Bankruptcy trustee recovers $12M more for victims of $332M 1 Global Capital fraud

By Ashley Portero
December 28, 2020 

A bankruptcy trustee recovered and distributed $12 million to thousands of creditors who were victims of a $332 million investment fraud.

Cassel Salpeter and Co. chairman and co-founder James S. Cassel, who was appointed director of 1 Global Capital’s estate in bankruptcy court, said about 3,750 creditors that invested in the company received a payment. To date, Cassel has recovered $124 million on behalf of 1 Global Capital victims, after distributing an initial $112 million payment to investors in 2019.

“Considering the challenges posed in collecting on 4,000 cash advances and pursuing legal actions all over the country, this significant additional distribution is a spectacular result for a situation like this,” Cassel said. “It is a testament to the team of professionals and the staff who worked diligently to continue the recovery efforts during the difficult year of 2020.”

Cassel said the liquidating trust will continue to pursue actions to generate additional returns to creditors.

Hallandale Beach-based 1 Global Capital, which provided loans to small businesses, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2018.

Soon after the bankruptcy filing, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed civil fraud charges against the company and former CEO Carl Ruderman, claiming they fraudulently raised $332 million from investors.

According to the SEC lawsuit, 1 Global Capital overstated the value of investors’ accounts and their rate of returns and misappropriated at least $32 million to personally benefit Ruderman. Ruderman agreed to disgorge $32 million in ill- gotten gains and pay a $15 million civil penalty to settle the charges.

Many of the scheme’s victims were elderly individuals who invested between $50,000 and $100,000, Cassel said.

Earlier this month, the SEC charged three former 1 Global Capital sales agents with federal securities registration violations. The commission alleged the trio collectively sold more than $21 million in unregistered transactions to retail investors while acting as unregistered brokers.

In September, the SEC filed charges against Fort Lauderdale attorney Andrew Dale Ledbetter for allegedly using false legal opinion letters to raise $100 million from investors as outside counsel for 1 Global Capital.

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Though slow to come, better times are ahead | Opinion

By James Cassel

2020 highlighted how critical agility is for middle market businesses, with many rapidly reinventing themselves to secure their future. While many technology and ancillary companies thrived, if your business did not fulfill a need created, or required by the pandemic, you likely had to be especially creative to stay afloat. While we are not through with 2020’s pandemic challenges, a gradual comeback is on the horizon, even as many traditional business norms may never be the same.

Here are four areas that companies need to watch in 2021:

Technology: Software and artificial intelligence will continue to revolutionize labor. Advances in virtual reality now promise equal or increased productivity from the comfort of your home office. Meanwhile, telemedicine, video conferencing, and a slew of apps with expanding capabilities exploded in usage with much faster adaptation than anticipated, but also with some obvious limits. Technology will continue to define 2021, but how much so and what will stick remains a question.

Work-from-home (WFH): Call me contrarian, but as an investment banker, I find it hard to achieve the same productivity working from home, especially when it comes to new client origination. In my view, you also lose corporate culture, camaraderie and collaboration.

However, some studies disagree, positing that productivity increases when employees work from home. For those working from home with families, the intangible benefits of spending more time with them is now evident, and they will likely lobby for WFH to continue.

For companies that can provide the option, a hybrid model seems likely, with some days spent at the business location or traveling, and others spent working from home. But keep in mind this is simply not an option for many industries.

How will the COVID vaccine rollout go? Will the vaccines be like a flu shot? Will enough people take them? Will vaccines be required yearly, and will each be as effective? Once taken, what comes next? Is it back to the office immediately, or will we ease back into reentry? How long will your immunity last?

Given our interconnectivity, these answers will have huge implications for the 2021 marketplace, but without knowing them, businesses will find it difficult to plan next moves. Flexibility will be key. In any case, the rollout’s impact likely won’t be felt until the second part of the year.

