John Stark has served as either a director or the non- executive chairman of the board on more than a dozen companies during the past
two decades. In 2012, Water Tower Capital and John Stark were retained by Coldwater Portfolio Partners, LLC to act
as the Chief Restructuring Officer of 37 Super Wal-Mart Shadow Centers in the central part of the United States.
The Chapter 7 Trustee also retained Water Tower Capital as the CRO for Retail Centers Management, the property manager for 15 Super Wal-Mart Shadow Centers. Finally, Water Tower Capital completed the successful
363 sale of the 15 Super
Wal-Mart Shadow Centers
in September of 2013.
CRO & Receiverships
WI Chapter 128 Receiverships
Chapter 128 of Wisconsin state law provides for a less expensive and more efficient sale process alternative to a Section 363 sale in a Chapter 11 or a sale of assets in a Chapter 7. It is critical that the Chapter 128 receiver be able to prioritize the myriad of competing considerations in deciding the best processfor the orderly sale of the business and /or commercial real estate.
The principals of Water Tower Capital, LLC
have more than two decades of experience, financing,buying and selling distressed companies and they under- stand what is required to run a successful sale process.
Mr. Stark has previously held positions as:
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Chief Restructuring Officer of Coldwater Portfolio Partners I & II, LLC; Retail Centers Management, LLC and the Klein Group in Angola, IN
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Managing Director - Co-Head of Restructuringat Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. in Los Angeles, CA
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Managing Director at Corporate Financial Advisors, LLC in Milwaukee, WI
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Executive Vice President and General Counsel of the Special Investments Group of PPM America, Inc., in Chicago, IL, where he managed $900 million in three distressed securities funds, a $1.5 Billion Commercial Finance Portfolio, and a $1 Billion workout portfolio.
Case Study: Klein Retail Centers
Water Tower Capital was selected to serve as the Chief Restructuring Officer for Coldwater Portfolio Partners, LLC (“CPP I”) and Retail Centers Management, LLC which respectively own 37 and manage 55 Wal-Mart Shadow Centers across the central portion of the United States. The 55 properties are organized in three different portfolios, the largest of which was in Chapter 11 from April of 2012 - July of 2013.
Water Tower Capital, LLC provided interim management services during the reorgan- ization(s). The Klein Retail Centers are adjacent to Wal-Mart Super Centers and they have an 88% occupancy rate/square foot; however, the CMBS debt could not be refinanced at maturity, which precipitated the Chapter 11.