of prices. After the crisis, executives conducted various analyses to assess the company’s risk management […]
Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives Increase Talent Retention, Brand Recognition, and Diverse Representation in Senior Management
Client Situation A nationwide railroad company had a goal to promote understanding and inclusion, and to raise awareness of behaviors surrounding all types of “isms,” e.g., sexism, racism. In support of this, the company needed to leverage differences as a competitive advantage through its employment brand, identify diversity and inclusive behavior as one of its […]
Distressed Medical Clinic avoids bankruptcy and achieves record-breaking growth by correcting operational deficiencies
Client Situation A medical clinic operating for over 12 years had reached the brink of insolvency when the company engaged an experienced CEO with deep understanding of the healthcare sector—including sales, marketing, and all aspects of management—to execute a complete turnaround to save the company from imminent bankruptcy. Solution The CEO, now a NextLevel team […]
Distressed Electric Supply Company Restored to Profitability and Increased Value
Client Situation An established company that manufactured and sold specialized electric power systems to industrial customers had been a leader in its market segment but had experienced recent losses of $2.8 million and $5.2 million on $20 million in sales during the prior two years. Some of the issues involved a cost and pricing structure […]
Digital Media Publishing Company Reduces Risk and Improves Performance by Reforming Its Business Model
Client Situation A billion-dollar digital media publishing company was enjoying success as a world leader in its field by licensing content from third parties and publishing it on its websites, with a monetization model based on digital advertising. The business model had an inherent business risk, however, as costs were relatively fixed and revenues variable. […]
Digital Media Company Develops Strategic Partnership with Two other Companies to Create a Significant New Business
Client Situation A market leader in digital media desired to expand its audience reach into the business-to-business (B2B) market and was looking at two other companies who might provide key components for a unique partnership. One of these companies was a leader in financial market data that desired to expand into the business-to-customer (B2C) market, […]
Development of Improved Executive Compensation Plan for Privately Held Company
Client Situation A privately-held company had a complex equity compensation plan for executives that had been developed several years earlier in a very different economy; it was primarily designed by an employee who was no longer employed there. The plan was difficult to understand for participants and for the board. It was not clear whether […]
Dental Benefits Company Changes Venture Investment Strategy to Accelerate Growth
Client Situation This leading not-for-profit health company was highly successful and looking for ways to improve positive impact on their mission. At the time, there was very little new startup capital or activity in the oral health industry, at a time when the broader healthcare market was launching more than a thousand venture-backed startups per […]
Declining U.S. Operation of European Manufacturer Restores Profitability within Six Months
Client Situation A U.S. business unit that manufactured cleaning equipment, owned by a larger European publicly held corporation, was losing money despite modest sales growth and a competitive market position. The business had been profitable when acquired by the corporate owner several years ago. The entrepreneur/owner was no longer running the company, and day to […]
Custom Manufacturing Company Improves Pricing Model for Better Performance
Client Situation A small custom manufacturing company used a simple pricing model that charged a higher percentage markup on direct costs for complex and longer jobs than it did for simpler, shorter production processes. This appeared to be rational but did not fully account for all the differences in production jobs. For example, when some […]