Will we even go out when it’s safe? This newly guarded approach to life has many wary of shaking hands or venturing to business functions. But your company can’t grow unless you’re hunting and securing fresh opportunities, while also developing new relationships. At some point, people will certainly break out of their silos in 2021, but how often, and what must be done to make us be and feel truly safe? Finding the right pace will prove a balancing act.

So much remains uncertain. Most of us survived 2020, albeit not unscathed, and we saw the acceleration of innovations like virtual meetings, telemedicine and WFH. Many of these changes are here to stay, and yet, even with an ambitious vaccine rollout, much business activity may look like it did in 2020, especially for the first half of 2021. There are, however, promising bright spots ahead, but much we have to watch carefully to make the best adjustments and come out on top in 2021.

James S. Cassel is co-founder and chairman of Cassel Salpeter & Co., LLC, an investment- banking firm with headquarters in Miami that works with middle-market companies. jcassel@casselsalpeter.com or via LinkedIn at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesscassel.

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Creditors recovering another $12 million lost in Broward securities fraud case

By David Lyons
December 23, 2020 

It’s technically not a gift for the holidays. But the 3,750 investors and other creditors allegedly defrauded by a payday loan operation based in Hallandale Beach will gladly accept the $12 million recovered on their behalf.

The money is the latest distribution to people who are said to have lost more than $300 million to a business called 1 Global Capital. The firm filed for bankruptcy in mid-2018 after running short of cash amid a Securities and Exchange Commission probe that led to civil fraud charges against a variety of individuals, as well as criminal charges against lawyers by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami.

“There was a substantial group of investors in South Florida” who lost money, said James S. Cassel, trustee of the 1 GC Collections Creditors’ Liquidating Trust and chairman of the Miami investment banking firm Cassel Salpeter & Co.

Last year around this time, creditors received $112 million thanks to the efforts of a court-appointed legal team that tracked down assets connected to
the companies.

The latest distribution pushes the total sent back to investors up to $124 million, or 44 cents on the dollar, Cassel said Wednesday. Other firms involved in the recovery include Baker Mckenzie, Greenberg Traurig, Development Specialists, Inc., along with special counsel Genovese Joblove & Battista, and Stichter, Riedel, Blain & Postler, P.A,

According to allegations brought by the SEC, 1 Global was a commercial lending business that made the equivalent of payday loans with high interest rates to small businesses. The firm obtained the funds to make the loans from investors nationwide, offering short-term investment contracts. The investors would supposedly receive a proportionate share of the principal and interest payments as the loans to the small businesses were repaid.

1 Global, according to federal authorities, raised money using investment advisers and others who were promised significant commissions.
Many of the investor victims funneled retirement funds by the tens of thousands into the operation, Cassel said.

Last week, the SEC in Miami filed civil charges against three more individuals for illegally selling securities of 1 Global Capital, LLC in unregistered transactions to retail investors while acting as unregistered brokers.

The commission previously charged 1 Global, its owner and others with operating a fraudulent scheme to misappropriate millions of dollars from investors. The SEC also charged 1 Global’s largest sales agent for various registration violations.

The SEC’s latest complaints alleged that Roger E. Dobrovodsky, Robert Todd Seth and Matthew L. Walker were among 1 Global’s top revenue producers, cumulatively selling more than $21 million in unregistered transactions to many retail investors, according to a statement.

According to civil complaints filed by the commission, the three men marketed 1 Global securities to investors “as a safe alternative to the stock
market and reaped hundreds of thousands of dollars in commissions on their sales even though they were not registered as broker-dealers or associated with registered broker-dealers.”

 

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Drawing on brand loyalty can help ensure your company’s survival | Opinion

By James Cassel

It’s going to be a long winter. Even with a successful vaccine, normalcy may be as far away as next summer.

Middle market companies can learn from a recent CBS news story about the famous Strand bookstore in New York City. The struggling independent bookstore turned to social media to highlight its economic plight, successfully motivating a cavalry of support from loyal and new customers, and even some celebrities. With many businesses facing tough choices right now, finding new ways to tap into customer loyalty and secure new clients, while keeping people comfortable doing business with you, is critical to survival and success.

