John Hedge
Meet Scouler & Company’s resident “golden domer”, John Hedge. The proud Notre Dame grad is also a proud Notre Dame Dad, with the dual tuition bills for his two daughters to prove it. Given the complexity of corporate restructurings, Hedge finds that having the “luck of the Irish” on his side is a nice complement to a skills package that includes more than 25 years of practical experience encompassing several CEO and CFO positions, a CPA certification and degree in business administration.
Reminders of Hedge’s alma mater dot the landscape of his life, from twin jet skis named “Go” and “Irish”, to flags, footballs, photos and an iron cake mold that says Fighting Irish 1973, the year Notre Dame won a national title by ending USC’s 23-game winning streak. It’s probably no coincidence that, having served as the school’s East Coast alumni representative while at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Hedge relocated to Atlanta, home to one of the most active Notre Dame alumni clubs in the country.
In between Fighting Irish activities, Hedge segued from public accounting duties at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and PriceWaterhouseCoopers, to corporate finance, beginning with Chiquita Brands International where he was responsible for all operational and financial reporting throughout Central and South American banana operations. Intrigued by the logistics, transportation and warehouse industry, Hedge moved to Burnham Service Company as Chief Financial Officer with full P&L responsibilities including cash management, forecasting, risk management, insurance, legal, MIS, audit, business reviews, contract administration, financial controls and external reporting.
Hedge whet his restructuring appetite by formulating an exit strategy for Burnham’s private equity owners. His achievements caught the eye of the Mosler Inc. Board of Directors which was looking for a restructuring CFO capable of staging the company for a quick sale to maximize recovery for the secured lenders of this $500 million safe manufacturing and security services company.
In that capacity, Hedge administered a complex liquidating Chapter 11 bankruptcy, delivered expert courtroom testimony, and presided over a sale process that returned more than four times the expected value to investors. Having found the proverbial pot of gold for the lenders, Hedge decided to focus on consulting to financially troubled companies as managing director and founder of Regents Partners, LLC.
At Regents Partners, Hedge frequently was tapped to serve as interim CFO and COO for clients, where he executed a number of sophisticated financial strategies including private placements, public and private debt and stock offerings, multiple buy and sell transactions for operating units and companies as a whole, in addition to orchestrating complex growth strategies and market expansions, all with an eye on maximizing the value of holdings for private owners and secured lenders.
Most recently, Hedge tested his mettle as CFO of Test America Analytic Testing Corporation, where he was instrumental in refinancing all debt agreements, quarterbacked six simultaneous acquisitions that more than doubled the size of the company and secured its position as the top player in its market category. Hedge also created an electronic Data Room used to prepare the company for a future sale and financing campaign.
The move to Scouler & Company represents a logical next step for Hedge, who likens his position as leader of the firm’s Atlanta office to that of a head coach, leveraging his team’s extensive knowledge of finance and operations, network of personal contacts and field-tested experience to the benefit of clients. Familiar with the role of go-to guy in the company, Hedge will be personally on call to consult with clients–and just a phone call away on game days.