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Strategic Advice and Consulting

Every business has challenges, but when those challenges distract leadership from achieving strategic objectives, The Pierson Advisory Group can help. Through hands-on leadership, George J. Pierson has applied multidisciplinary training and experience garnered from a career spanning four decades to resolve issues, including:

  • Turn-around of significantly under-performing businesses or assets;

  • Intractable litigation or disputes;

  • Lack of strategic focus;

  • International business entry, exit, or workout; and

  • Organizational misalignment.

During his tenure at Kleinfelder, George led the company from under-performance and increasing debt to a more than four-fold increase in share price and sale to a private equity firm with terms that were acceptable to 99 percent of employee shareholders, thus setting the company on a path to a stronger and more sustainable future.

At Parsons Brinckerhoff, George led the company to the resolution of a significant crisis; following this, he turned around the company’s U.S. operations, and then, as global CEO, built a strong leadership team, improved risk management, and infused greater commercial acumen into the business resulting in the addition of over $1.4 billion in shareholder value.

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Crisis Response and Management

We live in a world of uncertainty and cannot predict when a crisis will occur or what it will entail. A swift, multidisciplinary response, accounting for all stakeholders' interests, both short- and long-term, is necessary to preserve the value of an organization. Having led crisis response and management as an executive, George applies his experience and training in operations, law, and business to provide leadership and counsel to meet the challenge of any crisis. Issues George has successfully managed include:

  • Accident on project resulting in civilian casualty (The Big Dig);

  • Led joint venture to successful resolution of $100 million fraud allegations;

  • Solved an ESOP capital structure misalignment that threatened the viability of the company; and

  • Accelerated sale of international operations to prevent insolvency.

Additionally, George emphasizes risk assessment and management to protect your company from future crisis scenarios. While the future cannot be predicted, the right training of staff and operational processes can lead to reduced claims and public relations issues.

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Corporate Transitions and Investments

The Pierson Advisory Group provides clients with strategic advice related to mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, ownership transitions, and infrastructure investments. Through a deep understanding of industry, operations, and risk, George advises and assists on strategic alignment, cultural fit, risk management, due diligence, and negotiation of critical investment decisions. George has led teams making decisions on all of these matters, including:

  • Leading the sale of Parsons Brinckerhoff from Balfour Beatty to WSP;

  • Leading the sale of Kleinfelder to private equity;

  • Selecting target companies for acquisition and negotiating terms;

  • Advising on the strategic fit of acquisition targets; and

  • Advising private equity on investments and industry dynamics.

In his roles at both Kleinfelder and Parsons Brinckerhoff, George led the companies through transitions from employee ownership to successful sales to private equity or publicly traded companies, putting both companies on paths to long-term success.