Here’s what to consider:

IS THERE A PATH FORWARD?

Most middle market businesses have already belt-tightened on their expenses, sought capital, and right-sized. Now, it’s once again time to project revenues, expenses, and capital needs for the next six to 12 months and pursue any existing government aid, or new aid that might become available. If you do not see a clear path forward, seek a buyer or a capital partner now. Do not wait. If selling is the only option, position your narrative to explain why your business is a good opportunity. An investment banker can help.

Middle market businesses that do have a path to survival should focus on actively engaging consumers, building client confidence, and tapping into brand loyalty.

Invest in resources that make consumers/clients feel safe doing business with you. Retail outlets and restaurants, for example, can put up plexiglass dividers, secure air purifiers, and/or Far-UVC lighting that may curtail the spread of COVID-19. They should also coach staff on promoting and maintaining social distancing, create or beef up delivery/pickup services, and of course, wear — and even provide — masks and other PPE to employees, guests and customers. Some businesses can set up tents and move merchandise into the open and would do well to invest in outdoor kiosks, awnings and umbrellas, as well as fans or heaters, and move business outside.

You can make other strategic moves, too. Review your product/services line and tailor them to pandemic needs. Seek accommodations with landlords who would rather have some rent than none at all. You can engage real estate consultants to assist in negotiations, while seeking concessions, and also consider collaborations or partnerships that might help.

Most important, do not underestimate the power of drawing on brand loyalty. Like The Strand, use social media and other channels, such as customer lists you may have built, to call for action and help, letting your customers know how much you need and appreciate them. Explain how buying local means revenues stay local, so getting goods and services from you means supporting their community. They will want you around when things get back to normal.

HOLIDAYS MATTER

Many businesses secure a disproportionate amount of their business during the weeks before the holidays. Get ready now. Use messaging to let customers know about the range of extra measures taken to keep them safe. And with many retailers and online businesses already offering bargains, run your own deals now too.

This next COVID phase may be the most challenging yet for business owners. While many middle market companies have already implemented or exhausted traditional cost-cutting and capital-raising efforts, more can be done to keep loyal customers returning and maybe even gain some market share as we get to the other side of this crisis.

James S. Cassel is co-founder and chairman of Cassel Salpeter & Co., LLC, an investment- banking firm with headquarters in Miami that works with middle-market companies. jcassel@casselsalpeter.com or via LinkedIn at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesscassel.

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Keralty buys Westchester General Hospital in Miami

By Brian Bandell
October 29, 2020 

Westchester General Hospital in Miami-Dade County was sold to Keralty, an international health care firm based in Colombia.

The 125-bed hospital at 2500 S.W. 75th Ave. was sold by the family of ​Gregory Fox​. The deal includes the 78,000-square-foot hospital building and 5.7 acres of parking lots and undeveloped land. Keralty said it would retain the hospital’s 570 employees and appoint ​Juan Carlos Echandia​ as chairman. Echandia was previously the South American region president for Keralty.

The price wasn’t disclosed.

Westchester General was one of the few stand-alone for-profit hospitals remaining in South Florida.

Keralty operates Sanitas Medical Centers in Florida and three others states in partnership with Florida Blue. It also operates hospitals in Latin America and offers insurance products. The company moved its global division headquarters to Miami in 2019.

“On behalf of the nearly 20,000 Keralty employees worldwide, we welcome Westchester to our family of companies,” said ​Sergio Martinez​, CEO of Keralty Global. “This addition provides a new opportunity to expand our presence in the U.S. and to advance our journey to establish a better model of care and support for our patients and health plan partners.”

Keralty said it plans to “re-engineer” Westchester General to expand its behavioral health, advanced palliative care, and complex care for individuals with multi-chronic conditions.

