TMA Chicago Midwest Podcast

In the latest episode of the Turnaround Management Association's (TMA) Chicago/Midwest Podcast, Katten Restructuring Partner and host Paul Musser sits down with TMA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Christine Melendes to discuss her career path, early priorities in the CEO role and her vision for the organization's future. Christine shares how her diverse background in association management, operations and business development prepared her for leadership at TMA and delves into why she was drawn to the organization's members and mission. Their discussion also explores the value of chapter involvement, the power of TMA's global network and how professionals can get the most out of conference attendance and volunteer opportunities.

In the latest episode of the TMA Chicago/Midwest Podcast, host and Katten Restructuring Partner Paul Musser sits down with Teneo Senior Managing Director Bernardo Silva, food and beverage industry lead within the company's Management Consulting team, for a candid look at the distress reshaping today's wine and spirits industry. From a non-traditional restructuring professional's perspective, Bernardo discusses the sector's path from a pandemic-fueled boom to consumption that has continued to fall since 2023, leaving weak balance sheets, inventory gluts and a wave of bankruptcies and restructurings in its wake. He and Paul also unpack the structural consumer shifts, from the "sober-curious" generation to alternatives such as cannabis and GLP-1s, that are also driving the sector's downturn. Finally, Bernardo shares his insights on business development, highlighting proactive networking and early intervention as a restructuring professional's greatest assets.

In the latest episode of the TMA Chicago/Midwest Podcast, host and Katten Restructuring Partner Paul Musser sits down with Harold Israel and Jack O'Connor, partners in the Financial Services and Restructuring group at Levenfeld-Pearlstein, LLC. Together, they discuss the evolution of "bankruptcy" to "restructuring" law practices, the decision-making process for distressed companies facing the question of whether "to file or not to file" for bankruptcy, the potential non-bankruptcy alternative solutions at their disposal, and the potential for pre-packaged cases or Subchapter V as solutions for middle-market companies looking to reorganize in bankruptcy. They also share insights on the importance of becoming involved in professional organizations such as the TMA, as well as Harold and Jack's experiences as past TMA chapter presidents.

In the latest episode of the TMA Chicago/Midwest Podcast, host and Katten Restructuring Partner Paul Musser sits down with Novo Advisors Managing Partner and Founder Sandeep Gupta. They discuss Sandeep's "accidental" arrival into restructuring, his entrepreneurial mindset and its influence on his turnaround and restructuring work, the nuances of working with closely held, family-owned businesses versus private-equity sponsored companies, strategies and techniques for middle market restructurings and private credit workouts, and the firm's recently launched forensic and dispute advisory service line. He and Paul also share insights into middle market fraud investigations and discuss the importance of relationship-building within the industry.

In the latest episode of the TMA Chicago/Midwest Podcast, host and Katten Restructuring Partner Paul Musser sits down with HYPERAMS President Bob Pabst and Managing Director of Business Development Kat Parker to explore the world of liquidations and wind-downs. The conversation delves into each guest's career paths in the restructuring field, how to create liquidations that maximize asset recovery, the importance of early lender or fiduciary outreach to integrate liquidators into the larger wind-down strategy, and current market trends impacting M&E values. Bob and Kat also share insights on the power of building relationships through professional organizations such as TMA, and why the restructuring industry remains uniquely relationship-driven.