Mr. Cullen is the Founder and CEO of Steeplechase Advisors LLC. He is a nationally recognized leader in the US middle market restructuring industry with 30+ years of experience leading companies and financial institutions in restructurings and business reorganizations in formal and informal legal proceedings.
Mr. Cullen is the Founder and CEO of Steeplechase Advisors LLC. He is a nationally recognized leader in the US middle market restructuring industry with 30+ years of experience leading companies and financial institutions in restructurings and business reorganizations in formal and informal legal proceedings. He has served in the role of Board Advisor, CEO, CRO and Investment Banker and has led and completed over 250+ restructuring, refinancing and reorganization processes in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia for companies encountering operational and financial challenges. He is a subject matter expert and has testified as an expert witness in multiple federal and district courts throughout the United States on restructurings and sale processes. He has been federally court appointed and approved by federal bank regulators to lead and manage multiple financial institutions through reorganizations and recapitalizations while under formal federal bank enforcement actions.
Clients include financial institutions, public companies, privately held, equity sponsored and family- owned businesses in multiple industry sectors including retail, manufacturing, consumer products, real estate, agriculture, and financial services.
Mr. Cullen is a member of the TMA, a recognized speaker and presenter, and has served on multiple continuing education panels, to the financial and legal community.
He is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin, Ireland and is a dual US and EU Citizen.
David Pearce
Managing Director
David has 34 years of public and private company finance and operating experience with extensive expertise in retail and ecommerce businesses, investment banking, manufacturing operations, agriculture, private equity and debt underwriting. Mr. Pearce was CFO for 5 companies over 22 years.
He has worked extensively in the alternative energy, food manufacturing and multi-channel retailing of consumer products including home electronics, wine, equestrian products and plant products.
Mr. Pearce has provided executive management and turnaround services for companies including a $600 MM food manufacturer, SaaS software developer, metal foundry, cattle feedlot, power plant maintenance provider, gift e-commerce business, oil drilling contractor, corn farming operation, home electronics retailer and furniture manufacturer.
He was CFO of Dover Saddlery for 7 years, a public company, and served as chairman of its Audit Committee. He served as Chairman of the Board and Audit Committee for Kensington Funds, a mutual fund family with $2 billion in AUM.
David holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Brown University and an MBA from the Haas School of Business, University of California at Berkeley as a Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society Member.
Jimmy Hajek
Senior Advisor
Jimmy is a Senior Executive with 30+ years of experience providing operational reorganization, financial restructuring, and bankruptcy advisory services for diverse parties, including debtors, creditors, investors and unsecured creditor constituents in several industries. Mr. Hajek has a successful track record:
Operating privately held companies
Managing the financial reporting and analysis of publicly and privately held companies
Developing and executing reorganization, liquidation and strategic business plans
Leading the analysis and negotiation of new business opportunities, including mergers and acquisitions, credit line and debt refinancing, and strategic partnerships; and,
Negotiating creditor workout plans.
A frequent speaker and published writer on corporate renewal, Jimmy is an active member of the Turnaround Management Association, which has recognized him and his colleagues with awards for:
2007 Turnaround of the Year (for Minnesota Elevator, Inc.); and,
2009 Transaction of the Year (Lyman Lumber, Inc.).
Mr. Hajek is a Certified Turnaround Professional and Certified Public Accountant (Inactive) and holds a BS in accounting from St. John’s University and a MBA in Finance from the University of St. Thomas.
Amy Rose
Managing Director
Amy is a nationally recognized expert in omni channel retail and consumer product design, brand management, digital sales and marketing, retail sourcing and product management and has worked extensively with blue-chip private equity owned and public company retailers. She has served in CEO, CMO and Advisory roles to clients.
She has extensive expertise through key retail and consumer product industries including equestrian, food distribution, apparel, footwear, jewelry and sporting goods, with an emphasis on the luxury segment.
Her career highlights include leadership roles with Hilco Vision, Hasbro and Dover Saddlery – At Dover, Amy was instrumental in growing the business significantly while also maintaining profitability leading up to the successful take-private of the leading multi-channel specialty retailer.
Amy is a graduate of University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a Bachelor of Science degree in Apparel Marketing
Edward Doherty
Director of Finance
During Eddie’s 3 years with Steeplechase, he has worked with over 20 clients ranging from $10M - $200M in annual revenue across various industries, including real estate, retail, manufacturing, financial services, agriculture, natural resources, and SaaS.
The engagements that Eddie has worked on focus on transactions - debt refinancing, debt restructuring, recapitalization, and maximizing value for stakeholders. He builds and maintains 3-statement monthly financial models and 13-week cash flows to advise clients on liquidity management and creditor negotiations. He has also served interim management roles as a CFO and Controller.
Prior to Steeplechase, Eddie was an auditor at PwC in Boston where he earned his CPA and specialized in audits of large alternative investment funds that targeted troubled and restructured debt, earning an early promotion to Senior Associate.
Eddie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Economics from State University of New York, Potsdam, as well as a Master of Science in Accounting and MBA from Northeastern University.
Sam St. Bernard
Financial Consultant
Sam brings 5 years of finance and accounting experience to Steeplechase Advisors. Sam is a licensed CPA who, prior to joining Steeplechase, spent two years at Bain Capital Credit as a senior finance associate, responsible for the finance function of $3.4B assets under management across several credit strategies and has a deep understanding of distressed and restructured debt.
Sam began his career with PwC in asset and wealth management assurance, working on prestigious global investment banks’ hedge funds and retail mutual funds.
Sam holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Boston University and obtained his Master of Science in Accounting and his MBA from Northeastern University as a Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society Member.
Steeplechase Advisors, LLC
Minneapolis | Boston | Charlotte | Baltimore | Cleveland