According to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, Westchester General had a bed occupancy rate of 53.4% in 2019, which was below the county average. It lost $5.9 million on revenue of $39.3 million in 2019, a year when most South Florida hospital saw earnings growth.

Most South Florida hospitals have suffered financially during the Covid-19 pandemic this year, so having an owner with deep pockets should be beneficial for Westchester General.

“Our vision is to reimagine the services provided by the hospital and to coordinate with Sanitas Medical Centers, other healthcare providers, community organizations, and insurance companies, to establish a patient-centered health program supporting the local community and designed to keep patients healthy, rather than treating someone who is sick,” Echandia said.

Greenberg Traurig was legal advisor to Keralty in the purchase. The sellers worked with law firm McDermott Will & Emery and investment banking firm Cassel Salpeter & Co.

“When Westchester General Hospital and the Fox family who owned it approached us to help them find a buyer for their hospital, they were adamant that they were only looking for a buyer who would continue putting patients first and would provide the same quality of care that had long been the family’s legacy,” said ​James Cassel​, chairman of Cassel Salpeter. “Keralty and their Sanitas Medical Centers checked off all those boxes. We then worked closely with both parties on behalf of the seller to secure this successful outcome.”

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Business succession planning in the time of COVID | Opinion

By James Cassel

President Ronald Reagan was in office little more than two months when he was shot by an unhinged gunman. In the confusion that followed, Secretary of State Alexander Haig declared, “I am in control here,” claiming power at the White House, bypassing the Vice President and the leaders of the House and Senate. While there was some good in having someone assume charge, Haig had no real authority and added uncertainty to an already precarious situation. There’s a lesson here. If you lead a middle market company and become suddenly unable to stand at the helm, don’t invite such chaos. Instead, have a plan.

Recent events at the White House show COVID-19 does not discriminate. Even while practicing social distancing and wearing a mask, one slip, and you, or a member of your leadership team, could be its next victim. Incapacitation at the top of your company could invite incalculable disruption to your business. And even if you remain virus-free, accidents happen and other health risks exist. Plan accordingly and have a succession plan to ensure your company is prepared.

Most large companies have a succession plan that’s monitored by their board, but many middle market business owners find such plans a morbid topic and avoid developing them. This is cruelly ironic given that most large companies could better manage a disruption like the death of a CEO, while smaller companies are typically much more reliant on their CEOs/leaders for everything from managing payroll to literally signing checks.

Even those who outrun the grim reaper longer than most will likely see a day when, at the very least, they may be temporarily incapacitated. What then? Remember, the well-being of colleagues, employees, partners, clients, consumers, and family, matter. Should you shed this mortal coil, or become ill, a succession plan is a good business move that ensures your legacy and protects your employees, clients/customers, as well as relatives when a family business is impacted.

Start with weighing the leadership skills, competence, and trustworthiness​ of those around you as you define your hierarchy of succession. Give these leaders opportunities and training, while mitigating competitive tensions that arise as they yearn for the throne. Be honest and make sure you have the right person or people to take over for the short and long-term.

A well-conceived succession plan keeps your company on track to hit growth targets​ even after leadership takes a hit. It establishes protocols for addressing the temporary or permanent incapacity of the person at the top and other company leaders. These protocols ensure key leaders have access to critical company resources from payroll and operating lines of credit, to all the company passwords. They establish who has company signatory authorization and delegate other operational decisions and essentials such as maintaining relationships with customers, lenders and investors. A good plan also helps get the most out of people before they assume the role, making for a stronger company.

The succession plan also contains strategy for hiring and grooming new talent​ to meet projected company needs. It is also periodically updated, keeping it in line with industry developments, creating personnel redundancies that position your company to flourish, no matter what.

In times of uncertainty, internal and external messaging plans help complete the picture, establishing communication protocols for getting the message out internally, and a PR plan for getting word to those outside the company. Together, they help project, promote, and maintain stability.

