“As a business owner, when facing adversity it can seem as if the entire world is collapsing around you. I’ve been there myself as a business owner, and for the past seven years I’ve been helping small and mid-size business owners navigate difficult situations. I founded Tropicana Capital Management to leverage my experiences as a high-growth CEO and restructuring attorney - to help companies succeed at a time when they need the most help, all at a reasonable price point.”
Daniel G. Dolan
CEO, Tropicana Capital Management
TURNAROUND MANAGEMENT AND INVESTMENTS FOR SMALL AND
MID-SIZE COMPANIES
HELPING COMPANIES
AND OWNERS MAXIMIZE POTENTIAL
Daniel G Dolan
Daniel is a graduate of University of California, Davis (B.A.), Harvard Law School (J.D.) and attended The University of Chicago Business School for his M.B.A. He is a former Partner at the international law firm of Winston & Strawn, where he specialized in private equity transactions and restructurings/turnarounds.
Over the past 25 years, Daniel has been Chairman, CEO and General Counsel for several early stage companies where he grew them into national and international brands, including It’s Just Lunch International, the world’s largest dating service, and Native Foods Café, a national vegan restaurant chain.
For the past seven years, Daniel has been advising small and lower middle market companies, helping them restructure their businesses, raise capital and prepare for sales.
Tim Brinkman
Tim is a graduate of Miami University (B.S.) and attended The University of Chicago Business School for his M.B.A. Early in his career, Tim was an investment banker with extensive experience in trading and institutional sales at Wasserstein Perella and C.E. Unterberg where he was a Managing Director and executive committee member.
Over the past 15 years, Tim has been a senior executive, founder, CEO, Board member and seed investor with many successful early-stage companies, including ChargeSmart and Playa Platform. Tim also has extensive experience in real estate investments, hotel management and related activities. Tim’s companies have resulted in successful sales to VeriFone, Capital One, Tio Networks and Paypal.
Roger E. Gallo
Roger is a graduate of Claremont McKenna College (B.A.) and attended Harvard Business School for his M.B.A. Roger has held CEO & President positions in early-stage and transitional companies, including Uniform Information Services, B2E, and UIS, a division of CCH Insurance Services and is currently a partner and board member of several financial industry companies.
For the past decade, Roger has been CEO & President of EquipNet, the global leader of surplus asset management helping companies such a Novartis, Unilever, Intel, Teva, Heineken and others to use technology to value, redeploy or monetize their surplus equipment.
Roger has over 25 years of experience with management buyouts, raising capital for early-stage companies and restructuring established companies.
Leonard Linsker
Len is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (B.A.) and Harvard Law School (J.D.). He was previously President of American Maple Leaf Financial and Crimson Securities, both of which funded a number of startup and early stage companies.
For the past 25 years, Len has been a senior executive and investor in dozens of startup companies and real estate ventures and has extensive experience with raising capital and restructuring debt, insurance settlements and negotiating leases and related activities.
WHO WE ARE
Tropicana Capital Management has collectively over 100 years of experience helping small and mid-size businesses in need of restructuring, capital raising and strategic advice. Our services are customized to address each client’s unique situation, such as creative fee arrangements, interim management support and new capital investment.
SAMPLE CASE STUDIES
Mid-Size Restaurant – Lease Restructuring
In 2019, the owner of a mid-size restaurant chain (25 units) called us on May 30th to request our help terminating some leases for money-losing locations. The owner also informed us that they did not have the money to pay June rent due in 2 days on any of their sites. While we wish the owner had called us earlier, we were still able to help this business terminate several leases over the next 90 days, restructuring their expenses and eventually being sold less than a year later for a substantial profit. Because this company was unable to pay us a standard engagement fee, we worked on a contingency basis and were paid from the savings obtained for the company, as well as a success fee when the company was sold.
Start-Up Business – Restructure & Business Planning
In 2020, a start-up dating service engaged us for advice on a) restructuring their contractual obligations and debt, and b) providing an overall new business plan and budget for future growth. Within six months, this service had re-established themself on a profitable basis, and they have grown continuously since that time. Because this company was a start-up and could not afford to pay us a standard management fee, we accepted a low monthly fee and an ownership stake in the company instead.
Mid-Size Restaurant – Contract Re-negotiations
In 2021, another mid-size restaurant retained our services to help them 1) terminate several money-losing leases (each of which had personal guarantees from the company’s owners), 2) re-negotiate contractual payments to both an ex-shareholder and a current shareholder, and 3) renegotiate their bank debt. We were successful in all tasks over the 6 month engagement.
WHAT WE DO
Tropicana Capital Management provides consulting for all types of turnaround situations, including companies that have filed for bankruptcy or are contemplating such a move. We specialize in all aspects of debt restructuring, contract restructuring and lease renegotiation.
Our principals possess extensive experience managing and investing in complex and operationally intensive situations. Our deep industry experience ranges across corporate carve-outs, general restructuring, and pioneering strategic investments, enabling us to build and enhance value for all stakeholders.
We have successfully helped many types of companies navigate through their biggest challenges, such as under-performance, operational distress, divestiture of non-core assets and capability gaps. We look for opportunities where a refined operational focus and/or fresh liquidity can help strengthen an enterprise and create long-term value.
Our principals have held C-suite positions in various industries, including retail, services, restaurants, real estate, and technology, in both company-owned and franchised businesses.
Our ability to offer creative fee structures enables smaller companies that often cannot afford larger management consulting firms to benefit from our expertise.
In addition to management services, Tropicana Capital Management may invest its capital assisting companies with a turnaround. In general, these are situations where we anticipate having a long-term management role, the businesses have $5 million to $50 million of annual revenue, and require up to $5 million in new capital. We invest across multiple industries with a focus on:
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Companies or industries in transition or distress
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Companies in need of operational support
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Strategic capital for industry consolidation or partnerships
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Corporate carve-outs or unique situations
Our investments have involved a wide variety of companies, including retail, services, restaurants, real estate, technology, and company-owned and franchised businesses.