Too often, small and middle market companies don’t address succession planning. But the President’s recent hospitalization serves as a warning: Major disruption could be just around the corner. Leaders don’t like giving up control, even temporarily. But none of us are invincible and the fate of your company and the clients and consumers who depend on it, affects more than just yourself. If you don’t already have one, put your succession plan in place now. You owe it to your company, your clients, your family, and yourself.

James S. Cassel is co-founder and chairman of Cassel Salpeter & Co., LLC, an investment- banking firm with headquarters in Miami that works with middle-market companies. jcassel@casselsalpeter.com or via LinkedIn at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesscassel.

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How to land an entry-level role at a major investment bank, according to industry veterans and recruiters

October 7, 2020
By Francesca Di Meglio

Matthew Ting followed the traditional path into investment banking.

He attended a finance-focused school, Western University in Canada, which places 20 to 30 graduates into US investment banking jobs annually (out of 600 or so students), and excelled academically, earning his BA in business administration in 2015. He was the president of the largest student-run investment club in Canada and held multiple finance internships before undergoing full-time recruiting during his senior year — as a summer analyst at Auxo Management in Toronto and at SilverLake in Menlo Park, California, and as an analyst at Evercore in New York and associate at Providence Equity Partners.

Today, Ting is the owner of Peak Frameworks, a firm dedicated to helping people get careers in investment banking with locations in New York and Toronto.

While Ting’s career journey is one good way to land yourself a role at a top- notch investment bank, there are alternative routes for those who don’t want to or can’t follow the same route.

An MBA is often the best way to help bridge the gap between past experience and a job in investment banking. But sometimes you can forgo the additional degree if your previous jobs have provided you with a unique skill set.

For example, James Cassel, now the chairman and cofounder of Miami-based Cassel Salpeter & Co., an independent investment banking firm that provides advice to middle-market and emerging growth companies, practiced law and specialized in corporate securities for 17 years before breaking into investment banking.

As a securities lawyer, Cassel always conducted deals, but he noticed his investment banking counterparts were making more money and hoped a switch in careers would mean fewer hours. (He soon realized, he said, that both securities lawyers and investment bankers work many long hours.) But this is what drove him to seize the opportunity presented to him by one of his investment banking clients. The skills he had as a securities lawyer were transferable and made for a quick learning curve, Cassel said.

“My story is totally different than most,” he said.

Here’s how he and other investment bank veterans suggested landing a coveted role at a major company.

Understand what roles are out there and the process for landing them

For starters, you should understand the tradition of earning an entry-level job as an analyst or associate at a top investment bank.

The overwhelming majority of hires come from the very best business schools. Alumni from those schools who now work for the firm recruit students — either undergraduates or MBAs — at their alma mater. There are phone screenings, events, and in-person interviews that allow for vetting.

In the last stage of the process, recruits go through “super day,” where they head to the organization’s headquarters and interview with a number of people to determine once and for all if they’re a good fit.

Next, you should navigate the different roles at investment banks and determine the one you’re most interested in pursuing. Entry-level jobs include associates and analysts, but the categories go even deeper.

Steven Shreve, professor in the master of science in computational finance (MSCF) program at Carnegie Mellon University, said applicants should understand that investment banking is a specific division of banking related to the creation of capital for other companies, governments, and other entities. He added that the part of investment banking that assists firms in mergers, acquisitions, bond issuance, and initial public offerings requires comprehension of different financial instruments.

“Much of that work is relationship-based, although calculation of the value of instruments does play a role,” Shreve said. “However, these calculations require less mathematical knowledge than those required in sales and trading.”

The sales and trading side of investment banks begins on the trading floor, where traders monitor prices and use sophisticated algorithms based on mathematical models and statistical analysis to make trading decisions, he said. Unlike assisting other firms, sales and trading is primarily a quantitative task, although there’s some interaction with customers.

“A person who is interested in mathematics/statistics/computer science can come late to finance and still have a great career in sales and trading,” Shreve said. “In the mergers, acquisitions, etc., the proper preparation is a degree in finance.”

To get more information, Shreve suggested reading Peter Bernstein’s book “Capital Ideas: The Improbable Origins of Modern Wall Street,” which he said provides a good history of how the industry arrived at this “present, highly mathematical state of affairs in finance.”

Another possibility is asset management, which is about managing customers’ money. Traditionally, investment decisions were made based on fundamental research about individual firms, but increasingly they’re made based on statistical analysis of market data, Shreve said. For asset management, the appropriate preparation has shifted in the last 20 years from finance to mathematics and statistics, he added.

Research the companies that interest you by reading up and networking

Applicants should then research each bank they plan to apply to to understand the culture and how they could fit into it. You should read about the bank in the news or on other websites, reach out and talk to alumni or current employees, and attend networking events. You can even ask for an informational interview, which used to take place over coffee but are more likely happening over Zoom nowadays.

“Don’t make the mistake of thinking that every firm is the same,” said Matthew Spencer, a human resources veteran in the investment banking space who’s worked at Houlihan Lokey, where he oversaw global talent management strategies including recruiting, training, professional development performance management, and people analytics.

Spencer entered Houlihan Lokey, a leading global investment bank, as an associate right after graduating from the MBA program at University of Southern California Marshall School of Business in 2007. Before becoming the chief human capital officer at the firm, he rose to senior vice president in investment banking.

His path into investment banking, however, began with on-campus recruiting. Spencer, like most MBA students, got to know the culture of firms through summer internships, which are usually a pipeline for future employment. But you should go further to understand the differences among banks.

“Take the time to prepare for each interview,” Spencer said. “Understand where a firm sits in the broader industry and research each firm to understand the type of work they do. They all have varying specialities, service offerings, and cultures.”

“Networking is also hugely important,” Spencer, who’s also the cofounder and CEO of Suited, an AI-powered recruiting network designed to help candidates from all backgrounds access highly sought-after opportunities in the financial services space, added. “Candidates interested in securing analyst roles should feel encouraged to reach out to upperclassmen who have already secured summer internships. Additionally, cold emails go a long way in this field. Research school alumni who work at investment banks and don’t be afraid to ask them for some of their time. However, don’t use these calls to ask about specific job opportunities, but instead learn from their experiences and ask questions about their job journey.”

Build strong relationships in internships by showing face

The coronavirus crisis has changed recruiting and training. Many in-person activities have gone online. Often, full-time job offers are a result of successful summer internships, Cassel said. Online internships require additional effort on the part of both interns and their supervisors, he added.

“It’s a real challenge to vet someone and develop a relationship online,” Cassel said. “It’s hard to do. We’re learning to adjust because we have no choice.”

He suggested interns request Zoom calls to help develop a rapport with employees and show their interest and determination. You need to stand out to those hiring, Cassel said.

“It’s not enough to put out quality work because that’s expected,” he said.

If you snag an online appointment, be on time, dress appropriately, consider what’s in the background, and ask for help and feedback, Cassel added.

Amid the pandemic, most banks are now conducting all their internships and networking online, and this could change the recruiting process.

“Even if you don’t think you have the right ‘background’ for a role, you should indeed apply anyway,” said Christopher Temme, CFO of crypto exchange bitFlyer USA, who previously worked as an analyst at Goldman Sachs in Tokyo and an associate at Citi NY. “Since banks are now competing against all industries to attract top talent, they’ve cast a wider net to find these candidates.”

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Boeing Job Moves Take Aim At Unions

Zenger News
October 2, 2020

Boeing announced plans to shift its remaining 787 Dreamliner production from Washington State to South Carolina—wounding the nation’s largest aerospace union.

Boeing said it will make the mid-2021 move to “preserve liquidity” and “enhance efficiency and improve performance for the long-term,” in a statement.

Employee representatives say it’s all about cutting union jobs.

“It’s a very anti-union company,” said Bill Dugov, communications director for the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), which represents 11% of Boeing employees. “They’ve spent millions just battling our unions on organizing efforts. Their official stance from what they’ve told us is they’ll work with unions where they have to.”

Approximately 35% of Boeing’s 162,000 employees are union members. The U.S. has 7.5 million private sector union jobs total, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. South Carolina is a so-called right-to-work state that doesn’t allow employment to require union membership. Boeing opened that second 787 plant in 2009.

“Boeing can’t stand the idea that those who design and build the aircraft, who are the heart and soul of the manufacturing process, have rights,” said a statement from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), which represents 22% of Boeing employees, including production personnel in Washington.

Boeing hasn’t released estimates of potential job losses at its Everett, Washington location, but they could be significant. But Dugovich notes the Everett plant also produces the 747, 777, and 767 aircraft, so some work will remain.

Many have expected the move. “Economic development professionals in Seattle and Everett, when they say their prayers at night, say, ‘Please let us keep Boeing for another year,’” said John Boyd, principal of location consultancy The Boyd Company, which has frequently done work for Boeing. “This has not been that big a surprise for people in the aerospace world.”

“Currently, Boeing has about 7,000 employees at the site,” Boyd added. “We would expect a small number of management and technical workers to relocate, but we don’t expect a large number of other workers to move down there. A good [savings] estimate would be about 20% to 25% in labor costs.”

Boeing has face rough fiscal times, not just from the pandemic’s impact on global travel and airlines, but also self-inflicted ongoing issues with its 737 MAX and the two fatal crashes it was involved in. The company lost $4.3 billion in the first half of 2020 as its most recent financial reports revealed.

“I think, unfortunately, because of the MAX issues, they’ve taken up residence in the bull’s eye,” said Mark Dombroff a partner at law firm Fox Rothschild who concentrates on the aviation and transportation industries. “That causes these kinds of questions to come up.”

Ironically, the South Carolina plant has seen its own quality problems, resulting in the grounding of eight 787s so far. As Boyd notes, relocation has a “hidden cost”: the loss of institutional knowledge and developed skills. That could be an issue for Boeing with the new 787 manufacturing quality problems.

“They’re going to disguise [the move] like production problems in South Carolina and they need to kind of beef it up, but I think it’s just a move away from Everett and more moving into non-union places,” said Joseph Smith, aviation director at mid-market investment banking firm Cassel Salpeter & Co.

“Boeing doesn’t respect that our members have the ability to stand up, voice concerns and attempt course correction of poor management decisions to protect the integrity of the airplanes and the industry,” the IAMAW said in its statement.

One indirect beneficiary could be employees for the Federal Aviation Administration.

“If there’s more production taking place and more airplanes being build, the FAA has to make its own manpower considerations,” Dombroff said.

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How dealmakers at an investment banking firm are winning new business and preserving existing revenue

By Ben Harrison
October 1, 2020 

We all know that if there are fewer opportunities in the market, there is greater competition. Every single capital markets firm globally needed to contend with this fact when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. I watched as thousands of deal professionals scrambled to win new business and preserve existing revenue. For Scott Salpeter, president of Miami-based investment banking firm Cassel Salpeter, it meant integrating technology and remote capabilities into his team’s day-to-day workflow. The result? A single source of truth everyone in his firm could rely on for accurate, real-time information to support decision-making.

“Data is more important than ever,” he said. “The pace of change has dramatically accelerated; industries are being transformed. What was true yesterday, might not be true today, and that can be a challenge when we’re advocating for our clients’ best interests.” For many investment bankers and M&A advisors trying to stay informed in an ever-changing economic and geo-political climate, having access to data isn’t enough. They require a full, 360-degree picture of the client they are serving , the factors affecting the industries in which they operate, a historical view of transactions in that market, and so much more.

These needs and challenges are how I got to know Salpeter, his team of bankers, and thousands of other people who serve as trusted advisors to business owners and executive teams just like them all over the world. Without technology that centralizes a firm’s propriety data alongside third-party data, transaction advisory and other deal professionals dedicate time towards tedious and administrative tasks that could be better spent face-to-face (even on Zoom) with their clients.

Specifically for the team at Cassel Salpeter, the implementation of an industry-specific CRM solution (like DealCloud) across its staff of 14 created a central place for all client, deal, pipeline and relationship data. This allowed the entire team to be better informed, more accountable, and more productive on behalf of its clients.

“When the pandemic hit and we were all forced to work from home, I felt confident that our team had access to the data and tools they needed to support our clients,” said Salpeter. “Other firms that had not made investments into internal tools and technologies have to be struggling with communications and processes across their firms.”

With platforms like DealCloud, a project weekly status report that used to take Scott’s team hours to generate, now takes less than 15 minutes. His team no longer relies on spreadsheets and email. Data is no longer siloed across multiple databases. Cassel Salpeter was even able to create notifications and automate workflows, ensuring nothing slipped through the cracks. Now, Cassel Salpeter has an advantage over the competition.

Bankers like Scott are leading the way for their firm by being squarely focused on making Cassel Salpeter better, more efficient, and ultimately, more essential to its clients no matter what the future holds.

If you would like to learn more about how DealCloud can help your firm become essential to your clients, visit www.DealCloud.com.

DealCloud, an Intapp company, provides a single-source deal, relationship, and firm management platform to enable over 900 clients to power their deal-making process. We offer fully configurable solutions purpose-built for the complex relationships and structures of private equity firms, investment banks, private/publicly traded companies, debt capital providers, and other investors.

Ben Harrison is co-founder and chief revenue officer for DealCloud, which he developed after realizing the needs of alternative asset managers were not being met by one-size-fits-all CRM platforms. Harrison has 15 years of experience in capital markets and holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina Kenan–Flagler Business School.

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Fort Lauderdale lawyer accused of raising $100M in 1 Global Capital fraud

By Ashley Portero
September 30th, 2020 

A Fort Lauderdale attorney is facing fraud charges for allegedly raising $100 million from investors as the outside counsel for 1 Global Capital, the now-bankrupt company accused of defrauding thousands of investors.

Andrew Dale Ledbetter was charged by federal prosecutors with conspiracy to commit wire and securities fraud Sept. 29 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged Ledbetter with fraud the same day.

Erica L. Perdomo, an attorney representing Ledbetter, declined to comment on the charges.

Hallandale Beach-based 1 Global Capital, a commercial lending business, was charged with civil fraud charges in 2018, shortly after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The SEC claimed the firm fraudulently raised $322 million from more than 3,400 investors, many of whom were elderly, from 2014 to 2018.

Ledbetter served as outside counsel for the company until his dismissal in August 2018, according to court documents.

Prosecutors allege Ledbetter was personally involved in raising more than $100 million in investor funds that went to 1 Global, nearly a third of the total amount raised during the scheme. Ledbetter and company executives claimed investor money would be used to fund commercial loans in exchange for a share of the principal and interest payments as the loans were repaid, court documents said.

Ledbetter is accused of using false legal opinion letters with misleading information about 1 Global when pitching investors, court documents said. Although he told investors he served as outside counsel for 1 Global, Ledbetter reportedly received $3 million in commissions from the company. He did not disclose those commission payments to investors, court documents said.

If convicted, Ledbetter could face five years in prison.

Former 1 Global COO Steven Allen Schwartz and former CFO Alan Heide previously pleaded guilty to fraud charges tied to the case. Former CEO Carl Ruderman agreed to disgorge $32 million in ill-gotten gains, pay a $15 million civil penalty, turn over $750,000 in cash and give the SEC a 50% interest in his condominium. He was also barred from working in the securities industry.

Last year, a bankruptcy trustee recovered and distributed $112 million to thousands of individuals who lost money investing in 1 Global Capital. Trustee James S. Cassel said investors received an initial repayment of about 40 cents on the dollar.

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